Redskins Vs. Packers - Studs and Duds

The Redskins looked a bit better at home Saturday night against the Packers, but overall, the game left much to be desired on both sides of the football. Some un-timely penalties and missed opportunities ruled the night.

Below are my studs and duds of the game.

Studs:

Niles Paul - Paul did a lot of dirty work Saturday night, recovering a fumble on special teams, blocking well from his fullback/H-back spot, and catching a touchdown from Colt McCoy, where he showed excellent body control on a tough catch.

Chris Thompson - Thompson showed how dangerous he can be as a receiver out of the backfield, tallying 5 receptions for 52 receiving yards. He caught a beautifully thrown pass from Cousins down the right sideline for a 29 yard gain.

Samaje Perine - Perine made up for a poor game against the Ravens last week. He ran hard between the tackles and showed good speed turning the corner Saturday night. He was the Redskins leading rusher, gaining 45 yards on 8 carries. He also caught a pass for a big 29 yard gain. His pass protection needs some work, but he is willing to stick his head in there.

Chris Carter - Carter was a beast all evening, recording a sack-and-a-half, and getting consistant pressure off the edge all evening. He was the best of the outside linebackers all night, and may have raised some eyebrows on the defensive coaching staff. He also showed good hustle on special teams.

Preston Smith - Smith had a few quarterback pressures, and had a sack on Hundley. He did get sucked inside on a play where Rodgers got the corner on a broken down play and ran for a big gain, but he was also held on the play, and that wasn't called.

Fabian Moreau - Moreau saw significant game action against the Packers, and made some pretty impressive special teams plays; one where he caused a fumble which Niles Paul recovered. He did give up some plays on defense, but even on the perfectly thrown ball to Janis, he was in good coverage against the veteran receiver. His tackling on the night was very solid.

Phil Taylor - Taylor didn't play a ton of snaps, but when he did, and although they were against reserve offensive linemen, he was virtually un-blockable. He recorded a few pressures, got a sack, and looked quick and nimble in pursuit.

Duds:

Nate Sudfeld - Sudfeld was a bit erratic all evening, missing some wide open throws he should have easily made. He was 6/11 for 64 yards on the night.

Ryan Grant - Grant got the start as Josh Doctson missed a lot of recent practice time as he was dealing with a hamstring injury, but he did little to show he belongs on the roster. He caught two passes for 7 yards, but also dropped a ball in traffic that hit him in the hands, and missed a few blocks that resulted in our running backs being stopped for short gains.

Ty Nsekhe - Nsekhe entered the game early when Moses went out briefly after being hit low by a defensive back on a toss. All Ty did was immediately commit a false start penalty, and give up a pressure to his Inside. Overall, it was not a good showing for the back-up tackle, who looked sluggish and over-matched on more than a few occasions.

Deshazor Everett - Everett got the start for the injured Su'a Cravens, and looked a bit out of sorts. He took some poor angles against the run, and missed two tackles early on. He really didn't do anything special in coverage.

A.J. Francis - Francis was getting driven back by the Packers reserves, basically unable to get off blocks all evening. He was the weakest of all the interior defensive linemen in the game.

Joe Theismann - For anyone who had the pleasure of listening to the Redskins broadcast of the game Saturday evening, you must have come away scratching you head at the analysis of Joe Theisman. Clearly the man has taken too many shots to the head, as his bumbling, stumbling commentary was just atrocious. He said during the broadcast that he didn't understand how a productive player like D.J. Swearinger went undrafted out of college...hey Joe, get a clue - Swearinger was a second round pick!

Standout Plays:

- Stacy McGee was caught not hustling off the field, resulting in a 12-men on the field penalty, but he did make some nice plays inside on the evening, clogging some holes, and getting in on a tackle for no gain.

- Rookie Jonathan Allen chased down a screen play to the right side of the field, and made a nice tackle for a short gain. Great hustle by the rookie.

- Cousins threw a dart on a quick post to Josh Doctson who made a nice catch with his hands and picked up good yards.

- Cousins with perfectly thrown pass at the goaline to Crowder for a TD.

- Martrell Spaight blew up a run on a designed blitz in the second quarter, stopping the running back for a 3 yard loss.

- Rookie Montae Nicholson showed good range and leaping ability on a deep ball, coming over to disrupt the play from his FS position.

- Matt Ioannidis has a few nice plays in run support, and showed some explosive pass rushing moves - one time almost getting a sack on a screen.

- Vernon Davis beat his defender off the line and hauled in a perfectly thrown ball from Cousins down the right sideline for a 43 yard gain.

- Joey Mbu flashed some violent hands, and good interior pass rush moves; once getting to the quarterback to combine with Carter on a sack.

- McCoy hit Perine for a huge 29 yard gain down the sideline.