Redskins Vs. Eagles - Studs and Duds

What a tale of two halves!

The Redskins came out on fire last Sunday on the road against a very good Eagles team, and led 20-7 going into halftime. Then the wheels fell complete off. They were outscored 25-7 in the second half as the Eagles forced their will against an incompetent defense, while the offense sputtered to sustain drives and missed big-play opportunities.

In the end, the result turned out how we all thought it would be - a loss on the road to a division rival.

Below are my Studs and Duds of the game

Studs:

Case Keenum: Keenum came out and looked sharp in the first half. He missed some throws in the second half, but the defense couldn’t get off the field, allowing the offense no time to get any rhythm. Overall, he surprised many with his play, going 30-44 for 380 yards and three touchdown to no interceptions. He was sacked just once.

Terry McLaurin: The rookie speedster broke out in a big way in his first game as a professional, hauling in five receptions for 125 yards and a touchdown. If it wasn’t for an overthrow by Keenum in the second half, he would have had another touchdown on a deep post. Aside from his speed, he showed good route running, toughness, determination and grit - something we haven’t seen from a Redskins receiver in a long time.

Ereck Flowers: The former first round pick who failed miserably as a left tackle in the NFL, both looked the part and played the part in his first ever start at left guard. He was solid in the run game, and excellent in pass protection, often passing off his man to pick up a stunt, and helping others when needed. It was a surprising performance by a guy three quarters of the fan base wanted cut this summer.

Cole Holcomb: The rookie linebacker, who played sparingly in the preseason, showed out in a big way Sunday against the Eagles. Now, he wasn’t perfect, as he needs to work on reads and eliminating some false steps, but when he gets going, he gets there in a hurry, and he was a sure tackler when he arrived. He led the team with 9 tackles, 2 for a loss.

Tress Way: The All-Pro(yeah, I said it) punter averaged 54.4 yards per punt with a long boom of 58.

Duds:

Morgan Moses: The penalties are getting to be too much! Tack on poor blocking and you have a former team offensive MVP who’s now struggling to just be average. Moses was the worst of the five linemen on Sunday, and it really wasn’t even up for debate.

Ryan Kerrigan/Montez Sweat: The EDGE duo was completely negated by a solid Eagles offensive line Sunday. Neither was getting home with any pressure and both struggled in the second half to get off blocks and make plays in the run game - although Sweat was a bit better than Kerrigan in this regards recording 5 tackles(one for a loss).

Josh Norman: Norman just doesn’t have the speed to be covering a teams number one threat anymore. He’s best in a zone coverage where he can sit and read the receiver. This should be his last season as a Redskin.

Quinton Dunbar: The team’s supposed number one corner looked anything but on Sunday. Maybe he’s still experiencing some issues with the leg, or just needs time to get back into the game after missing much of last season. Whatever the case, his play was not up to par against the Eagles.

Montae Nicholson: Blown assignments have been a common theme with the Redskins secondary, and Nicholson kept this trend up due to missed assignments and lack of communication on the back end. He’ll need to play better if he wants to keep his job throughout the season.

Greg Manusky: It’s time to get this guy out of here! Turn the reigns over to Rob Ryan or Ray Horton - or ANYBODY with a pulse.

Notes:

- Vernon Davis should make the Studs list for his catch and run on the Redskins first touchdown alone, but he didn’t block well, which led to some issues in the run game for the Skins.

- Despite dropping a would-be first down on a slant that hit him right in the hands, Paul Richardson looked pretty explosive against the Eagles. He beat coverage deep on a few occasions I saw(although he wasn’t targeted) and ended the game with 4 receptions for 36 yards on 7 targets.

- I think Jeremy Sprinkle needs more playing time and passing targets.

- Jimmy Moreland is going to be good - but he’s still just a rookie and will have his share of mistakes throughout the season...as you saw Sunday.