Landover- The positive momentum of training camp and the first preseason games were non-existent tonight as the Denver Broncos man handled the Washington Redskins to the score of. The offense had no rhythm or momentum and the defense routinely looked befuddled and confused. The third down stats might be the most telling stat, the Redskins never converted a third down.
–The Good. One of the few bright spots was running back Adrian Peterson. Peterson had 11 carries for 56 yards. On one drive Peterson ran the ball seven consecutive times. Peterson showed a burst, power, and vision. If this was an audition, Peterson definitely passed. Rob Kelley ended up with a stinger so the Redskins fed Peterson and he delivered. Also quarterback back Kevin Hogan had his best showing. Hogan was 7 for 9 passing for 88 yards and two touchdowns. Hogan displayed a playmaking ability that the team believed he had.
-The Bad. The first and second string offense looked pretty bad tonight. Alex Smith was sacked on his first pass attempt and finished completing only three of his eight pass attempts. Colt McCoy came behind him and didn’t play any better. The offense looked out of sync and disinterested in the game. Even though the play calling was vanilla, Coach Gruden would have wanted better execution and rhythm out of the offense. For a dress rehearsal the offense was just flat. 1 for 11 on third downs was a pretty bad showing.
-The Ugly. If the offense was bad the defense was ugly. Quarterback Case Keenum looked good against this defense, completing passes to numerous receivers and extending plays. The defense was unable to generate a pass rush, the linebackers and safeties missed tackles, and the cornerbacks were beaten on numerous routes. Mobile quarterbacks have given this team problems and that was the cast tonight. The middle run game was pretty good but the edges allowed a lot of extended runs. The defense looked confused on numerous occasions, combined with a ton of missed tackles led to an ugly showing from the defense.
Stock Up:
Running Back Adrian Peterson. Great initial showing from Peterson.
Quarterback Kevin Hogan. Good use of his feet to extend and make plays.
Wide Receiver Darvin Kidsy. With Maurice Harris, Cam Sims, and Brian Quick out Kidsy played well with good route running ability.
Stock Down:
Safety Troy Apke. Apke had been having a great camp but had his worst showing tonight. Missed numerous open field tackles.
Cornerback Quinton Dunbar. Dunbar should know that most teams are going to pick on him as a new starter opposite Josh Norman. Dunbar got manhandled a few times and seemed a step slow in coverage.
The Starting Offense. Starting with quarterback Alex Smith on down the offense never looked together. Even without Chris Thompson, Jordan Reed, and Jamison Crowder, the starting offense did not generate much.
