Redskins Report Card: 12/17/17
The Redskins beat the Arizona Cardinals 20-15 at home, improving their record to 6-8 on the season. Kirk Cousins and the offense played a typical game, while the defense stepped up and played much better than usual.
Quarterback: Cousins was 18/26 for 196 yards and two touchdowns. Cousins actually got some help from his receivers today on catch-and-runs (nice job, Kapri Bibs) and could/should have led the Redskins to touchdowns on a few drives that ended in FGs, but overall, Cousins played fine. Grade B
Running Backs: Samaje Perine continues to confuse Redskins fans by having either an excellent week or a very poor week rushing. This week was poor, with 37 yards on 14 attempts. Perine did add add a key 23 yard reception leading to a Dustin Hopkins field goal. Grade C
Receivers: The highlight of WR play this week was Kapri Bibbs notching four receptions for 47 yards and a touchdown after being called up from the practice squad this week. Jamison Crowder was also effective, with five catches for 55 yards and a TD. The absence of an effective Vernon Davis was noticed this week, as Davis had only two receptions for 18 yards, and fumbled the ball once. Grade B-
Offensive Line: Cousins was only sacked once for nine yards. He had time to drop back and hit different receivers most of the game. The OL played great considering how injury plagued they are. Grade A-
Defensive Line: Anthony Lanier II played great, batting down passes and recording multiple sacks, including one that caused a fumble and led to a Redskins TD. Arizona RBs did combine for over 100 yards rushing, but the DL overall still played much better than expected. Grade B+
Linebackers: Several linebackers, including Junior Galette and Preston Smith, had sacks today helping the Redskins D keep the Cardinals in place. Linebackers were also good in coverage. Grade B+
Secondary: While Arizona WRs did not exactly cut up the Redskins secondary, there were several costly penalties on Redskins corners. That said, Cardinals QB Blaine Gabbert put up zero TDs one one INT so the secondary could have done worse. Grade B-
Special Teams: The Special Teams unit made a costly mistake, allowing the Cardinals to recover the second half kickoff that was squibbed. Beyond that, the fresh-from-injury Dustin Hopkins was two for two on FGs and two for two on XPs. Grade C+
Coaching Staff: The Redskins won this game despite running only 47 plays compared to 80 by the Cardinals. This is largely due to the playmaking abilities shown on defense today, but some credit must go to the coaching staff for making the most out of their plays. Grade B
Overall: The Cardinals are nearly as beaten down by injury as the Redskins, so this was a winnable game. That said, the execution and playmaking ability on defense was better than expected, despite a below average day for the usually excellent Kirk Cousins, leading to a win for the Redskins. This win marked a season sweep of the NFC West division for the Redskins. Grade B
