Wayne Viener, Rockville, MD – You have to tackle to win the game. The Redskins were not physical enough on Thursday. Sure Amari Cooper looked fantastic. You would too if no one would tackle you.
Was the offense good? Not really. The issue with Colt is that he takes too many chances. In Dallas, he took too many chances and it backfired. The Redskins could not run the ball. It could be that the offensive line is in tatters. The two top receivers are out, the top three running backs are out (AP is a late pickup), of course the starting QB is out and at times the two all-pro offensive lineman and the starting left guard are all out.
You have to give credit to the coaching. To be effective and put up points with 9 key players out is special. Losing that many important pieces is beyond an excuse, it is a solid reason to have difficulties.
Back to the main point. The defense shows signs of being special and then forgets to finish the play. I think that the reason is too many rookies or very young players. Dunbar and Strohman on the back-end have been issues. The pass rush comes and goes. Even the linebackers are off and on problematic on play making. Mason Foster looks slow and Zach Brown does not show up in the right place all of the time.
However, the defensive line looks like a keeper. Preston Smith is getting better. Tim Settle has made some plays.
Overall the team is better than the record. It just has to play that way.