Welcome back to The B&G Report. Another nail biting ending at FedEx Field, but what’s new! The Redskins broke a two game losing streak, beating the Cardinals 20-15. Kirk Cousins and the offense put up just enough points to get the victory, albeit in a spotty performance by the offense as a whole. Cousins did miss a few reads, but only took 1 sack on the day. Now down to their 6th RB of the year in Kapri Bibbs, the expectations were low for a productive run game. On Sunday Samaje Perine didn’t offer much, but recently promoted Bibbs showed his skills as a receiver. He took a short pass to the house for a 36 yard score and showed determination to punch it in. The defense would own the day though. Greg Manusky’s unit stepped up in a big way, creating two turnovers and not allowing a touchdown all day. The defense held Arizona to 4.6 yards per pass, 5 sacks, 9 QB hurries, 13 passes defended and as I previously mentioned they forced 2 turnovers. Improving to 6-8, still gives this team hope to finish the season at .500 with two more games remaining. The defense pressured Cardinals QB Blain Gabbert all day, their focus was stopping All Pro WR Larry Fitzgerald and weresuccessful. PrestonSmith and Anthony Lanier were the stars of the game for Washington though. Lanier had two sacks, a forced fumble and 3 tipped passes. Smith finished the game with one interception and a fumble recovery. Once again Kendall Fuller was the star of the secondary, but Lanier was my B&G MVP of the Game. I for one can’t wait to see Lanier, Allen, Ioannidis, Smith and Kerrigan playing together in 2018!
Future Expectations
As I previously mentioned KendallFuller was dominate against Arizona and has looked great all year. With Bashaud Breeland set for a big payday in Free Agency, Fuller should take over his spot. I agree Fuller is a very valuable slot corner, but he still needs to be on the field in base formations. Fuller’s instincts are second to none, I haven’t seen a Skins corner blow up screens like this kid has in years! Not having Zach Brown available, should have doomed this Linebacking core. The Skins defense stepped up and really showed heart. Going forward I’m hoping to see more of Anthony Lanier, Zach Vigil, Fabian Morea and Josh Holsey see more time on the field. They don’t have playoffs to play for, but developing the youngsters is priority #1 at the moment.
The Unsung Hero
Redskins ILB Zach Vigil has started to gain some steam, during his short stay in D.C. With Zach Brown out due to injury, Vigil saw his snap count increase and took full advantage of the situation. The Utah State product was all over the field on Sunday! The Skins seemed to have found Will Compton’s replacement. Vigil is a bigger and more athletic prospect than Compton. It’s yet to be determined how much of a field general he can be, but word among players is he’s already well respected for his intelligence. Along with Zach Brown, Vigil now becomes one of the priority Free Agents that must be resigned. I love the potential of having “The Zach Attack” ILB duo starting in 2018, the T-shirts are being printed as I write! Seriously though, Vigil has acclimated himself nicely amongst the Redskins linebacker group.
Final Thought
Although it’s just one win, the Redskins defense showed they still have fight and won’t throw in the towel. The effort that the defense put forth against Arizona, will go a long way to determining the changes that need to be made for 2018. The Defensive Coaches need to stay intact going forward, in my opinion. I feel the same about the offensive coaches, as well as JayGruden. Per my last entry, the Skins need to switch back to the 4-3 and stop this 3-4 nonsense. The win doesn’t mean much in the short term, but as Skins fans we must relish in Victory Monday’s as they come and keep a positive outlook going forward. Over the next two weeks, I’m hoping to see more rookies on the field and better performances from this unit as a whole. Stay tuned for the next Rookie Spotlight, as the Spotlight shines on Skins Rookie CB Fabian Morea. Until next time Skins Fans!
HTTR🏹🏈