The questions that were asked before the game… and now the real answers.
1. Will Rex Grossman make a difference? Yes, he did. Now, Dallas’ pass defense has been abysmal, so the fact that Washington threw on the Cowboys was not a surprise. They’ve also now allowed at least 30 points in eight games. But Grossman operated at a higher level than Donovan McNabb had recently. He hit guys in stride most of the game; he threw with an excellent base – his footwork enabled him to stay mostly accurate. Grossman made mistakes and his turnovers resulted in 14 points. He lacks a strong arm and that was evident at times. But he threw four touchdown passes; pretty impressive.
2. How is Dallas’ pass rush? The Cowboys have not rushed the passer that well this season, but they did manage five sacks. However, it was an inconsistent rush because Grossman often had enough time; it helped that he made quick decisions and that the Redskins used a lot of screens. Dallas did not blitz as much as I would have expected; when it did in the second half it usually had success. Then again, the Redskins burned them in the first half a couple times – like on Ryan Torain’s screen pass for a score.
3. How is Dallas’ pass defense? It was terrible, but that’s been the case all season. Part of it stemmed from the lack of a rush, but it didn’t always seem as if the corners were comfortable in their coverages. But a lot of the big plays came off short passes. Anthony Armstrong burned Terence Newman for the 47-yarder; it was just speed. Also liked many of Kyle Shanahan’s calls and how they kept the ends guessing run or pass and led to more time in the pocket and open wideouts. However, it also seemed like Shanahan went a bit pass-crazy to start the game.
4. Will this move somehow inspire the Redskins? I don’t think it inspired the Redskins; had it done so we would have seen that from the start. Instead, they trailed by 20 points and rallied late. What happened is that the Redskins looked more crisp and played with a good tempo. But inspired? Did the defense look inspired?
5. Is there anything else to pay attention to in this game? Didn’t think there was anything else to pay attention to going in and didn’t think there was much else interesting during the game. Well, maybe how Ryan Torain ran. But he only received 11 carries; liked how he ran; had some good power runs. So that was good.
6. What other changes deserve attention? Anthony Bryant at NT; but Bryant was only adequate. Jim Haslett said this the other day and it was evident again Sunday: he often plays too upright. When he didn’t, he could shed blocks. When he did, he’d get moved aside. But he’s more helpful than Maake Kemoeatu. Jeremy Jarmon played a little more and seemed to play with some energy. But he didn’t receive a lot of time.
7. What is at stake in this game? Just positioning for the schedule. If the Redskins had won, they would have clinched games against the third place finisher in the NFC North and the third place team in the NFC South. Now there’s a chance they could end up playing the last place teams – Detroit and Carolina, respectively.
8. What does the Redskins’ defense need to do? Thought they needed to stop the run and they didn’t; Dallas ran for 134 yards and 4.3 yards per carry. Dallas tight end Jason Witten caught 10 passes as the Cowboys exposed Washington’s linebackers in coverage.
9. Which side of the defense needs a good game? I thought the right side because Dallas favors running to the left. But, really, it didn’t matter. Dallas ran well to both sides as the Redskins couldn’t control the middle and the outside linebackers weren’t always helpful.
10. Who needs a big game? I thought Brian Orakpo would, just because he’s the only playmaker in the front seven. But Orakpo was very silent and then he left the game with hamstring and groin injuries. Orakpo also tried to rush from a four-point stance; he really didn’t do much and he missed a tackle in space. There was a big difference watching Orakpo and DeMarcus Ware. The latter is just better all-around at this point.
11. Who will win? Thought Dallas would win and cover the spread. The reason? It wasn’t about Rex Grossman; it was about the Redskins’ defense. It was bad going in and they performed poorly – they also have numerous injuries. The defense needed to play well to win and they did not. Yes, they were put in bad spots in the first half, but they still allowed 33 points and 434 yards.
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