In the second game of the season, Washington Football came back to earth after a surprise comeback win in the home opener.
On the plus side for Washington fans, there was no preseason. The normal routines of football, the most regimental of all American sports, was thrown into a bit of chaos this offseason due to the Coronavirus pandemic.
And while the playing field was level for each of the NFL’s 32 teams when it comes to the offseason, Washington was specifically behind the eight ball: This is Ron Rivera’s first year as head coach and, when he took over, the roster was in need of a near-total overhaul.
With that being said, a lot can be learned from the snap count totals against the Cardinals, showing how Rivera, offensive coordinator Scott Turner, and defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio see the roster.
Offense: 66 total plays
Quarterback and Offensive Line:
Dwayne Haskins - 66 (100%)
Geron Christian Sr. - 66 (100%)
Wes Martin - 66 (100%)
Chase Roullier - 66 (100%)
Morgan Moses - 66 (100%)
Wes Schweitzer - 37 (56%)
Brandon Scherff - 29 (44%)
The offensive line already lacked depth and when Scherff went down with a leg injury amid a torrid first half, things got even shakier. For tackle Geron Christian, the play was inconsistent from the start. The question becomes when rookie Saahdiq Charles will be active and see his first action of the season.
Running Backs
Antonio Gibson - 43 (65%)
J.D. McKissic - 29 (44%)
Peyton Barber - 1 (2%)
After taking 41 percent of the snaps against the Eagles, Barber played just one offensive play Sunday. The emergence of Gibson is a sign of promise, but this unit is still underperforming.
Wide Receivers
Terry McLaurin - 62 (94%)
Steven Sims - 60 (91%)
Dontrelle Inman - 45 (68%)
Antonio Gandy-Golden - 5 (8%)
Cam Sims - 4 (6%)
The story here is Inman saw a 17 percent increase in his snaps from Week 1, which shows offensive coordinator Scott Turner is using three receivers on more plays. Inman was also targeted five times in the passing game. Gandy-Golden got the first offensive snaps of his NFL career. Overall, McLaurin is very, very good.
Tight Ends
Logan Thomas - 60 (91%)
Marcus Baugh - 15 (23%)
Jeremy Sprinkle - 6 (9%)
Where the receivers saw more snaps, the tight ends saw less: Sprinkle and Baugh saw 40 percent and 39 percent of the snaps respectively against Philadelphia. Thomas was Haskins second-favorite target Sunday with nine.
Defense: 77 total plays
Defensive Line
Chase Young - 55 (71%)
Montez Sweat - 50 (65%)
Jon Allen - 50 (65%)
DaRon Payne - 47 (61%)
Matt Ioannidis - 42 (55%)
Ryan Kerrigan - 23 (30%)
Ryan Anderson - 19 (25%)
Tim Settle - 15 (19%)
James Smith-Williams - 7 (9%)
Young led this unit for the second-straight week and added another sack, two tackles for loss, and four tackles. Ioannidis was the only other lineman to add a tackle for loss in a disappointing day for Washington's top position group. Sweat had just one tackle, and Payne failed to record a single tackle.
Linebackers
Jon Bostic - 77 (100%)
Kevin Pierre-Louis - 75 (97%)
Shaun Dion Hamilton - 6 (8%)
Journeyman linebacker Pierre-Louis made 15 tackles (10 solos) to lead the team, Bostic added another sack and 7 tackles (5 solos).
Secondary
S Troy Apke - 77 (100%)
S Landon Collins - 77 (100%)
CB Jimmy Moreland - 77 (100%)
CB Ronald Darby - 76 (99%)
CB Fabian Moreau - 41 (53%)
S Kamren Curl - 32 (42%)
CB Greg Stroman - 1 (1%)
Still playing without Kendall Fuller, this unit had a rough day again. Apke was burned deep and juked out of his pads by Cardinals QB Kyler Murray on a second-half touchdown run. There’s not too much talent or depth on this side. Collins atoned for a coverage breakdown with a pick and a sack.
