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NYG-WAS Grades: Redskins' offensive line solid in victory

Washington Redskins outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan (91) reacts during the second half of an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Sunday, Sept. 14, 2014, in Landover, Md. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Here are the highest graded players and most notable takeaways from the Washington Redskins' 20-14 win over the New York Giants.

New York Giants

– It’s reasonable to wonder whether Geoff Schwartz’s broken leg might be an injury too far for the Giants’ offensive line. They’re down to just one of the five starters from the start of the year, and Ereck Flowers is a rookie who they intended to play on the right side. The biggest blow remains the loss of William Beatty. Marshall Newhouse (-6.1) has proven throughout his career that he’s not an NFL-caliber player. He recorded his worst grade of the year against Washington, finishing with a -6.8 pass protection grade. Overall, he allowed three sacks, a hit, and five hurries, mostly to Ryan Kerrigan (+5.1). Newhouse is now graded as our 76th overall tackle (out of 78 qualifying players) and has a pass blocking efficiency in the bottom five. He’s allowed the most combined pressures in the league (45), having surrendered four sacks, six hits, and 35 hurries.

– Odell Beckham Jr. (+3.2) looks like the Giants’ only legitimate perimeter threat. He was one of only five players on the Giants offense to record a positive grade against Washington. Beckham’s touchdown grab might be better than some of his previous one handed exploits. He did well just to reach it, somehow finding a way to coral a seriously overthrown pass from Manning as he was falling to the turf. Overall, he recorded nine catches on 17 targets for 142 yards and the aforementioned touchdown. Despite a struggling supporting cast, Beckham is our ninth-graded receiver overall, and seventh in receiving grade alone. He ranks highly in every major category, with just a drop rate of 2.7 (2 from 74 catchable passes), which places him third, and 2.28 yards per route run, which is seventh. If the Giants are to win the NFC East, they’ll need to lean on Beckham even more going forward.

– It’s been a disappointing rookie campaign so far for Landon Collins, but he had his best game of his young career against Washington (+3.4). He recorded his first green-graded game (+1.0 or better) with positive contributions against the run and in coverage. Collins led the Giants’ defense with six defensive stops, showing good awareness when shooting gaps to make plays around the line of scrimmage. Overall, he finished with three tackles behind the line of scrimmage, and only took an obviously bad angle on a single play. In coverage, he was only targeted once, giving up the catch for 4 yards. On that play, he was isolated against the elusive Jordan Reed, outside but despite giving up the catch, made a good open field tackle to stop him short of the first down markers. This game was a step in the right direction for Collins.

Top performers:

FS Landon Collins (+3.4)

WR Odell Beckham Jr. (+3.2)

DE Robert Ayers (+1.6)

WLB Jonathan Casillas (+1.3)

LG Geoff Schwartz (+1.2)

 

Washington Redskins

– Sunday featured a nearly perfect performance by Washington’s offensive line, with all five starters grading positively. Overall, they combined for a +2.4 pass protection grade, giving up just a solitary hit: RT Morgan Moses was the culprit. Their performance in the run game was even better however, as they combined for a +8.3 grade. Each player graded in the green, but it was LG Spencer Long (+2.8) who led the unit. After a rough start to his NFL career, with a combined -5.0 grade in his first four games, Long has a +4.2 grade in his four games since. This was easily his best performance, however, and featured his first perfect game in pass protection.

– While Washington’s offensive front played well, their corners were outstanding. Overall, Bashaud Breeland, Will Blackmon, and Quinton Dunbar combined for a +9.8 grade. In coverage, they combined for a +9.3 grade. Despite giving up a pair of touchdowns, Will Blackmon led the way. He was even able to survive a dreadful play on fourth-and-long when he was beaten on a corner route by Rueben Randle for a touchdown. Overall, he allowed 6-of-13 targets to be complete for 89 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, and three passes defensed. Starting across from him, Breeland was more consistent from play to play, but generated fewer big moments. Overall, he allowed just 5-of-13 targets to be completed for 54 yards and three pass deflections. Finally, undrafted free agent Quinton Dunbar played well in his first extended NFL action. He allowed just one catch on four targets for 13 yards. Washington’s secondary has been an issue for years. While the safeties remain a concern, it looks like they’ve finally found some talent at the corner position.

– After a hot start in his first seven games, Chris Baker (-1.4) has cooled off a little in the four games since. He recorded positive grades in Weeks 1-7, but has two red graded games (below -1.0) after the bye. This was his worst performance of the season, even if he only posted a slightly below average grade. Although he recorded his sixth sack of the season and an additional hit, he recorded a negative grade as a pass rusher (-0.3). Although he made a nice play on his sack to beat Newhouse on a stunt, his hit came unblocked, and he required 28 rushes to record his pair of pressures. In run defense, he wasn’t his usual disruptive self, failing to make any defensive stops in that facet of the game. Washington will hope Baker can return to his form at the start of the year, where he was one of the most dominant interior defenders around.

Top Performers:

LOLB Ryan Kerrigan (+5.1)

RCB Will Blackmon (+4.7)

LG Spencer Long (+4.3)

ROLB Preston Smith (+3.1)

C Josh LeRibeus (+2.7)

RG Brandon Scherff (+2.7)

LCB Bashaud Breeland (+2.7)

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