In this matchup of upstart teams from Week 1, we all wondered what Robert Griffin III would do as an encore to his demolition of the Saints' defense in Week 1. Would the Rams be able to apply enough pressure to force the wonderkid into any mistakes? How would RGIII fare without Pierre Garcon?
On the flipside, how would Sam Bradford fare against a stout Redskins pass rush after a solid, if unspectacular opener against the Lions? With the loss of Scott Wells, the Rams already shaky offensive line would have to find a way to limit the pressure on their quarterback.
Although this game was nearly hijacked by some questionable officiating, it proved to be an exciting contest, so let’s find out how it was decided.
Washington – Three Performances of Note
Carriker and Orakpo Go Down Early
On just the second play from scrimmage, Adam Carriker had his leg rolled up on and looked to suffer a major leg injury. Just a few minutes later, after he recorded a sack, Brian Orakpo appeared to have reinjured the pectoral muscle that he tore in Week 17 of last season. On Monday, the Redskins confirmed that both Carriker and Orakpo would be out for the remainder of the season. Orakpo’s presence had already been felt, as he abused Rodger Saffold to the tune of a +1.6 pass rushing grade in just 13 snaps. He attempted to come back, but after five more snaps he had to call it quits. Saffold reinjured his neck on the same play Orakpo injured his pectoral, so the left tackle/right outside linebacker position battle became a second-team affair. Rob Jackson and Chris Wilson could only muster one quarterback hurry and one holding penalty on Wayne Hunter (+2.1 pass blocking) over the rest of the game.
While Carriker’s run defense had fallen off a bit (-9.0 in 2011), his and Orakpo’s presence will be sorely missed, especially the latter’s +17 overall grade in 2011. Opposing teams will be able to double-team Ryan Kerrigan on the opposite side without having to worry about Orakpo’s presence. The Redskins defense now looks to be a liability.
RGIII Redux?
In Week 1, Robert Griffin III was 8 for 12 in throws over 10 yards, to net 240 yards and a score. This week, RGIII (+3.1) went four for five in that same category, to pass for 122 yards and a touchdown. So, the Shanahans decided to take a more conservative approach this week, perhaps due to Garcon’s absence. He still looked very solid when he threw the ball– he launched a missile 61 yards in the air for a touchdown strike to Leonard Hankerson and threw another perfect strike that Aldrick Robinson should have caught for a 60+ yard pass. Still, the Redskins were able to showcase another dimension of RGIII’s skill-set. Although he was forced to scramble from pressure four times for 28 yards, the Redskins had seven designed runs for Griffin, and they resulted in 54 yards and two scores. The two scores were especially impressive, as on the first he ran around left end and cut back into the end zone, while on the second he took a draw up the middle and scampered in untouched from seven yards out. There were still a few throws to remind us that Griffin is only a rookie, particularly the interception he threw right into CB Cortland Finnegan’s hands. Overall, it’s been a great start for Griffin and he’s only going to get better. Scary.
Missing Garcon
Beyond Leonard Hankerson’s 68 yard touchdown catch, which he almost dropped, the Redskins receiver's were hardly heard from the entire afternoon. With Hankerson the only receiver to post a positive grade above +0.4, RGIII must have longed for Garcon, who in just 10 snaps in Week 1 caught all four of his targets, including an 88-yard catch and run. Although Josh Morgan caught all five of his targets, and helped out blocking in the screen game (+0.5), his unsportsmanlike penalty ultimately cost the Redskins a shot to tie the game in the dying seconds.
St. Louis – Three Performances of Note
Chris Long, Hurry Machine
On the field for 50 snaps, of which 29 were pass plays when he rushed the quarterback, Chris Long (+4.0) undressed Redskins right tackle Tyler Polumbus to notch eight hurries. Long was a menace and surely would have picked up a few sacks if not for the rest of the Redskins' offensive line holding up well and not allowing the pocket to collapse once Long had penetrated. Two weeks into the season, Long is now tied with Elvis Dumervil for the league lead in quarterback hurries and looks poised for a huge year. He should be licking his lips especially for two games against the Cardinals' porous front.
Although Robert Quinn (-2.0) came away with the lone sack for the Rams, he was about as unimpressive as he was in Week 1. Squaring off against Trent Williams is no walk in the park, but the Rams have to be expecting more out of the 2011 first-rounder. If he meets the Rams' high expectations, he and Long could form one of the league’s better pass rushing duos.
Danny Amendola = Wes Welker?
On the first play of the game, Danny Amendola (+3.2) caught a short 13-yard pass, fumbled upon being tackled, and Wilson picked up the loose ball and walked into the end zone for an early 7-0 Redskin lead. Not to be discouraged, Sam Bradford (+1.4) continued to throw at Amendola to open up on offense, and completed every pass to keep the Rams in the game after the Redskins got up 21-6 early in the second quarter. Amendola offers something that Bradford didn’t have in 2011, when he struggled mightily: a safety valve, quick trigger option that was reliable and could move the chains. Although Bradford was loose with a couple of throws (he didn’t see London Fletcher in the back of the end zone on his interception), for much of the game he got the ball out quickly, accurately, and didn’t look afraid in the pocket.
Amendola made the Redskins' secondary pay for using a soft zone, as he seemed to get open at will against every defensive back or linebacker who marked him at the line of scrimmage. In particular, Bradford threw at Amendola four times when DeJon Gomes marked him, and completed them all for a total of 89 yards.
Free Agent Signing of the Year?
Jeff Fisher signed one his former players, Cortland Finnegan (+3.1) to shore up a secondary that had been picked apart in 2011. Against Griffin on Sunday, Finnegan was that player and more. He played both in the slot and on the outside, and RGIII only attempted three passes his way–and although he completed two of them, they only netted seven yards. Finnegan intercepted the third beautifully, as he undercut a route in the middle of the field and set up the Rams for a field goal before the half, which cut into the Redskins lead. Known most for his on-field fight with Andre Johnson and his physical nature, Finnegan made possibly the biggest play of the game when he baited Morgan into pegging the ball at him, which resulted in a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty that put Washington out of field goal position with minutes to play.
Game Notes
– Tyler Polumbus allowed seven hurries, tying Jermon Bushrod for the second-most allowed in Week 2.
– Danny Amendola’s 16 targets and 83 yards after the catch were the most by any receiver in Week 2.
– Matthew Mulligan only ran nine passing routes on the 33 snaps he played, but caught both targets he saw, one going for a touchdown.
PFF Game ball
As much as Finnegan deserves it for his pass coverage and irritation tactics, the connection of Bradford to Danny Amendola hooked up 12 times in the first half, when the Redskins were threatening to run away with the game. Amendola finished with 15 catches and he was able to control the short part of the field throughout the game.
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