1. The defense limited the Bears’ offensive playmakers. And we’ll factor the punting game in this one as well. Chicago tried to get guys such as Devin Hester and Matt Forte the ball in space, but the Redskins tackled well and prevented them from getting many yards after the catch. Forte, who averaged 12.9 yards per catch entering the game, gained 6.4 yards on his five catches and Hester was at 6.0 for his five receptions. And Johnny Knox, who averaged 21.8 coming in, finished with 14.3 yards on his six catches. That forced Chicago to drive the ball and, as we saw, the more the Bears offense is on the field the more there’s a chance for a big negative play. As well as DeAngelo Hall covered, his tackling was as good as it’s been in several weeks. Made a difference. Here’s a look at his interceptions. And, on punt returns, give Hunter Smith credit for not being selfish. He punted seven times for a 33.3-yard average with a net of 28.7. Putrid numbers, right? Except that the key stat is this: 12 yards. That’s how many punt return yards Hester had. Smith punted out of bounds on five of his seven punts. If the Bears had a more explosive offense, it could have been an issue. But they don’t so it wasn’t. It also helped that Washington won the field position battle in the first half; the Bears didn’t start a drive in the first half beyond their 30. And five started inside their 22.
2. I’m not sure what to make of Donovan McNabb through seven games. Today was a bit of a microcosm. At times he seemed to lack awareness; other times he made perfect throws to Santana Moss (touchdown) and Anthony Armstrong (dropped or it would have been a touchdown). Footwork was an issue a couple times, as always. On the Danieal Manning interception, Manning strode into the pass and sailed it high to Joey Galloway. Not that he was open anyway, so the decision wasn’t good, either. He missed Santana Moss in the end zone for another would-be touchdown. He fumbled while running up in the pocket and holding the ball away from his chest, easy swiping territory. Just mistakes that an 11-year vet shouldn’t make. I know he’s trying to get out to make a play; it’s what he does. But it wasn’t a good day. A couple times he felt the pressure and hurried throws. Can’t say that I blame him considering he can’t have a lot of trust in the protection (having Clinton Portis here would help). But still. Give the Bears credit for keeping him in the pocket, however. They also locked onto receivers if he did break contain. Of course, it helped that Jay Cutler made his share of bone-headed throws (not always his fault as his receivers don’t know how to break up plays, but that’s another story). On the Bears’ last drive, needing a field goal and in great field position Cutler took a shot down the sideline with a corner playing off and a receiver who was never going to get open.
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3. Ryan Torain was impressive… sort of. It wasn’t just Torain, of course, but it’s hard to feel comfortable with a back who has fumbled twice when trying to kill the clock. But to get 125 yards on this defense is darn good. Of course, 45 came on two plays. Still, that meant on his other 19 carries he still gained 80 yards. Had he done just that, the Redskins would have to have been happy. Torain was inconsistent in pass protection; one pressure came when he failed to block the linebacker blitzing the middle. But he also picked up a blitz on McNabb’s TD pass to Moss. I also liked how the Redskins blocked for him, especially around the right side. They’d use Mike Sellers in an offset I formation and then motion Chris Cooley to that side. Cooley was adept at sealing the end and then Sellers had a couple good kickout blocks, including one on Brian Urlacher on a nine-yard run in the fourth. I’m not ready to proclaim Torain as a star, because he’s not a complete back yet. And he was stuffed on a short yardage late because he failed to hit the hole. Some of this is just experience. The kid does run hard and continues to make guys miss. Love his patience, too.
4. Trent Williams did a solid job vs. Julius Peppers. He wasn’t always on him, but when matched he did a decent job. Can’t say the same for Jammal Brown. He doesn’t play with much power anymore and his footwork is suspect. More on that another time. But Williams’ ability to keep a strong base prevented at least a couple pressures from Peppers. He tried to knock him off-balance with a powerful swat, but Williams wasn’t shaken and never lost his base. That’s a lot of strength, but it stems from being able to bend his knees and play with a strong anchor. Williams did lose some battles, but wasn’t an issue. It was interesting to see how the Redskins dealt with Peppers. Off the top of my head, it seemed they used the tight end vs. him a number of times. And another time they froze Peppers on a play-action when he was against Cooley. Had he not bit on an inside handoff, Peppers would have creamed McNabb. But he did so McNabb had time for a completion to Armstrong.
5. Graham Gano, Graham Gano, Graham Gano. Man. He clunks a 37-yarder off the left upright? Does anyone have confidence in him when he lines up for a field goal? I remember when the Redskins signed him, Jim Fassel raved about his ability to ignore bad kicks. Had the Redskins needed another one, maybe he would have come through. But he has to be on notice. Here’s the problem: the kick coverage is very good and he’s part of the reason why. His kickoffs are solid; he does a good job of kicking to a side and with enough air under the ball to allow the coverage time to arrive. He makes teams drive a long ways. But he’s now 13 for 18 on the season. That’s bad. Remember, Shaun Suisham was cut after making 18 of 21 kicks.
