Game Recap: Redskins 24, Steelers 13

1. Way too many injuries, fortunately none of them are too serious. Barry Cofield has a fracture in his right hand though Mike Shanahan said "Oh yea he will be able to play through it." when asked. Kirk Cousins has a mid foot sprain which for now they think is minor but an MRI will be done today to get more information. Other minor injuries include Keiland Williams left knee strain, Chris Thompson left shoulder strain, Aldrick Robinson thigh bruise, and Leonard Hankerson knee bruise. Again, while none of these are serious injuries and none of the players are expected to miss much time it is still not what you want out of a preseason game.

2. Before his injury Cofield was dominant. He was completely destroying the Steelers offensive line and Pro Bowl center Maurkice Pouncey while helping to force sacks and making big plays against the run. It was interesting that Cofield seemed to see fewer double teams on passing situations because of how strong the Redskins pass rush was from linebackers like Kerrigan. On one play where Cofield was double teamed Kerrigan was left with a one on one and recorded a sack. This was all without Orakpo so expect this pass rush to be scary when he is on the field this season.

3. Ryan Kerrigan also had a monster night. He had a pick six a sack and a forced fumble. On his pick sick he was rushing the passer then heard someone (he thinks Fletcher) yell to watch for the screen, so Kerrigan backed up tipped the pass grabbed it and ran it in for the touchdown. While Kerrigan will give much of the credit to Fletcher it is important to realize not everyone could have or would have made that play. This year could be a huge one for him.

4. The pass rush as a whole had a good game including players like Darryl Tapp, Brandon Jenkins, Phillip Merling, and Bryan Kehl. Phillip Merling has most likely played himself into a roster spot for the Skins and could be interesting to watch.

The Quarterbacks

5. Too many penalties. In the first half the Redskins had 3 unnecessary roughness penalties including 2 from Dejon Gomes, who had an awful night. The other came from London Fletcher after the 2nd play of the game. Obviously I wouldn't be concerned about Fletcher but Gomes is another story.

6. Safety play as a whole was unimpressive in general with Rambo taking multiple poor angles and missing tackles. He really needs to improve in this area if he is going to be a starter. This game goes to show you that without Meriweather the Safety position is in big trouble. Rambo did redeem himself to some extent by forcing a fumble later on.

7. None of the rookies had good nights. On Rex Grossman's lone interception Jordan Reed didn't finish his route and failed to cut in front of the safety causing the turnover. Chris Thompson fumbled and got injured on his second carry of the night. Amerson looked good for most the night but missed a tackle and on one play was stuck covering to receivers. He failed to see the tight end come in his zone which left him uncovered for a big gain.

Aldrick Robinson

8. Hopefully last night put the Pat White mania to rest. Rex Grossman looked great last night going 10 of 16 for 155 yards a touchdown and an interception that wasn't his fault. Pat White on the other hand was underwhelming. White will not make this team.

9. Hankerson had an early drop but ended up making a beautiful one handed catch for a touchdown. Aldrick Robinson also made a nice grab but it was his only one of the game. Robinson could have had another catch that would have been a touchdown but was held by the defensive back which was called. This is pretty typical for both of them they can make some really nice catches but consistency is the key.  Skye Dawson failed to make a catch but he did look explosive on punt returns and was close to breaking one free.