Late Rally Leads to Redskins Preseason Win

By-Brandon Williams

We are at the halfway point of the 2018 NFL preseason, and the Redskins just got their first win against the New York Jets. All week-long the two teams have been participating in a joint practice, and things finally came to a head under the bright lights. Late in the last-minute of the fourth quarter, rookie QB Kevin Hogan completed a back shoulder throw to undrafted rookie WR Cam Sims, that put the skins in field goal range with :03 seconds left in regulation.

Sims had been on the receiving end of a few impressive catches that caught the eye balls of the coaches and fans, but what really stood out was his ability to bounce back from rookie mistakes. Earlier during the first half, Colt McCoy threw a dart to Sims over the middle that would’ve put Washington inside the Jets 10 yard line, but Sims could not corral the pass and it was intercepted by Doug Middleton.

Sims, however, did not let that phase him and kept his focus. McCoy would come back to Sims as the game went on, and it paid dividends.

Sims finished with three catches for 57 yards.

Another big story was newly acquired veteran QB Alex Smith making his first preseason start with the burgundy and gold. He connected with his old teammate Vernon Davis on a first down conversion on the opening drive, and  WR Paul Richardson who the Redskins got in a trade with the Seahawks. Although his time on the field was brief, it gave a small inclination of what Redskins fans can expect when the regular season starts in September.

As we all know preseason football gives football fans a chance to look at the veterans, but it also allows them to see more of the rookies fighting for a roster spot, and there were a few players that showed flashes of productivity in last nights game. Rookie DT Daron Payne had a third down sack early in the first half, DT Tim Settle out of Virginia Tech continued his dominance from last week against New England and Kapri Bibbs had himself a nice outing catching 7 passes out of the backfield for 47 yards.

So it is safe to say that the competition at Redskins training camp is fierce.

Even though the competition in training camp might tickle the fancy of Redskins nation, there are still some issues that need to be addressed. Over the course of the game, Washington had numerous opportunities to punch the ball into the end zone, but fell short on every red zone attempt. This is something that head coach Jay Gruden and his staff are going to have to address in the coming weeks no doubt.

Also, with the injuries at the running back position, the evaluation process is going to get very interesting. Samaje Perine and Byron Marshall both went down with injuries in this game and will miss a week or two of action according to coach Gruden.