John Matthews
WMAL.com
LANDOVER, MD (WMAL) Washington didn’t have to wave any white flags Sunday, but the yellow flags – and special teams play – did them in.
A 69-yard punt return touchdown early in the fourth quarter by Miami’s Jarvis Landry gave the Dolphins their first lead of the game, and it proved to be enough to beat the Redskins, 17 – 10 in the season opener at Fed Ex Field.
The Redskins dominated on the ground and in time-of-possession, but also committed massive penalties that ultimately left Washington playing a losing game of “one step forward, two steps back.”
In one third quarter drive, the Skins committed three consecutive penalties that actually drove them out of field goal range and caused them to lose an opportunity to build on a 10-7 lead. The Dolphins followed with a field goal drive of their own, and then Landry’s touchdown to pull ahead and ultimately win.
The game was not without its bright spots for Washington.
The Redskins new offensive line more than held its own against a tough Miami defense, allowing just one sack of Kirk Cousins and opening holes for running back Alfred Morris, who ran for 121 yards on 25 carries. Miami defensive end Ndamikong Suh, who became the NFL’s highest paid defensive player in the offseason, was held to just one tackle and one assist in his Dolphins debut.
Cousins demonstrated his ability to move the offense down the field, finishing 21 for 31 for 196 yards, with a touchdown pass to Jordan Reed, but he also gave up two interceptions.
“We battled and came up short. I guess we’re all pretty tired of that around here,” Cousins said. “We’ve done that too many times. So eventually the tables need to turn. The tide needs to be turned. And we need a day like today to end up having us be on top at the end.”
The Redskins’ offensive game plan was stunted almost from the very start, as wide receiver DeSean Jackson strained a hamstring on the very first pass thrown his way. With Jackson sidelined and the team’s best deep threat taken away, most of the game plan’s play-action playbook was thrown out, and the offensive turned conservative. An MRI will be performed on Jackson’s leg Monday to determine how much time he’ll miss.
On defense, the Redskins managed to get to the Dolphins’ Ryan Tannehill for three sacks, but after a slow start, Tannehill was able to pick apart the Washington secondary with timely passes to a variety of targets. The Redskins were better covering the ground game, giving up just 74 yards on 18 Miami carries.
Overall, Redskins coach Jay Gruden said he was disappointed by the loss, but insists he saw progress on the field from his team.
“It’s frustrating, because we did have some opportunities there, both sides of the ball,” Gruden said. “And we’ve got to punch it in.”
The Redskins will try again next Sunday when the host the St. Louis Rams at 1 pm. The Rams opened their season with a 34-31 overtime thriller over the defending NFC champion Seattle Seahawks.
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