Offense: Antwaan Randle El 5 receptions, 162 yards
Yes, Clinton Portis made his return. Yes, he scored a touchdown. Yes, he came two yards shy of a 100-yard rushing performance. But Randle El put the offense in position for players like Portis to score and make plays. On his first reception (35 yards), Randle El made a nice adjustment while the ball was in midair to make the catch. He put on the best receiving performance of his career and nearly put the game to an end as time expired. With no time remaining, he caught a Hail Mary that was batted down by the Dolphins defense but was stopped just two yards short of the endzone. After just one game, he now has nearly half of his yardage total from last season.
The defense has improved immensely with the addition of middle linebacker London Fletcher and the main beneficiary may just be second year up-and-comer Rocky McIntosh. The forward progression of McIntosh has been obvious throughout the preseason and it carried over into Week 1. Rocky recorded 12 tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble in his first game as the full-time starting weak-side linebacker. The Redskins defense played very well against the run, holding the Dolphins to just 58 yards. McIntosh’s production played a very integral part in their overall performance.
Special Teams: Shaun Suisham 3-3 FG’s, Kicked game winner
Suisham, who was tied for second in the NFC in 2006 with an 88.9 field goal percentage, is looking to become the kicker Redskins fans have wanted for years. He’s certainly making a case for himself this summer, missing only his first field goal during the preseason. Suisham missed several field goals during pre-game warm-ups but showed no signs of rust during the game, connecting on all three attempts, one of which was the game winner. Some criticized Coach Gibbs for deciding to go with the kicking unit on first down in overtime instead of attempting to get closer to the goal posts but Suisham put everyone’s fears to rest by slicing the uprights from 39 yards out to put the Redskins at 1-0 on the season.
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