In the "most important" game of the preseason according to many, the Redskins lost to their in-state neighbors the Baltimore Ravens in a shoot-out of sorts, 34-31.
Here are three questions which came to mind during the game and afterwards (followed by commentary).
1. Who is the starting quarterback going to be? If I had to put money on it, I would say Mike Shannahan is going to go with John Beck. Now, I wouldn't bet the farm on Beck starting Week 1, but, his confidence (need to prove people wrong-edness), athleticism, and maturity tend to point the arrow his way.
Both Beck and Rex Grossman had their high points in the game against the Ravens: Grossman's almost-flawless running of the 2-minute drill to end the first half, and Beck's ability to roll out of the pocket and hit receivers in stride, whether they are running underneath routes or down the sideline, were reasons to get excited.
Both had their low points as well: Grossman seemed unable to handle the pressure of the Ravens' defense at times, falling victim to sacks, knock-downs, and errant passes. Beck at times tried to force throws, one of which resulted in a interception on a overthrown deep ball.
Was it Grossman's fault that the defense got to him, or was it the offensive line's? Was it Beck's overthrow that caused the interception, or did Donte Stallworth not give his best effort at catching the ball (or at least knocking it away from the defender)?
Bottom line is: we still don't know for sure who is going to start against the Giants.
2. Was this just a hiccup game, or is this what the Redskins defense is going to play like? At times, the Redskins' defense looked like it had in the previous two games in which they yielded a total of 10 points: Ryan Kerrigan threw offensive-linemen off like ragdolls and sacked the quarterback; Deangelo Hall returned an interception 52-yards for a touchdown; newcomers Stephen Bowen and Barry Cofield provided push and deflected passes at the line of scrimmage; these are things we want to continue into the regular season.
However, this week was also the first week that an opposing team moved the ball at will and capitalized on numerous successful offensive drives. Granted, the Ravens have a high-powered offense which was on the field for over half the game, but plays like the 35-yard touchdown from Joe Flacco to Lee Evans, as well as Ray Rice's seemingly-easy running allowed the tiniest bit of doubt to begin to creep into my mind: the defense looked vulnerable.
What doesn't help the situation is that second-round draft pick Jarvis Jenkins has been lost for the season due to a ACL-tear. Right as it happened on the field, it didn't look good; results unfortunately showed the tear, despite Jenkins' optimistic outlook. Let's hope he will rehab the injury as best as possible and be back on the field in July 2012.
3. Is Tim Hightower for real? On the Redskins' third drive of the game, Tim Hightower took a sweep play designed to go right, and reversed the field for a 37-yard sprint to the end-zone. This score put the Redskins up 14-0, after Hall's pick-six score on the Ravens' first offensive drive.
Hightower this preseason has turned heads for a few reasons. In three games, he has rushed the ball 25 times for 170 yards, and scored twice. These statistics have come against two of the perennially-top defenses in the league: Pittsburgh (10 carries for 44 yards) and Baltimore (9 carries for 56 yards, TD).
Hightower (knock on wood) has shown no signs of the tendency he had in Arizona to put the ball on the ground; Hightower looks re-energized and ready to carry the load of a team's number one running back; simply: Hightower looks ready to run all over opposing defenses.
Tonight's game against the Tampa Bay Bucs isn't going to be your typical fourth preseason game due in part to the fact that Beck and Grossman seem to still be fighting for the starting job.
Look for both of them to target this preseason's most-pleasant surprise: Terrence Austin. Austin has played three well-rounded games, both receiving (10 catches for 140 yards, TD) and returning punts (10.5 yards per return).
Although losing is part of the game, let's hope the Redskins enter the regular season having beat the Bucs.
(Jonathan Wigginton is the Chat Sports Senior Writer for the Washington Redskins)
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