1. KING OF THE HILL
Situation: Washington had third-and-6 at the Jacksonville 30 early in the first quarter.
Analysis: Count us among those who believe the Jaguars should find a way to have defensive end Calais Campbell on the roster next season. Campbell, 32, has a $14.5 million cap number in 2019, and the team can save $9.5 million by releasing him, but he remains a productive player in addition to being a steadying locker room presence. After a fumble by Jaguars quarterback Cody Kessler on the game’s opening possession gave the Redskins starting field position at the Jacksonville 34, Campbell helped force a punt. On third-and-6, Washington lined up with one receiver wide right, trips near the right slot and one receiver left. Quarterback Josh Johnson was alone in the shotgun. At the snap, Campbell hit right guard Luke Bowanko and then used a semi-swim move to get around his outside shoulder. With good leverage, Campbell showed tremendous burst to get into the backfield and caught Johnson from behind with a diving tackle for a loss of 10 yards, which pushed the Redskins out of field goal range. Through 14 games, Campbell leads the Jaguars with eight sacks — making him the “King of the Hill” in the defensive line room — and defensive end Yannick Ngakoue is second with seven. The Jaguars need Campbell back next season.
2. DEDE DOES IT
Situation: With the game tied at 3 late in the second quarter, Washington punted on fourth-and-6 from its 22.
Analysis: The Jaguars’ lone touchdown against the Redskins deserves mentioning because several players did a nice job to help spring Dede Westbrook for a 74-yard punt return score. Westbrook caught the punt from Tress Way outside the left hash mark at the Jacksonville 26. First, Rashad Greene and Tre Herndon did a nice job to seal off Redskins gunner Danny Johnson, giving Westbrook an opportunity to survey the open field in front of him. Then, Blake Bell did well to avoid a block-in-the-back penalty while clearing out linebacker Zach Vigil near the 30. As Westbrook moved toward the right sideline, Cody Davis had an important block near the 38, paving the way for a huge return. Suddenly, Westbrook had several blockers in front of him as he ran down the right sideline. Greene led the way and waved Westbrook on before absorbing a strange hit from running back Byron Marshall, who did not even bother attempting to tackle Westbrook near the 13. Westbrook cut back inside from there and scored to give the Jaguars a 10-3 lead with 4 seconds remaining in the second quarter. In a big game for him, Westbrook added three catches for 21 yards and a 20-yard run.
3. FIRST SACK?
Situation: Trailing 10-6 in the third quarter, Washington had first-and-10 from its 27.
Analysis: Jaguars rookie defensive lineman Taven Bryan had his first career sack … for about a minute Sunday. The Redskins lined up with two receivers left, one right and a running back to Johnson’s left in the shotgun. Tight end Vernon Davis was about two yards into the backfield, near the outside shoulder of right tackle Morgan Moses. At the snap, Johnson faked a hand-off while Davis ran across the field behind the line of scrimmage. Jamison Crowder (originally in the left slot) quickly prepared to start blocking as Johnson looked toward Davis. However, the Jaguars had several players in the area, so Johnson opted to scramble. As he did, Bryan disengaged Moses and tackled Johnson for a loss of 1. Initially, Bryan was credited with his first career sack before it was officially changed to a quarterback run and a tackle for loss. We’re saying that was the wrong call.
