15 Instant Takeaways from the Jets-Redskins Preseason Matchup

POSITIVES

Teddy Bridgewater - Save for a forced downfield interception, Bridgewater was absolutely tremendous. He had a great sense for the pressure, threw the ball well under duress, on the move, and from inside the pocket, consistently throwing on the money passes. He added a few plus pickups on the ground, and continued to play well after taking big hits - a huge question mark you would have liked to see him answer. Sam Darnold might be slowly seizing the starting job, but Bridgewater is proving he can still be a good starter in this league. He looked like he was playing with JV kids out there in the second half. He is better than more than a few starting quarterbacks and is quickly upping his trade value.

Sam Darnold - It was a less impressive performance than his debut a week ago, but Sam once again looked poised and collected out there. He threw a forced interception on 4th & 1 in the red zone, but for the most part continued to look ready. His offensive line did him little favors but Darnold continued to do a great job understanding concepts and reading the field, for the most part getting the most out of what was presented to him. Bridgewater outplayed him tonight, but Darnold took another step towards starting tonight.

Bilal Powell - Created a lot of yards himself after the catch and behind the line of scrimmage in the run game. Also threw a few crushing blocks in pass protection.

Clive Walford - Stood out the most at tight end with a pair of first down catches created after the catch.

Tre McBride - Had a pair of first down catches from Darnold. Probably the most impressive wide receiver through two games. He and Charles Johnson have blown Stewart and Hansen out of the water thus far.

Charone Peake - Finally showed up with a tremendous touchdown grab from Bridgewater.

Neville Hewitt - Continued to be very active defensively. Quick to the ball.

Doug Middleton - Took advantage of a Washington drop for an interception. Also made a big hit in attempt to break up a TD in the end zone.

Jordan Jenkins - A sack, a stuff, and two QB hits. He looked solid, getting a lot of reps with his hand in the dirt.

George Atkinson - Unlikely to make the roster but played a much improved game after struggling last week. Created a lot of his own yardage in the run and pass game.

Taylor Bertolet - Made two field goals and one extra point. A few close calls tonight, but perfect through two games.

NEGATIVES

Offensive line - Brent Qvale and Jonotthan Harrison were terrible in their spot starts for the injured Kelvin Beachum and Brian Winters. The entire line struggled throughout the game to protect and create holes.

Chad Hansen, Jordan Leggett - Hansen saw one target, seeing a nice dime down the field from Teddy Bridgewater go straight through his hands. Leggett didn’t register a target with two tight end competitors missing the game. ArDarius Stewart caught one 17-yard first down, so at least he showed up and did something.

Darron Lee - Made a few fatal mistakes early in the game, making slow reads in coverage and poor gap-filling decisions against the run. Same mistakes that have plagued him throughout his early career.

Most of the defense - The Jets held up in the red zone but for the most part saw their defense outplayed by the Washington offense. The Jets’ first team especially struggled. They were playing soft coverage and tackling poorly. I don’t think there was anything worrisome out of the game going forward besides Lee’s struggles with the same issues, but it was still not a great outing defensively.