LANDOVER, Md. — The Washington Redskins defeated the New York Jets, 15-13, on Thursday night in front of a sparse preseason crowd at FedEx Field. Jets rookie quarterback Sam Darnold made his first NFL start, the most notable aspect of an otherwise forgettable contest. He looked decent in two series against Washington's No. 1 defense, completing six of seven passes for 47 yards, though New York's prized first-round pick absorbed drive-ending sacks on both. The second possession concluded with a 36-yard field goal for New York. Darnold, who played the entire first half, finished 8-for-11 for 62 yards. His final pass, intended for Jermaine Kearse on fourth-and-1 from the Redskins 20-yard line, was forced into coverage, deflected by Washington safety Deshazor Everett and intercepted by rookie Troy Apke. More NFL Overall, Darnold looked solid behind a shaky offensive line, seemed to progress through his reads while keeping his eyes downfield and showed pocket mobility that will likely prove critical if he's tabbed the Week 1 starter. Three other takeaways from Jets-Redskins: Smith's debut: Quarterback Alex Smith made his initial appearance for Washington and looked sharp in his lone drive of the night, one that ended with a field goal. He completed four of six throws for 48 yards, but both incompletions looked catchable, including one targeted to Trey Quinn in the end zone. Smith's leadership is already playing well in the locker room, and it appears his athleticism and decision-making could render him an even better fit in Jay Gruden's offense than departed Kirk Cousins was. Redskins on the run: The ground game was an issue for Washington on both sides of the ball in 2017. They ranked 27th running the ball and suffered a major blow in the preseason opener when second-round rookie Derrius Guice was lost to a season-ending ACL tear. Rob Kelley started against the Jets but managed just 17 yards on seven attempts. Samaje Perine busted loose for 30 yards on his only carry, a run that ended with an ankle injury. Third-down back Chris Thompson should be ready for the regular season, but this could remain an area of concern. However matters are looking up on a defense that ranked dead last in stopping the run last season. The duo of Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne, both first-round linemen from Alabama, look poised to shut down once-gaping lanes in 2018. In two possessions against the Jets, the Redskins allowed just 7 yards on five rushes. Jets D: It was good news / bad news for a New York defense that may have to largely carry a team that could start a rookie at quarterback and has limited offensive weaponry regardless of who's taking the snaps. The Jets struggled to slow the Redskins, their starters surrendering 157 yards in three drives. On the plus side, Washington couldn't punch the ball over the goal line. The Jets stiffened on the first two possessions, forcing the Redskins to settle for field goals. On the next drive, Doug Middleton picked off a pass from Colt McCoy at the Jets' 7-yard line after rookie receiver Cam Sims failed to hold onto it and deflected it to the safety. *** Follow Nate Davis on Twitter @ByNateDavis. If you love talking football, we have the perfect spot for you. Join our new Facebook Group, The Ruling Off the Field, to engage in friendly debate and conversation with fellow football fans and our NFL insiders.<doc-sep>0 of 8 Alex Brandon/Associated Press The second week of NFL preseason games is a bit better in every way. The starters play a little longer. The competition ramps up a little more. And the league, as a whole, is a little closer to the start of the regular season—which means a tad more is on the line. Three games took place Thursday and featured plenty to be decided beyond a meaningless final score. The New York Jets are still trying to figure out who their starting quarterback is. At the same time, their opponents, the Washington Redskins, need to figure out how they can replace Derrius Guice after the running back suffered a season-ending knee injury. In Green Bay, the Packers hosted the Pittsburgh Steelers. Who will emerge among Green Bay's young wide receivers? On the other hand, the Steelers still have questions throughout their defense. Also, a Super Bowl LII rematch might not be as sexy during the preseason, but a Philadelphia Eagles-New England Patriots tilt is good anytime. Some personnel questions may have been answered, while others linger into next week's slate. Either way, plenty occurred—on and off the field—at the onset of more preseason action.<doc-sep>
It’s been a lengthy road back from the devastating knee injury that nearly ended Teddy Bridgewater‘s career two years. And while Bridgewater is playing in real football games once again – even if they’re only preseason games – the concern over whether his legs could withstand the dangers of football collisions lingered. Even for Bridgewater himself. So when Bridgewater was hit in the back of the legs by a Washington Redskins defender and took a pair of sacks during Thursday night’s game, it was actually a moment he had been waiting for. “I just wanted to get hit. I don’t know if it’s the right thing to do or say as a QB, but for me, it’s just continuing to knock down that mental block,” Bridgewater said, via Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. “I could have thrown the ball away or run out-of-bounds, but I wanted to challenge myself and see if I could take a hit. It was fun. Get up, smile, tell the guys, ‘Hey, that was nothing. Next play. '” After completing 7 of 8 passes for 85 yards and a touchdown in his Jets preseason debut last week against the Atlanta Falcons, Bridgewater again looked comfortable against Washington, completing 10 of 15 passes for 127 yards and a touchdown with an interception. The former Minnesota Vikings starter looked capable of handling the job this year in New York should the Jets elect to wait on throwing Sam Darnold into the fire right away. While Bridgewater was happy about taking some hits, his head coach wasn’t quite as enthused about Bridgewater’s desires. “Fortunately for him and unfortunately for me, he wanted to get hit some,” Todd Bowles said, via Mehta. “I told him that I have a neighborhood where he can get hit quite a bit if he wants to get hit.” Bridgewater managed to come out of the game completely unscathed, which will please both the quarterback and the coach regardless of the way it happened. And if it makes Bridgewater feel that much more secure about his health moving forward, that should be a welcome positive for the Jets as well.