[washingtonismoney]

The defense played one really good quarter and got a pick-six -- that was enough to put the game way out of distance. But I wouldn't say it's *good*, per se, overall. It's like those Duck defenses of the early part of Chip's run: stop them a little bit, and that's good enough for a dominant offense. (Hopefully. It's perhaps an upset-susceptible formula.)

The question is, will the defense improve? There's some reason for optimism. Justin Reid seems to be overtaking Dallas Lloyd -- I'd guesstimate the snaps were divided 40/60 or 50/50 last night. Hopefully there's youthful upside there. The DBs, in general, should continue to develop; Holder looks excellent at times. And then the return of Noor Davis or Kevin Anderson would provide nicely-sized boosts. In the meantime, the absences are allowing us to develop depth -- Alfieri had probably his best game of his career, and Mike Tyler was active as well.

On the other hand, I think last night's game illustrated why things are precarious as well. Jordan Perez still looks confused whenever he gets in. Obviously the defensive line situation needs no elaboration. And while I like both Harris and Holder, I'm not sure about the corners beyond that.

[washingtonismoney]

The defense played one really good quarter and got a pick-six -- that was enough to put the game way out of distance. But I wouldn't say it's *good*, per se, overall. It's like those Duck defenses of the early part of Chip's run: stop them a little bit, and that's good enough for a dominant offense. (Hopefully. It's perhaps an upset-susceptible formula.)

The question is, will the defense improve? There's some reason for optimism. Justin Reid seems to be overtaking Dallas Lloyd -- I'd guesstimate the snaps were divided 40/60 or 50/50 last night. Hopefully there's youthful upside there. The DBs, in general, should continue to develop; Holder looks excellent at times. And then the return of Noor Davis or Kevin Anderson would provide nicely-sized boosts. In the meantime, the absences are allowing us to develop depth -- Alfieri had probably his best game of his career, and Mike Tyler was active as well.

On the other hand, I think last night's game illustrated why things are precarious as well. Jordan Perez still looks confused whenever he gets in. Obviously the defensive line situation needs no elaboration. And while I like both Harris and Holder, I'm not sure about the corners beyond that.