Pads were popping and the intensity was high Sunday morning, as head coach Ron Rivera and the coaching staff used the last padded practice of training camp to judge where their team is at with two weeks left before Week 1.
Rivera's initial conclusions: he needs to watch the film, but he saw some good things from his players as well as things that need to be cleaned up.
Washington will head to FedExField for practice Monday afternoon before taking Tuesday off. The next four days will be a "mock week," Rivera said, as the team integrates into their weekly routine for the regular season.
Here's what we learned from Sunday's practice:
OFFENSE:
-- Rivera said he saw some good decisions from the quarterbacks today, and Dwayne Haskins Jr. started strong in the first two drives of 11-on-11 drills. He went 7-for-10 passing and scored a touchdown on a dime to Dontrelle Inman in the back of the end zone. Haskins floated the ball to where only Inman could make the catch, and Inman made the catch with Landon Collins in tight coverage. J.D. McKissic was his favorite target during the drills, targeting the running back three times and completing all three passes.
-- After spending the past few practices with the second group, Wes Martin was back with the starting offense Sunday. He and Geron Christian Sr. filled out the left side of the offensive line, and the duo worked well together in pass protection. They handled a blitz pickup during the second 11-on-11 drill, which gave Haskins enough time to complete a pass to Logan Thomas.
-- As usual, Terry McLaurin looked like the clear-cut No.1 receiver throughout practice. He's also started adding more attitude to his playing style. On a particular play, he caught a pass and was down by contact by Cole Holcomb, but he ran into the end zone anyway. Once he got there, McLaurin said, "That's a touchdown! I'm breaking that arm tackle!"
-- Speaking of receivers, Cam Sims was making plays all morning, regardless of what group he was playing with. During the second 11-on-11 session, Kyle Allen opened the series with a bomb to Sims down the left sideline. He was targeted again on the next play for another gain. He made five catches combined working with the starting and second groups.
-- McKissic and Antonio Gibson were featured heavily in the running game Sunday and made plays running on the edge and between the tackles. On Saturday, McKissic said he and Gibson working together would put more stress on defenses. When Gibson was asked a similar question today, he said, "I feel like we could be a problem."
-- Morgan Moses is clearly one of Haskins' biggest supporters. On his final drive of the day, Haskins completed a deep pass to Trey Quinn, which prompted some praise from Moses. Haskins then scrambled into the end zone, and Moses was the first player to congratulate him.
DEFENSE:
-- Haskins may have looked good to start practice, but the secondary was played well, too, particularly Jimmy Moreland, who lined up as the starting nickel corner Sunday. He broke up a pass behind the line of scrimmage and then he nearly had an interception in the end zone on the next play.
-- The starting defensive line included Chase Young, Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne and Montez Sweat for most of practice, and they were a constant hindrance for quarterbacks. Sweat had a tipped pass and helped Moreland on one of his two pass breakups, while Young was consistently getting in the backfield and even recorded a sack.
The highlight of Young's practice came near the goal line when Peterson took a handoff up the middle. Young shed his blocker, met Peterson before he could cross the plane and brought him to the ground for no gain.
-- Jon Bostic had one of the more impressive pass breakups working with the second group. Jeremy Sprinkle had him beat on the left sideline as Allen launched the ball towards him. Sprinkle would have made the catch, but Bostic leaped at the last moment and batted down the ball, which got a round of congratulations from the secondary. He also broke up another pass later in the practice when Haskins targeted Thomas.
-- Greg Stroman has been making interceptions throughout training camp, and he added another to his list in one of the final 11-on-11 drills of the day. The offense was moving methodically down the field on an eight-play drive that included two passes from Haskins. After a run by McKissic, Haskins targeted Sims in the front corner of the end zone, but Stroman had tight coverage on him and wrestled the ball away for the interception.