Washington Commanders

Jay Gruden Stands By Defensive Decisions In Week 1 Loss

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Washington Redskins head coach Jay Gruden is now 0-3 in his season openers with the team. Despite the tough Monday night loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, Gruden remains optimistic moving forward.

Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown is undoubtedly one of the NFL’s top receivers. On Monday night, the Steelers wideout found himself most often in man coverage against Redskins cornerback Bashaud Breeland. Brown ended the night with 126 yards and 2 touchdowns on 8 receptions.

The Redskins opened the game strong and showed signs of life on both offense and defense. An early interception by Breeland proved to give the defense momentum. Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger found his rhythm however and began to connect with his top receiver. When questioned about the decision to put Breeland on Brown, Jay Gruden acknowledged that it was not the young cornerback’s best performance, yet he remained positive about Breeland.

It was a good learning experience for him, but we’re not going to give up on him and I know he’s not going to give up on himself. He’s got great confidence and he’s still a great player in our book.

Corner Josh Norman is largely regarded as one of the best corners in the NFL. After the Redskins’ defensive performance against the Steelers, fans are waiting to see if either Norman or Breeland will be matched up against Dallas Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant in Week 2. According to Gruden, the issue with playing Norman in too much man-to-man coverage against elite receivers has the potential to reveal too much to opposing offenses. You can read more of what Gruden had to say regarding the defensive decisions on Monday night here at Redskins.com.

Even if the Redskins don’t match Norman with Bryant throughout all of the Week 2, they have to make changes. They will likely look to find a more balanced approach regarding the secondary.

24-year-old Breeland tweeted after the game, showing he is eager to bounce back from his Week 1 performance by both congratulating and challenging Brown.

U be a dam fool to think Ima give up pump ya breaks it’s corner u win some u lose some hats off to @AntonioBrown84 until we meet again

— Bashaud Breeland (@Salute_me17) September 13, 2016

As Redskins head coach, Gruden has won both of his previous Week 2 matchups with the team. Week 2 this season brings with it an extra incentive as the Redskins host the Cowboys. Both teams are coming off Week 1 losses. They each will look for a win in the first of two matchups between the teams this season.