Behind enemy lines, 49ers at Washington: 5 questions with Post reporter

Les Carpenter of the Washington Post helps us preview Sunday's 49ers visit to Washington.

SANTA CLARA — Here is what Washington Post reporter Les Carpenter said of Sunday’s 49ers visit to Washington:

Question: Why did Bill Callahan’s succession of Jay Gruden immediately produce a win, or was this more about the winless opponent?

Carpenter: The easiest answer to this is to say the Redskins were playing a team ranked last in the league in almost every meaningful category. That said, they still almost blew the game and won only because Miami’s coach, Brian Flores, went for two instead of kicking an extra point at the end of regulation. Callahan, though, did change the way the team practiced and prepared — he installed different stretching routines, had the players run in practice and made them work harder during the week. He felt the change in routines kept them fresher and more focused. A better test of how much those switches mattered will come this weekend against a far better opponent.

Q: What is a Terry McLaurin and where does he typically line up as Washington’s best receiver?

Carpenter: Terry McLaurin has been a tremendous surprise for the Redskins this year. They took him in the third round, partly because he was a favorite of first-round pick Dwayne Haskins, but also because he was fast, was a two-year captain at Ohio State and was an excellent special teams player. They thought he’d be great on special teams this year and slowly grow into a player they could target in games. In training camp, though, he stole the X-receiver position from 2016 first-round pick Josh Doctson. He’s a fantastic route runner with tremendous speed and could be a real threat for years to come.

Q: Is Case Keenum still the best option at quarterback over Dwayne Haskins and Colt McCoy, and how well can Washington’s line prevent sacks?

Carpenter: Jay Gruden had great affection for Colt McCoy, who was with him his whole time in Washington and knew his system well. But when McCoy struggled to recover from three off-season leg surgeries, Keenum took the job. Callahan likes Keenum for the big plays he has hit and feels he’s a good leader. Haskins is not ready yet and the coaches would rather not use him until he is comfortable with the offense, can read defenses and handle calling pass protections. For now, Keenum is the starter but eventually the team needs to see what Haskins can do.

Q: Are we about to witness another reincarnation of Adrian Peterson?

Carpenter: Peterson keeps himself in excellent shape. He stunned the Redskins coaches and executives when he walked in off the street and dominated a workout right before the start of the 2018 season. He didn’t fit well into Gruden’s plans at the start of this year, especially with the team wanting to use Derrius Guice. But with Guice hurt and Callahan determined to run the ball, Peterson was given a chance to get into a running groove last Sunday. Even at 34 he can handle 23 carries like he did at Miami. Eventually, he wore down the Dolphins defense.

Q: How is rookie Montez Sweat playing and is our old pal Jim Tomsula tutoring him?

Carpenter: The Redskins traded a second-round pick from next year’s draft to move up and get Sweat because they liked him so much as a pass rusher. He has struggled with the rush, however. In some ways, the whole defense has — except for the Miami game. He’s been good against the run, but Washington drafted him to terrorize the other team’s quarterback. He has not done that yet. Tomsula only handles the defensive line and Sweat is an outside linebacker. He has worked with Sweat some and likes him. Given most defensive linemen usually improve under Tomsula, it’s easy to expect Sweat will eventually grow as a pass rusher.

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