For the first time since 1997, games have ended as ties in consecutive weeks, as the Redskins and Bengals fought to a 27-27 stalemate ate Wembley Stadium in Lindon, England. While this game was far more entertaining than last Sunday night's Cardinals-Seahawks affair, it was still a tie. While ties aren't as bad as a loss, they almost feel like a loss because of how unsatisfying the outcome is. The fact that there are still ties in the NFL is mind boggling. For a league that prides itself in the level of competition and action, ties are an antithesis. The NFL is desperate for more viewers, which is apparent with the overload of games in London and falling ratings. If the league wants to make overtime more exciting and attract new fans, it should adopt the overtime system that college football uses. That being said, there are way more pressing issues that the league needs to address before it considers overtime reform.
Rant aside, this week's tie, like last week's, came down to a missed field goal. This one came courtesy of the Redskins kicker Dustin Hopkins. It's become apparent that when a game goes bad, it's not because of the other team, its because the Redskins are their own worst enemy. Kirk Cousins had another big day passing, going 38-56 with 458 yards, a pair of touchdowns and his obligatory interception. Kirk Cousins attempted 58 passes. 58. That's unheard of. To have there be a game where an offense rushes the ball 31 times and the play calling is still lopsided by 27 plays is incredible almost impressive. It's not like the rushing game was failure either. Robert Kelley had a respectable 21 carries for 87 yards. The game became a bit of a shootout with an unsatisfying finish.
Defensively, this wasn't a great performance. Andy Dalton performed about how The Dalton Scale would predict, finishing 27-42 with a touchdown, interception and a rushing touchdown. The Bengals' leading rusher was Jeremy Hill who had 20 carries for 76 yards and a touchdown. While these stats aren't impressive by any means, it was the Redskins defense that allowed the Bengals to stay in the game. Three of the Bengals four touchdown drives were for 60 or more yards.
I'm going to be saying this all season. The Redskins have proven that anything is possible during any game. They could be the most hot-or-cold team in the NFL. We'll see which team shows up on November 13th at home against the Minnesota Vikings at 1:00 p.m. The Redskins have their bye week next week.
Sunday, October 30, 2016
Sunday, October 23, 2016
All Good Things Must Come to an End
That was ugly. So ugly. That was not the Redskins team that has shown up for the last four games. Two turnovers and a missed field goal aren't usually benchmarks of a successful game.
That last drive. The last Lions drive. Matthew Stafford has proven himself as a last-minute quarterback, but that was embarrassing. The Redskins defense, which had been looking better coming into this game, allowed the Lions to drive 80 yards in 49 seconds. Throughout the game, the defense, while only allowing 20 points, regressed. Josh Norman left the game in the third quarter with a concussion and Bashaud Breeland found himself picked on time and again.
The offense was a mixed bag. Kirk Cousins was 30-39 with 301 yards and a touchdown. Jamison Crowder had seven receptions for 108 yards. Matt Jones struggled again, and the team's leading rusher was Chris Thompson, who gained 73 yards on 12 attempts. Jones was held to 27 yards on 10 attempts. There were 10 more passing attempts than there were rushing, which isn't that bad, but isn't optimal at 39-29.
The winning streak had to end eventually, but that was an ugly way for it to end. The Redskins will look to right the ship next week in London, at Wembley Stadium against the Cincinnati Bengals. The game will start at 9:30 a.m. eastern time.
That last drive. The last Lions drive. Matthew Stafford has proven himself as a last-minute quarterback, but that was embarrassing. The Redskins defense, which had been looking better coming into this game, allowed the Lions to drive 80 yards in 49 seconds. Throughout the game, the defense, while only allowing 20 points, regressed. Josh Norman left the game in the third quarter with a concussion and Bashaud Breeland found himself picked on time and again.
The offense was a mixed bag. Kirk Cousins was 30-39 with 301 yards and a touchdown. Jamison Crowder had seven receptions for 108 yards. Matt Jones struggled again, and the team's leading rusher was Chris Thompson, who gained 73 yards on 12 attempts. Jones was held to 27 yards on 10 attempts. There were 10 more passing attempts than there were rushing, which isn't that bad, but isn't optimal at 39-29.
The winning streak had to end eventually, but that was an ugly way for it to end. The Redskins will look to right the ship next week in London, at Wembley Stadium against the Cincinnati Bengals. The game will start at 9:30 a.m. eastern time.
Sunday, October 16, 2016
No Fly Zone
Four straight wins, four straight weeks of the best audio to come out of Washington since 1972. An explosive rushing performance by Matt Jones, paired with a defensive effort that shut down rookie phenom Carson Wentz lifted the Redskins to a 27-20 win.
Just like every other Redskins game this season and seemingly every single game for the rest of time, it wasn't always pretty. There was the 86-yard kickoff return touchdown, set up by an excessive celebration penalty on Vernon Davis' touchdown. There were slight red zone struggles, capped by Malcolm Jenkins taking a Kirk Cousins pass 86 yards to the Baja. Overall though, it was a fun win to watch.
Aside from the pick-6, Cousins continued to cruise with the offense, going 18-for-34 with 263 yards and a pair of touchdowns, one of which was this beautiful 16-yarder to Jamison Crowder. Balance was restored back to the offense, with 33 rushes to nearly match the 34 passing attempts. 15 of those rushing attempts came courtesy of Matt Jones, who took those attempts for 135 yards an a touchdown.
The Redskins defense cooled down the hot start of Eagles rookie phenom Carson Wentz. The North Dakota State product went just 11-for-22 with 179 yards and no offensive touchdowns to his team's credit. in addition, he was sacked five times, with two and a half of those coming courtesy of Ryan Kerrigan. The backfield continued their streak of keeping the offense without a 100-yard receiver and in the surprise of the season Bashaud Breeland looked comfortable in coverage. Any given Sunday.
After the disasters that were the first two weeks of the season, this Redskins turnaround has been astonishing. Not only was the defense able to recover, but the offense has been able ton establish a running game and work through the woes of the red zone that plagued their start. The Redskins are now second in the NFC East, behind the equally surprising start of the rookie-led Dallas Cowboys.
The Redskins next game is a week from today in Detroit against the Lions. The game is at 1:00 and the lions are coming off of two straight victories over the Eagles and the Los Angeles Rams.
Just like every other Redskins game this season and seemingly every single game for the rest of time, it wasn't always pretty. There was the 86-yard kickoff return touchdown, set up by an excessive celebration penalty on Vernon Davis' touchdown. There were slight red zone struggles, capped by Malcolm Jenkins taking a Kirk Cousins pass 86 yards to the Baja. Overall though, it was a fun win to watch.
Aside from the pick-6, Cousins continued to cruise with the offense, going 18-for-34 with 263 yards and a pair of touchdowns, one of which was this beautiful 16-yarder to Jamison Crowder. Balance was restored back to the offense, with 33 rushes to nearly match the 34 passing attempts. 15 of those rushing attempts came courtesy of Matt Jones, who took those attempts for 135 yards an a touchdown.
The Redskins defense cooled down the hot start of Eagles rookie phenom Carson Wentz. The North Dakota State product went just 11-for-22 with 179 yards and no offensive touchdowns to his team's credit. in addition, he was sacked five times, with two and a half of those coming courtesy of Ryan Kerrigan. The backfield continued their streak of keeping the offense without a 100-yard receiver and in the surprise of the season Bashaud Breeland looked comfortable in coverage. Any given Sunday.
After the disasters that were the first two weeks of the season, this Redskins turnaround has been astonishing. Not only was the defense able to recover, but the offense has been able ton establish a running game and work through the woes of the red zone that plagued their start. The Redskins are now second in the NFC East, behind the equally surprising start of the rookie-led Dallas Cowboys.
The Redskins next game is a week from today in Detroit against the Lions. The game is at 1:00 and the lions are coming off of two straight victories over the Eagles and the Los Angeles Rams.
Sunday, October 9, 2016
Flip the script
One thing. This Redskins team has proven one thing this season: you never know what to expect. It's like they pride themselves in being unpredictable.
And again, while it's available.
No part of this season could have led anybody to believe that the Redskins would bet the allegedly resurgent Ravens 16-10 in a defensive contest. Coming into the game, the Redskins had the NFL's 29th ranked defense: a point that has been brought up and beaten to death, especially in this blog. There wasn't a lot of reason to expect a win like this, or even, at the very least, have confidence in this defensive unit.
But it happened. The defense was able to hold Baltimore to an impressive 10 points and questionably "elite" quarterback Joe Flacco to only 210 yards passing and a lone touchdown. For the second straight week the Redskins did not allow an opposing receiver to gain 100 yards after giving up three 100-yard games to start the season. After last week's less than stellar performance defending the running game, the defense stiffened and only allowed 118 rush yards in the game.
Offensively, well, at least they put up more points than the Ravens. Jamison Crowder got the scoring started in the first quarter with an electric 85-yard punt return touchdown. Kirk Cousins was 29-41 with 260 yards, a touchdown and an interception to match. The balance of the offense suffered a bit of a reversion as the Redskins ran the ball only 20 times, compared to 41 pass attempts. Furthermore, Matt Jones had another less than stellar game, managing only 31 yards on 14 carries, with 12 of those yards coming in a single play. The offense's lone touchdown came via a 21-yard pass from Kirk Cousins to Pierre Garcon with 8:28 remaining in the third quarter.
Next week's unpredictable mess of a game comes against NFC rival Philadelphia. The Eagles are coming off of their first loss at the hands of the Detroit Lions 24-23. The game is another 1:00 affair, this time at home.
Saturday, October 8, 2016
Bird Hunting
Tomorrow, the Redskins take on the Baltimore Ravens in Baltimore, for the chance to go above .500 for the first time this season.
The Ravens, at 3-1, suffered their first loss last week to the hands of the Oakland Raiders. Baltimore is looking to build on their hot start and forget their abysmal 2015 season.
Although 2015 was a disaster and their first two games were a bit ugly, the Ravens are no joke. That being said, if the Redskins' offense is able to build off of last week's performance, Baltimore's defense can be exposed.
If the Redskin's offense is able to capitalize, it'll be through the efforts of tight end Jordan Reed. The weakness in Baltimore's defense if the inability of the linebackers to cover the middle of the field. Not only did Reed have two touchdowns last week, but he has proven to be one of Kirk Cousin's favorite targets.
Offensively, the Ravens are very confusing. They may or may or may not have an elite quarterback. Their top two receivers are among the top in the league - or at least were four seasons ago, and their running game has been inconsistent ever since the, uh, departure of Ray Rice. Even with their banged-up secondary, the Redskins realistically have no reason to fear Baltimore's offense.
Much like the season has consisted of, this is a very winnable game for the Redskins if they can play up to the standards they've shown flashes of. As they've proven, there no such thing as a scheduled win and Baltimore is a tough opponent.
The Ravens, at 3-1, suffered their first loss last week to the hands of the Oakland Raiders. Baltimore is looking to build on their hot start and forget their abysmal 2015 season.
Although 2015 was a disaster and their first two games were a bit ugly, the Ravens are no joke. That being said, if the Redskins' offense is able to build off of last week's performance, Baltimore's defense can be exposed.
If the Redskin's offense is able to capitalize, it'll be through the efforts of tight end Jordan Reed. The weakness in Baltimore's defense if the inability of the linebackers to cover the middle of the field. Not only did Reed have two touchdowns last week, but he has proven to be one of Kirk Cousin's favorite targets.
Offensively, the Ravens are very confusing. They may or may or may not have an elite quarterback. Their top two receivers are among the top in the league - or at least were four seasons ago, and their running game has been inconsistent ever since the, uh, departure of Ray Rice. Even with their banged-up secondary, the Redskins realistically have no reason to fear Baltimore's offense.
Much like the season has consisted of, this is a very winnable game for the Redskins if they can play up to the standards they've shown flashes of. As they've proven, there no such thing as a scheduled win and Baltimore is a tough opponent.
Sunday, October 2, 2016
Believe it or not
The Redskins were able to get to the .500 mark for the first time this season following a 31-20 win over the lowly Cleveland Browns.
This game provided Washington fans with something unseen on the season until today: red zone offense. The Redskins capitalized on four of their five red zone opportunities, all for touchdowns, including two from Kirk Cousins to Jordan Reed in the first quarter.
Another anomaly? A Redskins running back rushed for more than a hundred yards in the game: the first time that has happened this season. Matt Jones gained 117 yards and a touchdown on 22 attempts. This was the second week in a row that the offense saw true balance, with 26 rushing attempts to compliment 27 passing attempts.
As can be expected, the defense still has work to do. While this was the first week the defense held the opposing offense without a 100-yard receiver, running back Isaiah Crowell was able to pick up 112 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries, while backup running back Duke Johnson Jr. accumulated 53 yards on nine carries.
Any distaste that would have come from allowing Cleveland a comfortable day rushing was erased as the result of the Redskins forcing three Browns turnovers, an interception and two fumbles. Whether he was worried or not, it appears that Browns quarterback-turned-wide receiver Terrelle Pryor did have Josh Norman on the mind, as he was able to accumulate only five receptions for 46 yards, although one of those receptions was a touchdown. As has been very apparent all season, this is not a defense currently that will lead to a Super Bowl berth, but there is plenty of time and room for improvement.
The Redskins next game is this Sunday at 1:00 as they make the cross-county trip to Baltimore to face off against the Ravens.
This game provided Washington fans with something unseen on the season until today: red zone offense. The Redskins capitalized on four of their five red zone opportunities, all for touchdowns, including two from Kirk Cousins to Jordan Reed in the first quarter.
Another anomaly? A Redskins running back rushed for more than a hundred yards in the game: the first time that has happened this season. Matt Jones gained 117 yards and a touchdown on 22 attempts. This was the second week in a row that the offense saw true balance, with 26 rushing attempts to compliment 27 passing attempts.
As can be expected, the defense still has work to do. While this was the first week the defense held the opposing offense without a 100-yard receiver, running back Isaiah Crowell was able to pick up 112 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries, while backup running back Duke Johnson Jr. accumulated 53 yards on nine carries.
Any distaste that would have come from allowing Cleveland a comfortable day rushing was erased as the result of the Redskins forcing three Browns turnovers, an interception and two fumbles. Whether he was worried or not, it appears that Browns quarterback-turned-wide receiver Terrelle Pryor did have Josh Norman on the mind, as he was able to accumulate only five receptions for 46 yards, although one of those receptions was a touchdown. As has been very apparent all season, this is not a defense currently that will lead to a Super Bowl berth, but there is plenty of time and room for improvement.
The Redskins next game is this Sunday at 1:00 as they make the cross-county trip to Baltimore to face off against the Ravens.
Saturday, October 1, 2016
Death and Taxes
Tomorrow, the Redskins face off against the Cleveland Browns, looking to establish a win streak against one of the league's consistently weaker teams.
What the Redskins have shown this season is that there are no "gimme" games. The offense's red zone weakness coupled with the production out of the defense in the first three games has made every contest more unpredictable than expected.
So what can be expected? Expect to see a lot of starters and role players on the sidelines in sweats. Center Kory Lichtensteiger, safety DeAngelo Hall, cornerbacks Bashaud Breeland and Dashaun Phillips, guard Shawn Luavo and wide receiver Josh Doctson are ruled out for Sunday's game, with Lichtensteiger and Hall on the injured reserve for much longer. Hall's season is likely over with an ACL tear.
Without Breeland, Phillips and Hall, the Redskins secondary is noticeably weaker than it already was, which is almost an accomplishment. So to risk sounding like Andre 3K, what's weaker than weak? A secondary with Josh Norman and a revolving door of players coach Jay Gruen couldn't even pick out of a police line up.
Doctson's injury may be a blessing in disguise for the maligned rookie. He was a held out of the Giants game after a flare up in his achilles injury that has held him back since August. With his expectations for the year so high, it's not unfair at all to say that the former TCU phenom may be shut down for the next few weeks. It seems that he was rushed into playing week one despite the actual status of his injury. The injury has hampered his rookie production, with his only input of note being a 57-yard reception against the Cowboys in week 2. Shutting him down may not be the worst move. Not only will it give his injury time to heal, but the break from expectations to perform on an injury will help restore any confidence lost.
While no win in the NFL is guaranteed to any team, the Redskins always look to serve as a painfully personified reminder of this fact. It'd be nice to think that the Redskins can beat a team who's current number one wide receiver is a converted quarterback, but anything can happen.
What the Redskins have shown this season is that there are no "gimme" games. The offense's red zone weakness coupled with the production out of the defense in the first three games has made every contest more unpredictable than expected.
So what can be expected? Expect to see a lot of starters and role players on the sidelines in sweats. Center Kory Lichtensteiger, safety DeAngelo Hall, cornerbacks Bashaud Breeland and Dashaun Phillips, guard Shawn Luavo and wide receiver Josh Doctson are ruled out for Sunday's game, with Lichtensteiger and Hall on the injured reserve for much longer. Hall's season is likely over with an ACL tear.
Without Breeland, Phillips and Hall, the Redskins secondary is noticeably weaker than it already was, which is almost an accomplishment. So to risk sounding like Andre 3K, what's weaker than weak? A secondary with Josh Norman and a revolving door of players coach Jay Gruen couldn't even pick out of a police line up.
Doctson's injury may be a blessing in disguise for the maligned rookie. He was a held out of the Giants game after a flare up in his achilles injury that has held him back since August. With his expectations for the year so high, it's not unfair at all to say that the former TCU phenom may be shut down for the next few weeks. It seems that he was rushed into playing week one despite the actual status of his injury. The injury has hampered his rookie production, with his only input of note being a 57-yard reception against the Cowboys in week 2. Shutting him down may not be the worst move. Not only will it give his injury time to heal, but the break from expectations to perform on an injury will help restore any confidence lost.
While no win in the NFL is guaranteed to any team, the Redskins always look to serve as a painfully personified reminder of this fact. It'd be nice to think that the Redskins can beat a team who's current number one wide receiver is a converted quarterback, but anything can happen.
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