Washington Redskins Breakdown Week 17: Goodbye 2016 Season
Jan 1, 2017; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) walks on the field after the Redskins
The Washington Redskins lost to the New York Giants in Week 17. That ended their season without a playoff appearance.
The Washington Redskins suffered a stunning loss to the New York Giants in Week 17 that really highlighted the weaknesses of the team. With everything on the line once again, the team came out completely flat and was unable to make the push needed to get to the postseason.
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For most of the day, their offensive struggled mightily while their defense was only able to succeed by not allowing points. The Giants controlled possession, won the yardage battle, and forced three turnovers compared to the Redskins who forced none. It really was a pretty dominant performance from the Giants, and they deserved the win.
With that in mind, for one final time we are going to take a look at every aspect of the game for Washington. Here is the final Redskins Breakdown of the 2016 season.
Jan 1, 2017; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) is sacked by New York Giants cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (41) in the second quarter at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Passing Game: Kirk Cousins Struggles Thanks To Poor Blocking
Kirk Cousins was supposed to be able to lead the Redskins to the postseason with an excellent performance. After a solid second half of the season, he came up short of doing that. The failure was not entirely his fault, as his offensive line was to blame for some of the issues.
The Redskins had a lot of trouble blocking the Giants pass rushers, as Olivier Vernon and nose tackle Damon “Snacks” Harrison were able to burst through the line constantly. Cousins was sacked a season high four times, and he did not look comfortable in the pocket until the fourth quarter. This performance by the offensive line should make the Redskins consider searching for a new guard in the offseason.
Still, Cousins was not sharp enough to lead the team to victory. In the immediate postgame recap, I said the following about his performance.
Cousins went 22-of-35 for 287 yards during the contest. He also threw a touchdown pass, but more importantly, he tossed a couple of interceptions. The first one was partially his fault. Though Maurice Harris fell down on the play, Cousins sort of stared him down before throwing the ball straight to Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. That eliminated a scoring opportunity. The second one was a careless throw over the middle of the field that essentially sealed the fate of the Redskins.
Cousins is going to have a tough time justifying this performance at the negotiating table this offseason. It will be interesting to see what impact missing the playoffs will have on his contract.
Jan 1, 2017; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins wide receiver Pierre Garcon (88) runs with the ball as New York Giants linebacker Devon Kennard (59) attempts the tackle in the fourth quarter at FedEx Field. The Giants won 19-10. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Passing Game: Pierre Garcon, Jordan Reed Are Top Options
As has been the case for most of the season, the Redskins got a terrific effort out of Pierre Garcon. The veteran receiver led the team in receiving yards by a wide margin, picking up 96 on four catches. He had a nice 49-yarder that helped the Redskins get moving in the latter half of the contest.
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For the season, Garcon posted over 1,000 yards for just the second time in his career, and the first since 2013. The team will almost certainly try to retain him in the offseason, and he will continue to be an integral part of the passing game.
Tight end Jordan Reed had his best performance since the team’s Thanksgiving Day loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Reed grabbed five of his six targets for 40 yards and caught the only touchdown of the day for the Redskins. He looked much healthier than he had been in the past, and it really makes you wonder why the team chose to play him in the Week 15 game against the Panthers.
This week, both DeSean Jackson (2-34) and Jamison Crowder (2-16) were disappointments. Jackson faced tough coverage all day in what could have been his last contest as a Redskin. Crowder continued his struggles from recent weeks, and now there are some real questions about how effective he can be as a second option. In the past five games, he has recorded just 12 catches for 122 yards. Perhaps he just had a sophomore slump, but his massive dip in production bears watching as the offseason commences.
Jan 1, 2017; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins running back Robert Kelley (32) rushes the ball as New York Giants safety Andrew Adams (33) defends during the second half at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Running Game: Rob Kelley Bottled Up
Too often in the last month of the season the Redskins have had to abandon the running game. In many of their losses, their offense was rendered one dimensional by an inability to move the ball on the ground. Blame it on the offensive line or the running backs, but either way it was a serious problem in Week 17.
Rob Kelley once again got a majority of the carries, but he was not able to do anything with them. Kelley only totaled 33 yards on 12 carries as the Giants strong defensive front gave him fits. One could argue that the Giants do have one of the better defenses in the league, but I would like to point out that Matt Jones saw success running the ball against the Giants in Week 3. And that was when they were closer to full strength!
Kelley seemed to hit a rookie wall in the last few game of the season, and Sunday was definitely a product of that. Opponents have just figured out his physical running style. When he cannot move the pile, then he is not good for much. The Redskins should search for a true workhorse in the offseason and settle on Kelley as a short yardage specialist.
Jan 1, 2017; Landover, MD, USA; New York Giants running back Paul Perkins (28) is tackled by Washington Redskins linebacker Will Compton (51) during the second half at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Defense: Run Defense Leads To Redskins Demise
The Redskins run defense has been one of the worst in the NFL all season. The team lacked the personnel on the defensive front to get enough push off of the line of scrimmage and slow opponents down. Nose tackle Ziggy Hood was playing out of position, and the lack of athleticism at linebacker too often allowed opposing running backs to get into the second level.
Well, once again the defense had similar issues. Rookie Paul Perkins saw a career high 21 carries for 102 yards, and he was able to repeatedly gash the Redskins defense. Though linebacker Mason Foster put forth a superb effort, totaling 17 tackles, his performance alone was not enough to slow down the Giants offense.
Simply put, it did not look like the effort was there for the run defense. Despite the lower level personnel, the team lacked fundamentals, and was unable to put together any semblance of an NFL defense. For this reason, defensive coordinator Joe Barry will likely find himself in hot water. He may hold onto his job for another year, but he definitely could have trouble retaining it after this season.
Jan 1, 2017; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins cornerback Josh Norman (24) defends New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (13) during the first half at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Defense: Josh Norman Duels With Odell Beckham Jr.
In the lead up to this contest, Josh Norman and Odell Beckham Jr. both downplayed their on the field rivalry. On the field, they actually had a few testy encounters.
While Norman was able to severely limit Beckham when he was in the game, Beckham seemed to get into Norman’s head a little. On a few occasions, Norman appeared to try to punch the ball out and instead would hit Beckham. This would cause Beckham to retaliate with hard hand fighting that upset Norman. Norman was flagged for an unnecessary roughness call for hitting Beckham out of bounds at one point.
It is clear that Norman was the winner of this battle this time around, but the childish nature of their competition is growing old. Both are extremely talented players, and watching them fight with each other takes away from the actual game. It comes down to this. Would you rather see an excellent battle between two soft-spoken stars, or would you rather see two vocal superstars play a little dirty in their battle? I personally would rather see the former.
Dec 4, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Washington Redskins defensive coordinator Joe Barry against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Coaching: What To Do Next?
The glaring lack of motivation in this contest has to be considered a huge problem. For the second time in three weeks, the Redskins had a chance to control their own destiny and they came out completely flat. Their defense had a “bend but don’t break” feel to it, while their high powered offense completely sputtered.
Some are calling for Jay Gruden’s head after this game, but I do not think that is the solution. Gruden and offensive coordinator Sean McVay created an excellent passing offense and figure to continue that into 2017, provided that the team retains Cousins. Gruden may not be a great motivator, but they could bring someone to the staff who can help him out with that.
Defensively, Joe Barry’s fate is all but sealed. He led a terrible stop unit, though he may get another chance considering how devoid of talent the unit was. Still, I would be apt to find a new defensive coordinator. The issues with fundamentals in tackling were problematic all season, and Barry did seemingly nothing to help the team get better. Fresh eyes may help the stop unit and with some good potential coordinators out there, Barry could end up looking for work in the 2017 offseason.
