The Redskins defense held their own in week 3 against a usually powerful Packers offense. The run defense still needs work
Jordan Reed Jersey , as the team was gashed far too often once again (7 of 15 Packers runs went for 5 or more yards and 4 went for double-digit yards) and the pass defense still had a few communication gaffes. Overall the defense did what it needed to to win this game-and has for all three weeks of the season thus far. The other major takeaway from this game outside of the film was the Alabama boys up front playing over 90% of the snaps. Matt Ioannidis, or the Golden Greek as he has been dubbed by some, only played 26% of the snaps against the Packers. Basically, outside of the base 3-4 defense, it was Allen and Payne in the middle throughout. The fact that the level of play from the two remained so high throughout the game is certainly exciting.The way the Redskins are playing over 90% of their downs is with four down linemen and their defensive ends quite wide, significantly outside of the tackle or tight-end on each side. What this does is prevent roll-out from a QB that likes to extend plays, and since the Redskins thrive in getting pressure up the middle, containment on the outside is paramount. Against the pass, this is a very smart tactic by Greg Manusky; help your young secondary by playing to your strengths, forcing the quarterback up in the pocket where your two best defensive lineman are pushing the pocket. It’s one reason opposing quarterbacks have had to get rid of the ball so quickly this season. However, it’s made the Redskins unreliable against the run. Perhaps giving up some chunk-yards on the ground is the proverbial poison the Redskins have picked in order to limit the pass so effectively, but the team will have to change their tactics against good running teams.If the Redskins want to remain in this (almost wide-nine) nickel package, they need to have almost perfect gap control from the defensive lineman and the two backers need to be patient and fill the correct gap. For the most part, Mason Foster is patient in picking his gap. Zach Brown has to learn to be patient rather than to waste his tremendous speed and burst hitting the wrong hole as he does here. In this play, Allen and Payne close the A-gaps (between the center and guards), leaving the linebackers responsible for the B-gaps (between the guard and tackle) while the defensive ends are responsible for setting the edge. Mason Foster waits patiently for the play to develop and stays in his gap, eventually taking on a block from the left guard. Zach Brown’s movement (while impressively quick) is immediate, but he hits the A-gap that his DTs are already occupying, effectively taking him out of the play. The massive B-gap that Norman is left in alone in should be where Brown fills. The Redskins have the defensive linemen to run this nickel package most of the game, but their linebackers must be more disciplined.In contrast, on the Packers’ next drive, Zach Brown does a great job of holding his gap and being patient in the run. The run is to the defense’s right side, or Mason Foster’s side. Brown begins to move quickly towards the direction of the run, but catches himself (you can even see him putting a hand out to maintain distance from Foster) and keeps good spacing with Foster, ready for the cutback into his gap, or even on the backside of his gap, if needed. This is the type of patience the Redskins MLBs must play with to have success against the run in a nickel package.This play was the only big play given up by the Redskins against the Packers. DJ Swearinger picked off two passes last week jumping on shorter slant or in-routes, so the Packers smartly have Allison cut hard in on a slant, DJ Swearinger bites, and DJ’s middle-third of the field was then vacated for an easy pitch-and-catch. For those asking, no, this play was not on Norman. Norman is responsible for the deep third of the field closest to the bottom in this frame. Swearinger vacated his middle deep third by biting on the double move. This obviously can’t happen.The last play I’d like to focus on is something I believe the Redskins should do more of. During this drive, the Packers methodically marched downfield for a half-opening touchdown with almost exclusively short pass plays. The Redskins have a tendency to play off to the sticks in too many situations, giving offenses too much cushion to work underneath. Now, I understand not giving up the big play, but the corners can’t continue to play 10 yards off on 3rd and 5 situations. Here, the Redskins are playing up on the trips-side of the formation. The defense reacts quickly on the quick-screen and swarms to the ball. I believe the Redskins have the athletes to play more press-coverage
Bryce Love Washington Redskins Jersey , and I would like to see defensive backs closer to the line more often moving forward.Here are my one-liners for every defensive player:Jonathan Allen had his best game as a pro. He played over 90% of snaps and had 2 sacks and a key tackle on a pass play late in this game. Stud.DaRon Payne is still learning and can sometimes be turned by savvy offensive lineman in the run game, but he is powerful and did not get pushed back a single time in this entire game. A welcome sight for Redskins fans.Matt Ioannidis only played 26% of snaps in this contest, but registered his third sack in as many games. He isn’t consistent enough against the run, but his bull-rush is scary.Ryan Kerrigan hasn’t registered a sack this year, but he is making his presence felt. As I’ve stated before, it seems they are playing contain more than anything else.Preston Smith was out of his zone on three completions in this game, but that’s not his strength. He’s drawing plenty of double-teams, but he isn’t showing much on the stat-sheet either.Pernell McPhee is disruptive and I feel a big play coming from him soon; he plays with his hair on fire and his big frame is always moving at full speed.Ryan Anderson played sparingly (and only in the third quarter), but has shown the ability to get to the quarterback if he runs with a wide-enough arc. This process is slow, however, and Anderson often finds himself a step late. Zach Brown is tremendously talented but he is also tremendously inconsistent. He needs to play smarter and stay in his gap in the run-game. He is consistently replaced by JHC on passing-downs.Mason Foster is Mr. Reliable. I didn’t spot him out-of-gap all day and the only time he was beat in coverage badly was on the HUGE Kendricks drop.Josh Harvey-Clemons is a smart player and is hardly ever out-of-place. He ran a solid stunt on a blitz, freeing up Ioannidis, but the RB made a great block to save the sack.Josh Norman is not having his best year, and I am not sure if the Redskins will bring him back next season. He is too-often giving up too much separation and his coverage looks lazy at times. He was beat badly deep on three different occasions that would’ve been touchdowns without pressure and he gave up a key 11-yard catch in the 3rd in which he gave Randall Cobb far too much of a cushion.Fabian Moreau is a good player, but he needs more experience. He often hesitates on double-moves. He doesn’t seem to be fooled by them, as he doesn’t bite on the fake, but the hesitation is giving up a bit of separation on receivers. He was lucky Aaron Rodgers didn’t give Cobb a better ball on a crosser in the end zone.Quinton Dunbar is on his way to being a star. He is smart, diagnoses quickly, and breaks on the ball quickly and effortlessly. My favorite thing about him, however, is his communication. It’s clear he knows the defense inside-and-out and is often running to teammates after the play to let them know if they were out of position.DJ Swearinger had a great game outside of his blatant misstep that gave up a touchdown. He was good in coverage on Jimmy Graham and put his range on display as the single-high safety on multiple occasions.Montae Nicholson had a great game as well. The range of these two safeties has quarterbacks hesitating to play deep, and when you combine that range with physicality in the box and the ability to blitz, this type of safety play will allow the Redskins to do a lot on defense this year.That’s it for the defensive film review for week 3. Feel free to send me a message on Twitter @Kennedy_Paynter and thanks for reading! LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — Quinton Dunbar watched in middle school as Larry Fitzgerald caught passes in the NFL.Years later, Fitzgerald was patting Dunbar on the helmet for a job well done.Dunbar helped shut down Fitzgerald and other receivers in Week 1, picking off Sam Bradford and looking like the kind of player the Washington Redskins envisioned when they converted him from wideout to cornerback. His next challenge is Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts‘ passing attack as the Redskins look to start 2-0 for the first time since 2011.“Tough matchup,” Dunbar said. “He’s up there with the best of them in my opinion. You watch him, you see a guy who’s tough, smart, understands defenses.”Dunbar has already intercepted Carson Wentz, Eli Manning and Bradford in his career, evidence his instincts are worthy of the coaching staff’s faith. He had to embrace the “heart and mentality” of being able to make tackles, and he had five at Arizona.“I think it was one of his better games as a pro here,” coach Jay Gruden said. “He’s got to continue to make strides to get better and keep studying the game and the people he is covering.”Dunbar should continue to get plenty of playmaking opportunities because he’s starting opposite 2015 All-Pro cornerback Josh Norman. Luck, who missed all of 2017 with a shoulder injury, is coming off a 39 of 53 passing performance with 319 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in the Colts’ season-opening loss to Cincinnati.Luck — and then Green Bay’s Aaron Rodgers in Week 3 — are significant tests for Dunbar
Bryce Love Washington Redskins Jersey , who insists he looks forward to every matchup and doesn’t take anyone lightly. What he does is trust what he sees on film, combined with what coaches have taught him about the position. He’s has gotten to the point where he’s not a work in progress anymore.“I’ve been comfortable for a while,” Dunbar said. “(I’m) just trusting what the coaches wanted and the vision they had for me.”Some things to watch when the Colts visit the Redskins:HURRICANE READYHurricane Florence shifting south is likely to spare the Colts and Redskins from even rain on Sunday, but players and coaches are prepared.Indianapolis kicker Adam Vinatieri is three field goals away from tying Morten Andersen’s career record of 565 and is ready in case the conditions aren’t ideal.“I don’t know if you get a lot of practice in those types of conditions, you just have go out pregame, try and work through some stuff, kind of find out what the parameters are, and then the game dictates your attempts anyway,” said Vinatieri, who won two Super Bowls with last-minute kicks and helped the Patriots win their first Super Bowl by making two kicks in the snow of a divisional-round game following the 2001 season. “The game sometimes dictates that you’ve got to go out and try a kick that normally, maybe, you wouldn’t.”Redskins QB Alex Smith has likewise played through everything during his NFL career, but doesn’t have any secrets about dealing with wacky weather.“It’s tough: fundamentals, attention to detail when you handle the ball every single play in weather, and obviously that’s a premium, you know, ball security, ball handling, in the pocket and things like that,” Smith said. “I wish I had some kind of secret sauce or something, but I don’t. I just try to do the best I can.”PROTECTION PLANLuck was sacked twice last week and took seven additional hits.While offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni was impressed with the effort, the Colts’ offensive line was not at its optimal. Longtime left tackle Anthony Castonzo missed the game with an injured hamstring, forcing Joe Haeg to move from the right side to the left, and veteran J’Marcus Webb played right tackle.This week, Castonzo is expected to be back and Haeg is likely to swing back to the right side — where he spent most of his first two NFL seasons. Webb went on injured reserve with a hamstring injury Tuesday.“It’s extremely tough because you want to be out there, helping the team,” Castonzo said. “So I’m looking forward to getting out there, yes.”DOUBLE THREATWashington’s 182 rushing yards in Week 1 led the NFL as Adrian Peterson and Chris Thompson put together the mix-and-match, one-two punch Gruden hoped they’d be. While Thompson is a weapon in the passing game and can turn on the speed outside, Peterson has the straightahead style and ability to bounce runs anywhere.“When he’s on time, he’s great,” left tackle Trent Williams said. “When he’s not on time, he improvises and is still able to do some great things. He’s just a Hall of Fame back and he’s one of the best to ever touch the football, so he’s going to allow you things like that where he just makes plays.”
