The Redskins Most Intriguing Preseason Stats so Far

A lot had to be processed after last Thursday’s victory against the Tennessee Titans.

The first team offense looked efficient as usual, the defense played sporadically and we had plenty of welcome back moments (Brian Orakpo, Roy Helu) as well as some breakout ones (Pat White) and the common “welcome the NFL” scenario (Bacarri Rambo).

Based off of all of that, here are the most intriguing statistics earned in week one.

Quarterback Efficiency

 If it wasn’t for Logan Paulsen’s drop off a play-action pass, Kirk Cousins would have completed every attempt. Instead, he finished 6/7 for 52 yards and a touchdown pass, which gave him a quarterback rating of 137.2 (http://scores.espn.go.com/nfl/boxscore?gameId=330808010).

Rex Grossman was his typical self, but found himself under a lot of pressure due to the offensive line. He went 10/21 for 119 yards with a touchdown pass. This gave him a quarterback rating of 81.2, which is remarkable for Rex Grossman standards.

Pat White went 5/8 for 31 yards. He also ran for 33 yards including a touchdown. He had a total quarterback rating of 70.3. 

So let’s add all of this up. The three quarterbacks collectively went 21/36 for 202 yards, two touchdown passes, one rushing and their average quarterback rating was 96.2.

I’m no mathematician (even adding and subtracting is difficult for me), but that’s really good for the first game of the preseason.

What’s even more impressive about these stats is that there were zero interceptions. Please note that this is first time that I’ve had Rex Grossman and “zero interceptions” in the same slide.

All three (more Cousins and White) were quick in their progressions. They made the smart plays when they had to and seemed very comfortable in Kyle Shanahan’s offense.

No Turnovers

Turnovers or lack thereof; neither defense caused a turnover. The one opportunity the defense had was on the Titans’ first play on offense when David Amerson let a ball slip through his fingers.

In addition to that, the Redskins playmakers didn’t turn the ball over. No fumbles or interceptions, which are a very positive sign.

Rushing Average

Roy Helu, Evan Royster, Keiland Williams and Pat White all ran the ball and all four of them ran it effectively. 

Collectively, they ran for 163 yards and one rushing touchdown, which gave them a 4.8 average.

It went beyond the starting offensive line too, the reserves created holes for their playmakers.

In a league that’s dominated by passing, the Redskins are one of the few run-first teams and it’s consistent productivity such as this that puts them in position to win games more often than not.

Dropped Passes

The dropped passes are a concern. It was a problem last year and it’s instances such as these that can suck all the momentum out of the offense. 

Aldrick Robinson, Dezmon Briscoe, Logan Paulsen and Nick Williams all were culprits last week. On the other hand, only Robinson and Paulsen are definitely on the roster.

Robinson’s dropped pass hit him directly in the chest in what would have been a long gain. He’s entering his third year and it’s bad plays like this that keep him off the field.

If Briscoe wants to make the team again this year, he needs to capitalize on what few opportunities he has left.

Minimal Zone Read Plays

It’s been the talk of the offseason. What teams are going to run this style of offense? How are defenses going to combat it? Will RGIII dominate the league in it yet again?

Well, neither Cousins or Rex Grossman ran the zone read, which is expected because it does not fit their skill set.

Pat White did run it effectively, however. Then again, we really have no clue what the Redskins are going to start out with when it matters.

Last preseason, the Redskins mostly ran a traditional style offense, then out of nowhere, the Redskins open up the season scoring over 40 points in formations that were driving defensive coaches crazy.