Washington Redskins 16-24 Philadelphia Eagles: Takeaways from Washington's Loss
The Washington Redskins left it too late on the road against the Philadelphia Eagles. Last season's NFC East winners lost most of the physical and mental battles against Chip Kelly's revived team.
The primary takeaway from the eight-point loss concerns Washington's inability to make the plays its talent level should indicate. Part of the problem is the consistent struggling by quarterback Robert Griffin III, who is becoming too easy to defend.
Of course, it does not help any quarterback when the team's defense can't stop anything. Coordinator Jim Haslett's unit was consistently outwitted before the snap and routinely failed to make tackles, particularly in the first half.
Here is the full list of takeaways from another tough defeat for the Redskins.
Robert Griffin III Is Too Easy to Defend as a Passer
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Simply put, Robert Griffin III is currently not playing well enough to lead an NFL offense. The second-year quarterback is regressing as a passer and is making life easier for defenses.
Whether it is too many passes being batted down at the line, or wild and high throws that miss open receivers, Griffin's passing is a liability. But perhaps the worst trait he is exhibiting is the habit of holding onto the ball too long in the pocket.
Whenever Griffin's first read is taken away, he pulls the ball down and tries to run. But defenses have countered by keeping him contained in collapsing pockets.
They know that Griffin won't throw the ball away and that the pass rush will get to him. That happened in the second quarter with Washington at the Philly goal line.
Griffin's inability to look beyond his first read and refusal to throw the ball away led directly to Connor Barwin's sack and forced fumble. That denied the Redskins an excellent chance to pull to within seven points.
Griffin also overthrew numerous open receivers, including Logan Paulsen and Santana Moss, wasting big gains. He barely completed a pass that didn't require an acrobatic miracle from his receiver.
Defenses now have the blueprint for stopping Griffin. Just take away his first read and swarm around him in the pocket.
It's that simple and therefore too easy for opposing teams to stifle this offense.
Alfred Morris, Not Robert Griffin III, Is the Key to This Offense
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Alfred Morris has become more important to this team than Griffin. The second-year running back is the player who really makes the offense function.
As a tough-as-nails workhorse, Morris can dictate the pattern of a game for Washington, provided he is ably supported. Critics of this view will point to Morris' dominant showing in Philadelphia and the lack of points to show for it.
But that was hardly the fault of Morris. Instead, it was due to a defense that couldn't produce stops and a passing game that failed to complement his 93-yard effort with select big plays.
Morris is getting better every game, and that is a huge plus for the Redskins. But head coach Mike Shanahan has to make sure he is assembling the right parts around the true star of his team.
The Offensive Line Cannot Hold Up in Pass Protection
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There cannot possibly be a more inconsistent offensive line in the NFL than Washington's front five. The group excels at clearing room in the running game but cannot stand up to a pass rush.
While a lot of Griffin's struggles have been due to poor mechanics, he has certainly not received even adequate protection. It was easy to lose count of how many times Eagles D-linemen shoved blockers back into Griffin's face.
It is not so much sacks and hits, but rather the fact that Griffin is rarely allowed to set himself in a pocket that isn't shrinking.
Even the O-line's supposed best player, left tackle Trent Williams, was toyed with on the edge. Worst still, when offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan frequently relied on 13 personnel, three tight ends and one running back, the supplemented protection still broke down.
No quarterback can flourish with these issues up front.
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Triple Option Is Now a Necessary Part of This Offense
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It may not be to everybody's liking, but Washington's offense needs a healthy dose of read-option and triple-option plays. Given his struggles as a passer, the Redskins have to give Griffin more opportunities as a runner.
It is a risk necessary to still keep the quarterback relevant in this offense. The triple-option was featured in the first half in Philadelphia, often from two-tight end sets.
One tight end and a wide receiver would motion to the backfield to flank Griffin and create a full-house look. That let him make some good gains on the ground.
These looks also allow for more play fakes and misdirection. That deception freezes a pass rush and helps out ailing the line.
The triple-option puts Griffin at risk of injury, but without his skills as a runner, he is not currently helping this offense enough.
Front Four Is Failing to Create Pressure
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Washington's defense is not creating enough pressure without the blitz. The four-man rush, whether from nickel sets or base packages, is not getting anywhere near quarterbacks.
Against the Eagles, Nick Foles had far too much time to pick out crossing routes over the middle and target vertical routes. Whenever the Redskins rushed four, Philadelphia's quarterback was barely touched.
A lack of consistency from playmakers like Ryan Kerrigan and Brian Orakpo, who actually had one of his better games in a poor season, has not helped.
The same is true along the interior, where D-linemen are not creating enough push to force quarterbacks off their spot.
This defense is lacking in talent in the secondary, but too many members of the front seven are not doing enough to help out with a productive pass rush.
More Creative Use of Personnel Improves the Pass Rush
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What will improve Washington's pass rush is finding more creative ways to utilize personnel. When Haslett moved players like Orakpo around and mixed in some blitzes, the defense got some hits on Foles.
At times he put Orakpo and Kerrigan on the same side in the nickel front. At others, he moved Orakpo into the middle and ran some stunts to set him free.
The latter schematic wrinkle allowed Orakpo to get a sack and emphasized the value of showing something different to an offense.
The defense also had some success by blitzing inside 'backers London Fletcher and Perry Riley Jr. through the middle. Fletcher decked Foles for a big sack off a delayed blitz, while Riley came close on several other occasions.
The Redskins are supposed to run a moving-parts defense, so it only makes sense to mix up looks more often to get pressure.
The Defense Is Being Beaten Too Often Pre-Snap
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A growing problem for this defense is how often the players are beaten before the snap. Creative play-callers are outwitting Haslett pre-snap with movement and formation.
The Eagles did it several times, freeing Foles on option runs the Redskins completely failed to account for. They were also outfoxed by stacked and spread formations that isolated players like LeSean McCoy against Kerrigan in coverage.
That obvious mismatch produced a huge gain that led to Philly's opening touchdown. It was one of many favorable matchups Kelly created simply by manipulating Washington's fronts and personnel.
Haslett has to do more to cause confusion for offenses and prevent his unit from being beaten before the play.
Bad Tackling Is Now a Chronic Problem
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Washington defenders have not been able to tackle anybody this season. After 10 games, there is not even a hint of improvement in sight.
Too many times Eagles players bounced off or simply ran through feeble tackling. The result was a number of big plays the defense could have avoided, something ESPN's John Keim noted was key to Philly's early lead:
"The Redskins defense said they’d be much improved from the opener, but the Eagles didn’t have a whole lot of trouble in building a 24-0 lead as the Washington missed too many tackles and allowed 6.5 yards per play. They fared better in the last quarter-and-a-half, especially on third down. But it wasn’t enough.
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Brent Celek's 42-yard catch and run off a first-half screen pass was one such gain that could have been prevented. McCoy scored on the next play.
Speaking of McCoy, he made a mockery of several attempts to bring him down. Yes, he is shifty and can combine moves few others can match, but a disciplined defensive effort can contain him.
Sadly, discipline and sound technique are two things this defense, and the team as a whole, has been missing for far too long.
This Team Is Too Careless to Make Its Talent Count
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Mike Shanahan's team is a talented but careless one. Shanahan is staring at a 3-7 record because the Redskins make too many basic mistakes to win.
The Washington Post's Mike Jones has been quick to identify this as a recurring theme for this season's failures:
"But the Washington Redskins on Sunday did their best to eliminate themselves from contention as they fell, 24-16 , to the Philadelphia Eagles.
In a story line similar to their season-opening loss to Philadelphia, the Redskins entered a high-stakes game but appeared anything but motivated as they listlessly stumbled through the first three quarters and then finally showed up. But their arrival came too late, and self-inflicted wounds again proved too much to overcome.
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Often times those "self-inflicted wounds" are thanks to a simple failure to make plays. The offense can't finish drives because of bad throws, breakdowns in protection and penalties.
The defense falls flat because nobody can tackle and chances to get off the field quickly are wasted.
It is a bad reflection on Shanahan as a coach that his team is guilty of so many examples of sloppy play and failures to execute. But that is the reality for the Redskins and why they now prop up the division they owned last season.
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