Redskins' Failing Pass Rush a Big Part of Washington's Recent Losing Skid

When a team loses four straight and five of its first six games, no one factor is responsible. But a failing pass rush is certainly a big part of the Washington Redskins' recent losing skid.

A defense lacking in talent in the secondary but supposedly stacked with front-seven playmakers isn't getting near quarterbacks. That theme continued in Week 6's 30-20 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

The Washington defense managed just one sack and barely ruffled Carson Palmer's feathers. Instead, the 34-year-old starting quarterback, who was playing at less than full health, consistently enjoyed a lot of time to pick his passes from a clean pocket.

That's something Redskins analyst and 106.7 The Fan host Grant Paulsen noted very early on:

Palmer connected on 28 of 44 passes for 250 yards and a pair of touchdowns. That he didn't throw an interception, despite putting the ball in the air nearly 50 times, is proof of how little pressure he was under.

The Cardinals felt so confident Palmer wouldn't be touched or even harassed in the pocket that they continued to air it out even in traditionally run-first situations.

That's something ESPN 980 reporter Chris Russell mentioned during the fourth quarter:

What's particularly disappointing about the failures of this season's pass rush is the identity of the players not getting it done. The Redskins aren't getting production from their supposed marquee pass-rushers.

In particular, Brian Orakpo and Jason Hatcher simply aren't delivering. That's unacceptable when considering Orakpo is this team's franchise player and Hatcher its headline-grabbing free-agent signing this offseason.

The two have combined for a meager three sacks this season. That's certainly not enough from a pairing that combined to notch 21 last season.

Patrick Smith/Getty Images

But pressure isn't just about sacks. It's just as important to swarm around quarterbacks to prevent them from stepping up, as well as landing regular hits.

Those are the kind of things the Redskins should be able to trust Orakpo and Hatcher to do every game. However, both have been non-factors in recent weeks.

They were missing in action again in Arizona, according to Mike Jones of The Washington Post:

The failures of Orakpo or Hatcher to produce impact plays were cruelly and vividly represented by two huge missed opportunities against the Cards. The former dropped what should have been a certain interception in the second half that would have taken a field goal off the board and set the offense up with great field position.

Hatcher's folly involved failing to bring down Palmer when both he and Orakpo were draped all over the aging signal-caller on a key third down. Palmer managed to shrug off their attentions and convert with a short-range pass to running back Andre Ellington.

Orakpo and Hatcher have become the misfiring poster boys for a tame pass rush that is undermining the whole defense more than its patchwork secondary ever could.

The issues in the defensive backfield are exactly why Washington needs its pass rush to fire. Coordinator Jim Haslett is having to start a rookie fourth-round pick at cornerback in the form of Bashaud Breeland.

He's also having to rely on an aging safety pairing in Ryan Clark and Brandon Meriweather. But even a secondary this undermanned and lacking elite talent could survive with the support of a consistent rush.

However, lack of pressure and a porous collection of defensive backs is a nightmare combination for any defense, as ESPN Redskins reporter John Keim noted:

Those problems will only grow as long as Haslett continues to play inexperienced corners like Breeland and second-year pro David Amerson so far off wide receivers they need telescopes to track routes.

Perhaps more physical, press-based coverage on the outside would give the rush longer to get home. Then again, with this pass rush, it's easy to understand why Haslett is reluctant to leave his corners on an island for too long.

It's a catch-22 that can only be solved by individual improvement up front. So far, Orakpo's fellow outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan is the only defender making himself familiar to quarterbacks.

Kerrigan has six sacks, but nobody else on the roster even comes close to that figure. The disparity is shocking:

Name	Sacks
Ryan Kerrigan	6.0
Jason Hatcher	2.5
Frank Kearse	2.0
Perry Riley Jr.	1.0
Brandon Meriweather	1.0
Brian Orakpo	0.5
Keenan Robinson	0.5
Ryan Clark	0.5

There are names that should be on this list that remain frustratingly missing from the roll call. Players such as nose tackle Chris Baker and rookie rush end Trent Murphy, the team's top pick in the 2014 NFL draft, haven't lived up to their billing.

Perhaps feeling the burden of being the lone threat to opposing protection schemes and quarterbacks, Kerrigan bemoaned the lack of pressure in Arizona, per ESPN 980:

When the total number of sacks stands at 14, but 10 of those came in Week 2 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, that tells you everything about this pass rush, or the distinct lack of one.

The problem is unit-wide. All of Haslett's blitz-heavy scheming won't solve it. The only thing that will is for the players most responsible for applying pressure to actually do what they're paid for.

Until Orakpo, Hatcher, Baker and Murphy do that, this pass rush will remain nonexistent, the defense will struggle to hold up for four quarters, and Washington will continue to lose games.

All statistics via NFL.com.