Biggest Takeaways from Washington Redskins' Week 6 Loss
Week 6 didn't teach the Washington Redskins anything they shouldn't have already known. After losing 34-20 on the road to an impressive New York Jets team, the Burgundy and Gold were reminded of a few sobering truths.
First, their offense can't function effectively when it's one-dimensional. Thanks to a running game that's gone stagnant, Kirk Cousins is having to shoulder the burden. The streaky quarterback missed enough throws he should have made and was guilty of enough calamitous decisions to let head coach Jay Gruden know he needs a balanced offense to protect the man under center.
Defensively, Joe Barry's unit again proved big plays and turnovers count for naught when you can't tackle and cover effectively. Washington's defense actually managed to make Jets passer Ryan Fitzpatrick look like a highly effective playmaker.
Most of all, the Redskins learned they are still not ready to win tough games on the road. Next week's home tilt against the struggling Tampa Bay Buccaneers already looks like a welcome reprieve after two challenging contests in a row.
Alfred Morris' Struggles Are Hampering the Offense
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There's little point putting all the blame for Week 6's collapse on Cousins. It doesn't matter if No. 8 takes the snaps, if Robert Griffin III handles the ball or if Colt McCoy starts. This team needs its running game to function effectively.
Sadly, that hasn't happened since Week 2's win over the St. Louis Rams. The main culprit has been the increasingly disappointing Alfred Morris. Washington's three-time 1,000-yard rusher has been so tame in recent games, you wonder if there's an imposter under his helmet.
Without that explanation, it's easy to run out of excuses for the fourth-year pro after he managed a puny 21 yards on 11 carries. It was the second straight week he averaged 1.9 yards per attempt.
Morris just hasn't been himself this season. He's not running with power, turning on the speed or making people miss.
In fact, all he's doing in 2015 is practically walking to the line of scrimmage to be felled by the first tackler he encounters. Granted, the blocking in front of No. 46 has hardly been exceptional in recent weeks, but failures up front only tell half the story.
The other half reveals a back running without a spark. Morris increasingly looks like a man lost outside of the confines of the Shanahan zone-stretch scheme that initially made him an NFL star.
Citing the quality of the run defenses he's faced in recent weeks is a cop-out, as Anthony Gulizia of the Washington Times states:
"Yes, they’ve played some of the toughest defensive fronts, but the rushing game looked ready to go toe-to-toe with the best run defenses after totaling 343 yards in the first two games. Healthy or not, this has now evolved into a season-long issue, rather than a one-week matchup problem.
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Morris has to look on the visit of a Tampa Bay run defense that ranks 25th in the league and is giving up 120.4 yards per game as the cue to get his season back on track.
Without a functioning running game, it won't matter who plays quarterback.
Kirk Cousins Is Regressing
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While the lack of a running game has been the main reason behind the offensive struggles in recent weeks, Cousins has certainly regressed. After looking like he'd taken a step or two forward in leading the Redskins past the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 4, Cousins is now missing too many throws he should make.
He failed to connect on 18 of 43 pass attempts against the Jets' formidable defense. That number would be easier to bear if those incompletions were the result of stellar coverage or heavy pressure. But the simple fact is Cousins left several plays on the field in Week 6.
His timing, footwork and accuracy were all way off. Those are usually the complaints accompanying almost any performance from RG3. Yet, instead, it was the man with a supposed better grasp of the offense who was guilty of failing mechanics.
Cousins' current struggles are wasting some useful passing concepts cleverly tailored to help him succeed. Washington loaded up with combination routes run out of stacked personnel groups to outwit New York's preference for man coverage. It was the right tactic, but one undermined by poor execution from the pocket.
Naturally, most of the focus on Cousins' performance has been on his two interceptions. It's No. 8's fourth game with more than one interception this season, as noted by Mike Jones of the Washington Post.
To put that into a context supporters of the Griff will enjoy, USA Today's Lorenzo Reyes provides these statistics:
"He's now tossed 27 interceptions in 20 career games, one about every two dozen attempts. By comparison, third-string quarterback Robert Griffin III, who was active for the first time this season Sunday, has 23 career interceptions in 37 games and 1,063 attempts (or one every 46 attempts).
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But just as troubling as the turnovers are the plays Cousins isn't making.
He's still the best fit for this offense thanks to decent pocket presence and the ability to spread the ball around to a host of receivers. But those things have to show up in games more than they are right now.
Tampa's defense is awful in most categories, but the fourth-ranked pass D will cause Cousins a problem or two. Head coach Lovie Smith still runs a scheme that challenges offenses to put long drives together without making mistakes.
Given Cousins' current form, that's a very tall order for these Redskins.
Washington's Defense Is Predictable and Fundamentally Unsound
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Turnovers are game-changing plays. They are also the ideal way to hide a defense's basic deficiencies. Washington has certainly proved the second statement true during its last two games.
The Redskins have snatched six turnovers against the Atlanta Falcons and the Jets. But they've also allowed two 100-yard rushing efforts and 13 third-down conversions.
It's a pretty clear message. Joe Barry's group can make big plays, but they can't get the fundamentals right. Against the Jets, that meant failing to corral bowling-ball bruiser Chris Ivory and not putting any pressure on Fitzpatrick and his receivers.
The problems are rooted in a scheme that's too bland and predictable. You can sit back in a soft Cover 3 zone shell and just rush three and four when your defense is loaded with talent. It's what the Seattle Seahawks did during their peak years. Only the 'Hawks boasted a star-studded secondary, versatile linebackers and a rampaging D-line led by Michael Bennett.
Washington doesn't possess anywhere near the same level of talent, so it's incumbent on Barry to get creative. Not as wildly unpredictable and recklessly aggressive as predecessor Jim Haslett was, but there's a middle ground Barry hasn't come close to meeting yet this season.
As a result, his defense is too easy to read. The Jets pulled coverage apart just by moving players around and knowing the Redskins wouldn't adjust. When simply splitting Ivory, hardly the most frightening pass-catcher, out means ending up with an inside linebacker on a productive wide receiver, you know you're in trouble.
That's something the Bucs are sure to do in Week 7. Charles Sims is a very underrated backfield playmaker who is a real threat in space. But that doesn't mean Barry should put a cornerback over him and trust his linebackers against towering wideouts Vincent Jackson and Mike Evans. Perry Riley Jr. found out the hard way that isn't ever going to work, when Evans burned him in Week 11 last season.
Barry must also tweak things against the run. He can't continue asking his front seven to just physically whip the man in front of them. Let's have some nuance, some stunts, twists and run blitzes.
The Bucs boast the ninth-best ground attack in football with Muscle Hamster Doug Martin leading the way. A Washington line built to stuff the run needs to live up to its billing after two very disappointing outings.
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Special Teams Has Finally Found Some Big Plays of Its Own
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There weren't many positives for Washington in Week 6, but the performance from the normally calamitous special teams was certainly one. For a very rare time in recent seasons, the Redskins are actually finding some big plays of their own in football's third phase.
That's not been the case for a while. Instead, surrendering big plays has been the norm, rather than creating any. The disturbing trend looked like it would continue this season after Jarvis Landry returned a punt for a game-winning touchdown for the Miami Dolphins in Week 1. Rashad Jennings then blocked a punt to set up a score for the New York Giants in Week 3.
But in Week 6, Ben Kotwica's beleaguered unit struck back. The group received some clutch kicking from the impressive Dustin Hopkins. Kai Forbath's replacement booted a 54-yard field goal to tie the game at 10 late in the second quarter. He then made a 30-yarder with less than 30 seconds remaining in the half to give Washington an unlikely three-point lead at the break.
Since joining the team, Hopkins has made 10 of 11 field-goal attempts. He's actually restored genuine confidence in Washington's kicking game for the first time in a long time.
Inspired by Hopkins, the coverage units even got in on the act in Week 6. Jeron Johnson's fourth-quarter block of a Ryan Quigley punt let Rashad Ross fall on the ball in the end zone for six points. Had Mason Foster not botched the recovery of a superbly executed onside kick, Washington's special teams might have even turned the game around.
That's a credit to a group missing key players such as Niles Paul and Adam Hayward. Hopefully, Week 6 isn't just a one-off and Kotwica's unit is ready to finally be a consistent source of positive plays for a change.
Bashaud Breeland Is Now the Main Man in Washington's Secondary
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Speaking of big plays, Bashaud Breeland is becoming a one-man factory of them. The second-year cornerback helped himself to three takeaways against the Jets. He recovered two fumbles, the second of which he forced, as well as snagging a clutch interception just before the break.
Breeland's thefts contributed to all the points managed by Washington's misfiring offense. On a defense supposedly designed to hoover up turnovers, Breeland is the only one doing his job.
He's also making himself the undisputed main man in the Redskins secondary.
DeAngelo Hall boasts the pedigree, while Chris Culliver owns the big-bucks contract. But it's Breeland who is showing up week-to-week with key contributions.
While he's still far from perfect—ESPN.com's John Keim noted how he surrendered two touchdowns in Week 6—2014's fourth-round pick is still showing he can develop into the jewel of this defensive backfield.
Now's the time to continue testing Breeland against an opponent's top target. Matching him up over Jackson in Week 7 can provide a true indicator of just how much the former Clemson man is progressing.
Gruden and his coaching staff aren't short of things they need to put right before entertaining the Bucs next week. Those things don't all concern the quarterback either.
Sparking the ground game back into life, mixing up the defense and arresting the penchant for third-quarter collapses should all be at the top of Gruden's agenda.
All statistics and player information via NFL.com unless otherwise stated.
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