Ryan Kerrigan Starting to Dominate Again for Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins' best pass-rusher is rounding back into dominant form just in time for the most important part of the season.
Ryan Kerrigan notched a sack in their 24-21 Week 14 road win over the Chicago Bears. It was his fourth sack in as many games. Kerrigan now has 7.5 on the season, giving him the team lead on a defense that has only 24 sacks in 2015, 27th in the NFL.
Kerrigan's sudden return to dominance has come after a dire start to the season that saw him register just 3.5 sacks in his first nine games. A preseason knee problem initially disrupted his form, but going back to basics has worked wonders for Kerrigan in recent weeks.
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The team's first-round pick in 2011 "has been working on simplifying his game," according to Neil Dalal of District Sports Page. It showed on the first of his two sacks during Week 12's 20-14 win over NFC East rivals the New York Giants, a team Kerrigan loves to disrupt.
On 3rd-and-8 in the second quarter, he lined up with hopelessly outmatched right tackle Marshall Newhouse:
He'd taken a wide-angled, slightly tilted stance. From this position, Kerrigan had a quicker launching point. He could also attack Newhouse in a variety of ways.
He opted for a straight speed rush off the edge.
Kerrigan simply blew past Newhouse's right shoulder while the latter was still turning out of his stance.
Next, he executed a classic edge-rushing move: the dip underneath his blocker.
Once he eluded Newhouse's grasp, Kerrigan engulfed Giants quarterback Eli Manning for a six-yard loss.
The ability to dip around the corner at speed is a signature of every premier outside pressure specialist in football. Now fully healthy, Kerrigan has certainly rediscovered his athletic dynamism.
But raw physicality isn't the only thing helping Kerrigan win on the edge more often. He's also playing with excellent hands technique.
Another sack of Manning, this one from the third quarter, revealed the skill and range within Kerrigan's repertoire of rush moves.
On 3rd-and-10, he again lined up with Newhouse:
From his four-point stance, Kerrigan was perfectly positioned to utilize his speed off the edge again. But instead, he would execute a classic hands combination.
First, Kerrigan swatted aside Newhouse's arms.
Then he brought his other arm over the top in a swim motion that got him behind the tackle.
Newhouse was so overwhelmed that he reached back and held Kerrigan around the throat.
But No. 91's power still collapsed the edge and closed ground on Manning. New York's QB soon gave himself up.
That let Kerrigan complete the play for a 10-yard loss.
The swat-and-swim move is a staple of any skilled pass-rusher's arsenal. Kerrigan has mastered this timeless weapon.
What separates top pass-rushers from merely solid rush ends is the ability to combine power and speed with technique. Kerrigan has connected the dots to return to his 2014 best, when he finished the season with 13.5 sacks.
He showed off his more complete game on a third-quarter sack against the Bears.
Kerrigan took a now familiar, wide-angled four-point stance over right tackle Kyle Long:
He used vicious hands technique to chop down Long's attempted block.
The chop got Kerrigan by Long.
Once he'd earned a step on the tackle, Kerrigan used a rip move to shed the block altogether.
Then the ex-Purdue man produced impressive closing speed to take Cutler down for a loss of eight.
Kerrigan is returning to his peak as a pass-rusher. His timing couldn't be better. Head coach Jay Gruden has called on his front seven to generate more pressure and splash plays in key situations, according to CSN Mid-Atlantic's Rich Tandler:
"I think we need to get better with our pass rush, no doubt about it. When we have third down and seven-plus there were a couple of instances, there were a couple of instances on third and medium to long where he had time to move around and buy a completion. So we've got to keep working on our pass rush but overall I think, from a sound standpoint, I feel good about where we're at.
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Having the main man back on form is a huge boost toward making life more difficult for quarterbacks. But Gruden has also noted how Kerrigan's impact isn't limited to just showing up against the pass.
He's also credited his ability to wreck the running game and make his teammates look better, via CSN Mid-Atlantic's Tarik El-Bashir:
"In the running game, you see him on the backside making tackles, on the frontside forcing the ball back into our big guys. He does a great job in the running game. In the passing game, he is occupying chip blocks, which is taking receivers out of the [play] and he’s doing a good job of making the quarterback step up to other people.
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His four stuffs against the run this season, according to Sporting Charts, certainly support the view that Kerrigan is one of Washington's few reliable run defenders. But it's his ability to rush the passer that counts: The same source noted that Kerrigan has 15 QB hurries to go along with his 7.5 sacks.
After a slow start, Kerrigan is getting back to being the explosive edge-rusher for whom opponents must game-plan. The more he dominates, the more disruptive the Burgundy and Gold's pass rush will be.
Greater pressure from a big-play defense will be essential in turning close games Washington's way and strengthening the team's playoff hopes during the season's final three weeks.
All statistics and player information via NFL.com, unless otherwise stated.
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