Washington Redskins' Week 15 Stock Report

Kirk Cousins, Matt Jones and a stable of edge-rushers keyed a vital road win for the Washington Redskins in Week 14. Stock is up for all those players.

But negative reports are in for members of the defensive backfield after Jay Cutler and the Chicago Bears made several big plays through the air. Meanwhile, left tackle Trent Williams needs to rebound after an unusually dismal showing in the Windy City.

The spotlight will shine on every one of these positions when the Buffalo Bills come to town in Week 15. Washington needs its secondary on form against a dangerous contingent of wide receivers. Pass protection will also need to be solid against a still-useful front four.

Finally, the Redskins will need their rushing attack to run the Bills out of their myriad of complex pressure fronts.

Read on for a full account of the Burgundy and Gold's stock report headed into Week 15.

Stock Up: Matt Jones

Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

Jones showed up big when it mattered against the Bears.

It's been an up-and-down debut season for rookie running back Matt Jones. He's had moments when he's generated legitimate excitement with his ability to add some explosion and big-play capability to a largely stale ground game.

But 2015's third-rounder has also had moments when he hasn't been able to hang on to the ball, as well as moments when he's danced too much in the hole instead of squaring his shoulders and finishing runs.

Yet against the Bears, Jones was all the things he's supposed to be. He accounted for 86 yards on 20 total touches, 18 runs and two receptions.

More importantly, Jones came up big in clutch situations. He closed out the game with some vital conversions on the ground to kill the clock.

Ex-Washington tight end Chris Cooley broke down the last of those runs for RedskinsTV.com (h/t Jake Kring-Schreifels of the team's official site). Cooley highlighted Jones' lateral jump-cuts and the physicality he showed to emphatically finish runs and make the initial tackler pay.

It was hugely significant that Jones was on the field and getting the ball with the game on the line. Head coach Jay Gruden was showing tremendous faith in a player who has had issues with ball security.

But this wasn't the only clutch contribution from the former Florida man. Earlier, he turned a desperate and frankly ill-advised throw from Cousins into a critical gain on 3rd-and-6.

Jones caught the ball after it had bounced off tight end Jordan Reed's hands. Jones actually spilled the ball after he thought he'd been touched by a defender. But he was hugely fortunate to get it back, a moment he recounted via Master Tesfatsion of the Washington Post: “It was crazy. I think as soon as I let it go, the ball hit [McManis’s] hands as he tried to get it and gave it right back to me. I just secured it and stayed down.”

Jones came up big in Week 14. He's proved he can be trusted to carry the load in the crunch period of this season.

Stock Down: Trent Williams

Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

Williams left Cousins exposed more than once in the Windy City.

It's not often Trent Williams can reasonably be described as the weak link of Washington's offensive line. In fact, he's probably never been called that since being drafted fourth overall in 2010. 

But Week 14 at Soldier Field may have been a first for the Pro Bowler. Williams couldn't contain Willie Young on the edge in both the running game and in pass protection.

The former Detroit Lions rush end beat Williams for a sack and was in on four tackles in the running game, including three stops for a loss and a trio of other hits on Cousins, according to ESPN.com.

John Keim of ESPN.com detailed how much Williams struggled on the day: "His leadership was great throughout the week, but he had a tougher day than anticipated against linebacker Willie Young, who used some power to make plays. Williams also had two penalties in an uncharacteristic game for him."

There are a couple of important caveats here. First, this is just one game. There's nothing in Williams' recent performances to suggest No. 71 is on a downward spiral.

Second, let's not ignore the fact Williams has spent virtually all season as the lone, experienced anchor of a raw and relatively untested group. Brandon Scherff is a rookie, while Spencer Long, Josh LeRibeus and Morgan Moses have just 32 starts between them.

The strain may have momentarily gotten to Williams, but his history says he'll rebound quickly. Washington certainly needs him to. Facing Bills edge-rusher Jerry Hughes is no easy task for any left tackle.

Stock Up: Outside Pass-Rushers

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Washington's outside linebackers are starting to flourish.

Washington's 3-4 defense is steadily getting more and more production from its outside pass-rushers. Both Ryan Kerrigan and Trent Murphy logged a sack against the Bears.

Murphy's takedown resulted in a Cutler fumble which the ex-Stanford man recovered. It was the second straight game with a sack for 2014's second-round pick.

But while Murphy made the splash play, Smith was more involved. He played a season-high 43 snaps, according to Tesfatsion.

As for Kerrigan, he's notched four sacks in as many games, a sign he's getting back to his dominant self. Having Kerrigan return to form is a massive boost for a pass rush that needs to show up big in the final three games.

The Redskins have to make Tyrod Taylor uncomfortable when the Bills come to town. When he's had time, Taylor has been surprisingly efficient this season, as Rich Tandler of Real Redskins noted:

"

You look at the list of quarterbacks with a passer rating over 100 and you see some Super Bowl winners like Wilson and Brady, players who have made multiple playoff appearances such as Palmer and Dalton and—Tyrod Taylor. Yes, the former Virginia Tech star who sat on the bench behind Joe Flacco for four years is having himself a very good season. In terms of passer rating he is the second highest ranked quarterback the Redskins have faced this year, behind only Tom Brady.

"

But it's not just passing accuracy that should worry Washington's defense. Taylor's dangerous when he's on the move. It will be up to edge defenders like Murphy, Smith and Kerrigan to keep him in the pocket as much as possible.

Stock Down: The Secondary

Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

Washington's defensive backs were burned more than once in Chicago.

Washington's defensive backfield was victimized for big gains in key situations for the second game in a row. One week removed from letting Matt Cassel, Terrance Williams and Dez Bryant make big plays in the clutch for the Dallas Cowboys, the Redskins let Cutler and Co. do the same.

Alshon Jeffery burned the Washington secondary for six catches for 107 yards, including a 50-yarder in the final period. Tight end Zach Miller snatched five catches for 85 yards, including a 30-yard gain. Even little-used wideout Deonte Thompson snagged a 36-yard completion.

Washington's coverage routinely broke down whenever Cutler escaped the pocket. The mistakes occurred because Washington's defensive backs couldn't maintain coverage while Cutler was on the move.

The matchups didn't exactly favor the Redskins. Jeffery was a problem for every cover man, particularly since defensive coordinator Joe Barry resisted showing No. 17 a variety of double-coverage looks. He didn't even opt for a box-and-one approach, with a corner locking up Jeffery in man coverage while the rest of the secondary played zone.

Both of those things will be relevant against the Bills in Week 15. Washington's coverage scheme has to have an answer for big-play threat Sammy Watkins and the possession-style chops of the underrated Robert Woods. 

Stock Up: Kirk Cousins

Associated Press

Cousins has taken several strides forward in recent weeks.

It was just so typically Kirk Cousins. An errant throw into coverage, a decision only No. 8 could possibly explain, resulting in a costly interception that led to points for the opposition. Redskins fans have seen this story play out before.

Except the narrative got a twist ending against the Bears in Week 14. Chicago tied the score at 21 just three plays after Cutler had tossed a gimme to Bears cornerback Kyle Fuller off his own goal-line deep into the third quarter.

But unlike so many times in the past, one costly turnover from 2012's fourth-round pick wasn't the cue for more disaster and defeat. Instead of going into his shell, Cousins bounced back in an instant.

He dropped a peach of a pass into the hands of DeSean Jackson for 29 yards. He soon also hit Rashad Ross for 10 more yards to set up Dustin Hopkins' game-winning kick. Later, on 2nd-and-10 from his own seven-yard line, Cousins connected with Reed for 11 yards to keep alive a drive that did its part to kill the clock and take valuable time away from the Bears.

Recovering from a major mistake to still make big-time throws in clutch situations is a sign of the progress Cousins has made this season. It hasn't always been a seamless process, but No. 8 is a more dependable QB than he was at the start of the year.

It's a testament to his growing efficiency with the ball that Cousins is on the cusp of achieving a few franchise records this season, according to Scott Allen of the Washington Post.

Fortunately, this is a rare time when individual achievement will be directly linked to team-wide accomplishment. If Cousins continues to protect the ball and target his receivers for big plays when it matters, the Redskins will likely take the NFC East crown and find themselves in the playoffs.

But first he has to get past a Bills team who can be dangerous in Week 15. As ESPN Stats & Info noted, Washington owns a dire recent record against AFC East opponents.

Getting the better of a defense trickier than its rankings suggest, as well as corralling a very useful offense, will be key to snapping that bad history.

Statistics and player information via NFL.com, unless otherwise stated.

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