NFL 2011: Analyzing the Washington Redskins' 17-10 Win in St. Louis

Hail victory! The Washington Redskins are 3-1 and atop the NFC East after a wild weekend of NFL football.

Against the St. Louis Rams, the Redskins built up a 17-0 fourth-quarter lead before hanging on for a 17-10 triumph. As close as the score was, this was a game the Redskins had in hand pretty much from start to finish. But as was the case against Arizona and Dallas, the most obvious thing to take away from the game was the Skins' inability to finish their opponent off.

That being said, here are three good things about Sunday the Redskins can be happy about, and three bad things that they must work on in order to improve.

The Good

1. A Defense to Lean On. Folks, this defense is really good. Not just kind of good or sort of good. The Redskins have one of the NFL's best defenses, and it showed today.  

In my preview for this game, I said that a key would be pressure from the defensive line and DT Barry Coefield obliged, getting into the Rams' backfield for the entire afternoon. The LBs, specifically Rocky McIntosh and Ryan Kerrigan, were superb. The defensive backfield was superb. And Brian Orakpo was dominant with 2.5 sacks.

The Redskins were all over the Rams' offense, holding them to 172 total yards. It was a masterful performance, and showed that the Redskins' defense will keep them in every game.

2. The Triangle of Terror.  The Redskins ran for only 65 yards in last week's 18-16 loss to the Dallas Cowboys but it was a completely different story against St. Louis.  

Mike and Kyle Shanahan must be drooling at the opportunities before them: a power back with agility in Ryan Torain, a multi-faceted, between the tackles runner who can catch passes in Tim Hightower, and a change-of-pace third down speedster in Roy Helu, Jr.  The three-headed running attack gained 196 yards, led by Torain's 135 in his triumphant return to the backfield.  

It is a luxury the Redskins are sure to take advantage of in the future, especially with a struggling passing attack.

3. Home in the Dome.  In general, there are two things that good teams must do in order to be qualified as "contenders": win at home and beat bad teams on the road.  So far, the Redskins have done just that.

Going to the Edward Jones Dome is no easy task and the Redskins successfully blocked out the crowd for the majority of the game. Even when things got tense late, Washington never really seemed fazed by the St. Louis fans.

The Bad

1. 45 Minutes Does Not a Football Game Make. The very fact that the Rams had a hope at the end of the game was troubling. Good teams do not relinquish double-digit leads at the end of a game yet the Redskins did just that. Of greater concern is that this seems to be a budding habit - the Redskins had a 16-12 fourth-quarter lead against Dallas but lost that game.

It's not the defense's fault.  It's the inability of the offense to close the game out.  QB Rex Grossman had a solid day through three quarters, then promptly threw two fourth-quarter interceptions that gave St. Louis a fighting chance.  

Those mistakes are inexcusable and if the Redskins hope to make the playoffs, they will have to learn to play with a lead. 

2. Luck on the Defense's Side.  The defense played a great game, no one will deny that.  But the fact of the matter is that the Rams' receivers dropped five passes, including two that could have been touchdowns or led to touchdowns.

There are some holes in the secondary, specifically on DB DeAngelo Hall's side, and defensive coordinator Jim Haslett will need to patch it up as soon as possible. Remember what happened last week in Dallas? The Redskins are a 3rd-and-21 defensive stop away from being 4-0.

3. Those Yellow Things Aren't Decorations.  They happen to be penalty flags.  And Washington was flagged 10 times for 96 yards, including two penalties that led to Rams' first downs.  

Mike Shanahan-coached teams are normally well-disciplined, but penalties have been a real issue for the Redskins. Last week (on the aforementioned 3rd-and-21 debacle) DeAngelo Hall not only gave up the completion, but was also called for a 15-yard personal foul facemask penalty.

This means that the Redskins need to work on their mechanics and discipline. Critical penalties are often the difference between a win and a loss.

The Redskins squeaked by a Rams team they should have handled. Is it cause for concern?  Or is it fair to say that the Redskins are contenders in the NFC?  

For one week, I think Washington fans will simply be pleased with a victory.