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Washington Redskins: There's Plenty Of Blame To Go Around For Blowing Postseason Chance
Dec 11, 2016; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) after the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. Washington defeated Philadelphia 27-22. Mandatory Credit: James Lang-USA TODAY Sports
The Washington Redskins blew a chance at the postseason. Who deserves the blame for the loss?
The Washington Redskins squandered a chance at a second consecutive postseason appearance by losing in a win-and-you’re-in game against the New York Giants on Sunday. There were several causes for this loss, which was a contest that oddsmakers had them easily winning against a Giants team who had nothing to play for. Some of these were specific to the game itself. But others were a product of recurring issues the team had failed to address over the course of the season.
That said, there has to be some blame for what happens. Every team needs to figure out their major issues in the offseason, and the Redskins will be no different. With that in mind, here’s a look at who to blame for the loss.
Jan 1, 2017; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins head coach Jay Gruden looks on from the sidelines against the New York Giants in the fourth quarter at FedEx Field. The Giants won 19-10. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
While Jay Gruden and Sean McVay deserve credit for the offense’s success this season, they were primarily responsible for the team’s failure against the Giants
Jay Gruden and his coaching staff deserve the first – and perhaps largest — share of culpability for the team’s latest failure to control its own playoff destiny. The Redskins came out flat and listless, looking very much like a unit scoreboard-watching to determine who they’d be facing next week. Far from playing with the urgency needed in a one-and-done elimination game, they bought into the groundswell of public opinion that the Giants, with no stake in the outcome of the game, would simply play their regulars to maintain some rhythm and would let them take a seat no later than halftime.
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That, of course, didn’t occur and it was far too late before the Redskins realized that they’d be facing Eli Manning and his usual supporting staff instead of Josh Johnson and others far down the Giants depth chart. Like a general expecting an overmatched foe to sue for peace, Gruden and the Redskins were convinced that conquest against an undermanned Giants squad wasn’t just expected – it, in fact, was inevitable.
This gross miscalculation doomed the Redskins from the very start. Instead of forcing the Giants to consider benching their starters by scoring early, the Redskins made the Giants’ decision to continue playing them easy by staking New York to a 10-0 halftime lead. The Redskins never recovered from its tepid start in a game punctuated by an assortment of errors and lack of discipline. Between Josh Norman’s personal fouls and the inexplicable time management debacle to end the first half, the Redskins looked more like a team with nothing to lose than the Giants did.
Jan 1, 2017; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) walks on the field after the Redskins
Let’s Keep How Much Blame To Assign To Cousins In Perspective
It’s easy to blame Kirk Cousins for the team’s failure to deliver in a game with clear playoff implications. Evaluation of his performance against the Giants will center on his two interceptions, both of which could have been avoided. The first was a result of Maurice Harris falling down. However, Cousins also missed a wide open Jamison Crowder for a touchdown on that play. That would’ve cut the Giants lead to one field goal and established momentum for an offense that clearly lacked it for most of the game.
Cousins’ second pick was one eerily reminiscent of those he threw earlier in his career. On a late-game drive that could’ve extended the Redskins season, Cousins was avoiding pressure and stepping up in the pocket on a first-down play. Cousins’ best option at that point was to run with the ball and gain some yardage on first down. That would’ve marched the team closer to a game-tying field goal or game-winning touchdown with plenty of time left on the clock. Instead, Cousins threw off his back foot and tried to force a pass he didn’t have to. Giants cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, who already hit a contract incentive by intercepting an earlier Cousins pass, read Cousins eyes and stepped in front of Pierre Garcon to pick off a pass with little zip on it.
While Cousins could’ve done better in other aspects of his game, that he was pressed into winning the game in the first place is symptomatic of other glaring shortcomings the team has faced throughout the year. Indeed, it’s often easy to assign fault to Cousins when he’s the last one holding the ball when the team comes up short. However, Cousins, like this game, has been victimized by the optics of a quarterback who frequently is asked to remedy problems he didn’t create.
Jan 1, 2017; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins running back Robert Kelley (32) rushes the ball as New York Giants safety Andrew Adams (33) defends during the second half at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
The Absence Of A Running Game Continues To Plague The Redskins
One of these is the continuing lack of a viable running game, which featured a paltry 38 yards rushing yards, on 2.5 yards per carry. When the Redskins tried to achieve some run-pass balance by feeding Robert Kelley, he was only able to muster 33 yards on 12 carries. Kelley’s failure to convert a third-and-inches early in the game was the first of several ineffective runs on his part. That forced several unfavorable downs-and-distances and, in turn, obvious passing plays. This allowed the Giants, who could afford to employ any gameplan they chose, to blitz and pressure Cousins on countless occasions.
The failed third-and-inches play was also illustrative of a poorly-planned offensive strategy that Gruden and McVay had implemented in prior games this year. And that was a flawed gameplan that sought to achieve some semblance of a run-pass balance with a running game that went nowhere. However much of an improvement that Kelley may be over Matt Jones, Kelley is still nothing more than, at most, an average back, at least as of now. Relying on him to forge some sense of parity to one of the league’s leading aerial attacks didn’t work tonight as it had not on many other instances this season.
On the other hand, when the Redskins abandoned the run and substituted it for short passes, the offense clicked. Cousins, who is often a rhythm passer, benefits from mixing in dink-and-dunk throws with other chunk yardage plays that lead him to shattering franchise records this season. This pass-first strategy not only formed the foundation for the team’s record-setting passing game, it also set up runs to keep defenses honest and keyed play-action passes that the Redskins often turn to. By resorting to a run game for a balance that didn’t work, though, the team once again forced Cousins into compensating for deficiencies few other quarterbacks can overcome.
Dec 4, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Washington Redskins defensive coordinator Joe Barry against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Joe Barry And The Defense Also Were Key Contributors To The Giants Loss
Another prominent cause of the Redskins demise was a familiar culprit this season: Joe Barry and the defense. For one, the defense could not, yet again, stop the run. The Giants managed to register 161 yards on the ground, which was 10 yards less than Manning’s passing totals tonight. While the Giants run game slowed towards the end, the Giants were able to control the ball nearly 60% of the time. In doing so, they kept the Redskins offense off the field for large swaths of time and robbed it of opportunities to establish consistency against the Giants defense.
Manning passed for a pedestrian 180 yards, but he made throws at key junctures of the game to either move the chains and lead what proved to be the winning drive for his team. Manning’s low octane output wasn’t surprising since he entered this game as a passer with happy feet and jittery confidence behind a spotty offensive line.
Instead of taking advantage of this by blitzing Manning, Barry was more than content to play coverage and allow Manning a virtually pressure-free day. This spotted the Giants to a 10-0 lead at halftime and the ability to sufficiently control the clock for nearly 36 minutes. And it was also reason enough to justify the Giants decision to keep Manning in for the entirety of the game.
Dec 19, 2016; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) throws the ball as Carolina Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis (58) chases in the second quarter at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Looking Forward, It’s Important To Determine What’s A Problem And What’s Not
Like the end of last season, the Giants’ loss will trigger some needed soul-searching to identify and fix problems for the upcoming season. Whatever they may be, one of them isn’t Cousins himself, who the team forced to become the team’s breadwinner for nearly every game in 2016. Cousins, who often had to cover for lapses in other phases of the Redskins offense and defense, had made his case as the team’s franchise quarterback long before tonight’s abrupt season-ending loss. The Redskins would be well-advised to quickly sign him to a long-term deal and continue to build a team around him.
The Redskins will have about $62 million in cap space this coming off-season. They can use this to sign Cousins, re-sign some others in-house and to search for free agents such as the Eagles’ defensive tackle Bennie Logan, who will be a free agent this offseason. But the Redskins future begins by retaining a quarterback who nearly threw for 5,000 yards, a feat accomplished by only five other passers in League history. And that can begin as early as tomorrow.
