September 26, 2017

Washington Redskins vs. Green Bay Packers: 5 Takeaways

January 10, 2016 by

Before we get into the nitty gritty and try to breakdown what all went wrong in the Washington Redskins Wild Card Round loss to the Green Bay Packers, it’s important to take a minute to recognize what was accomplished by the Burgundy and Gold this season.

After entering the bye week at 3-4 and with plenty of questions surrounding the future at quarterback and head coach, Jay Gruden’s team responded after a historic come-from-behind win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Redskins finished the season 7-3 to win the NFC East Division and earn a home playoff game.

At the beginning the season, the Redskins were a consensus pick to finish in last in the division. So to go from worst to first, even in a division as poor as the NFC East, is certainly quite an accomplishment.

But in football, there are no morale victories. The Washington Redskins storybook season came to an end on Sunday night at FedExField, a place where they lost just two games all season long. It’s on to the offseason for Scot McCloughan, who will have to negotiate a new contract with quarterback Kirk Cousins.

Here are my five takeaways from the Redskins’ final game of the season. [Read more…]

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Washington Redskins vs. Dallas Cowboys: Five Takeaways

January 3, 2016 by

In what was ultimately a victory lap, the Washington Redskins rolled through the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday afternoon, finishing off their first winning regular season since 2012.

The game’s eventual final score, 34-23, was not indicative of how much better the Redskins were on this day. Jay Gruden’s first team offense, led by fourth-year quarterback Kirk Cousins, jumped out to a 21-0 lead by the end of the first quarter.

For the remainder of the game, backup quarterback Colt McCoy directed the offense, leading them to 16 points over the final three quarters. McCoy’s appearance did not come as a surprise as Gruden said late last week that Cousins would start, but that the number of snaps he would receive was still unknown. [Read more…]

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Washington Redskins vs Philadelphia Eagles: 5 Takeaways

December 27, 2015 by

In the hometown of their division rivals, the Washington Redskins locked up the NFC East Division Championship, and a playoff spot, with a 38-24 win over the Philadelphia Eagles.

After the Eagles marched down the field to score on the game’s opening drive, the Redskins responded two drives later with a score of their own. Once Jay Gruden’s bunch got going, they didn’t look back. Washington stretched their lead over the course of the game, making Saturday night’s playoff-clinching victory seem fairly easy.

Just by looking at the play selection, it’s clear what the Redskins’ gameplan was. Kirk Cousins finished with 365 yards on 31-of-46 passing, four touchdowns and zero interceptions. On the flip side, running backs Alfred Morris and Pierre Thomas combined for 21 carries and 69 yards. The Redskins passing attack is strong, but their running game is not.

As soon as the Redskins run into a team that forces them to run the football, they’ll falter. They have yet to prove that they can win the game running the football, but that doesn’t matter when the scoreboard shows them as the victors, as it has the past three weeks.

Along with that takeaway, here are five more from the Redskins’ victory over the Eagles. [Read more…]

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Washington Redskins Game 12: Dallas Cowboys — Five Takeaways

December 8, 2015 by

In a matter of minutes, the Washington Redskins went from having sole possession of the NFC East, to a three-way tie after losing the Dallas Cowboys on a last-minute field goal, 19-16.

Towards the end of the ESPN broadcast, Mike Tirico said something along the lines of “a good finish can mask an ugly game,” and that’s exactly what happened at FedExField on Monday night.

That we managed to see a combined 35 points in this game is nothing short of a miracle. For much of the first half, it seemed as though the first team to score would end up the victor. That assumption proved correct as Dallas did score first, but don’t let the box score fool you into thinking this was a contest of high execution.

It was ugly. It was nasty. If you like good football, then you hated this game. Along with that takeaway, here are five more following the Redskins 19-16 defeat at the hands of their rivals. [Read more…]

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Washington Redskins Game 10: Carolina Panthers – Five Takeaways

November 23, 2015 by

Against undefeated teams this season, the Washington Redskins have not fared well.

In North Carolina to take on the now 10-0 Carolina Panthers, the Redskins fell well short of their own expectations, losing 44-16. Of their final total, 14 of those points came in an entertaining first quarter.

Washington started off well. They stuffed the Panthers’ on the game’s opening drive and the Redskins came out swinging on offense with Kirk Cousins finding Desean Jackson for a 56-yard touchdown pass. After Carolina answered on their next drive, Andre Roberts took the ensuing kickoff 99 yards for a game-tying touchdown. [Read more…]

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Washington Redskins Game 9: New Orleans Saints – Five Takeaways

November 16, 2015 by

The Washington Redskins put together a masterful performance at FedExField on Sunday afternoon, defeating the New Orleans Saints, 47-14.

For as dysfunctional as this team has looked this season, they were anything but against one the NFL’s perennial powerhouses. From start to finish, Jay Gruden’s squad was in control and maintained their momentum throughout the game, finishing the Saints off with a strong fourth quarter.

Along with those, here are five more takeaways from the Redskins’ fourth home-win of the season. [Read more…]

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