Review of the Redskins’ 2013 NFL Draft
The Skins selected 12 players in the 2011 NFL Draft, nine players in the 2012 Draft and seven players in the 2013 NFL Draft. This is the first time since the institution of the seven-round draft in 1994 that the Skins have picked at least seven players in three consecutive years.
This was the first time in four drafts under head coach Mike Shanahan and general manager Bruce Allen that the Skins did not draft an offensive lineman.
This was the first time in four drafts under Shanahan and Allen that the Skins did not make any trades during the draft.
A look at this year’s picks:
Corner David Amerson, N.C. State, second round, 51st overall: The two biggest positives are his size (listed as being 6-foot-1 and has nice long arms) and play-making ability (led the FBS with an ACC-record 13 picks in 2011; had five picks in 2012 as a junior). The concerns are he got beat quite a bit in 2012 (he told ESPN 980 that he was “guilty of trying to do too much”) and projects according to some as a better free safety than corner in the NFL.
Tight end Jordan Reed, Florida, third round, 85th overall: Reed was a stud high-school quarterback in Connecticut who after bouncing around various positions with the Gators (he had five rushing touchdowns as a redshirt freshman in 2010) excelled as a tight end, including being named first-team All-SEC by the Associated Press in 2012 as a junior. His 45 receptions in 2012 were the most by a Florida tight end since Aaron Hernandez’s 68 in 2009, and Skins head coach Mike Shanahan compared Reed favorably with Hernandez in terms of speed on the night of Reed’s selection (April 26). Reed’s college career did conclude with him being benched in the Sugar Bowl reportedly due to attitude, though Shanahan said the Skins looked into the situation.
Safety Phillip Thomas, Fresno State, fourth round, 119th overall: He led the FBS with eight picks in 2012 and was named a first-team All-American by the AFCA, Associated Press, FWAA, Sporting News and Walter Camp Football Foundation. He fell in the draft in part because he missed the 2011 season due to a broken leg and a dislocated ankle suffered in a non-contact drill three days before the season opener. Thomas is a free safety but also played some strong safety for the Bulldogs.
Running back Chris Thompson, Florida State, fifth round, 154th overall: He is a potential change-of-pace running back who could greatly compliment Alfred Morris. But Thompson has a significant injury history: season-ending torn left ACL in Oct. 2012 and a season-ending broken back in Oct. 2011. The torn left ACL came while he was on pace to become the first 1,000-yard back for the Seminoles since Warrick Dunn in 1996.
Linebacker Brandon Jenkins, Florida State, fifth round, 162nd overall: He suffered a season-ending Lisfranc injury in his left foot in the Seminoles’ season opener last season. Jenkins will serve as a linebacker for the Skins but, like Brian Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan, was a defensive end in college, amassing 22.5 sacks in 40 games with the Seminoles. The Jenkins pick is the selection that was acquired from New England in the Albert Haynesworth trade.
Safety Bacarri Rambo, Georgia, sixth round, 191st overall: Like Amerson and Thomas, Rambo is a playmaker (16 picks in 47 career games for the Bulldogs; was second to Amerson in the FBS with 11 picks in 2011). Rambo played at both free and strong safety at Georgia but dropped in the draft in part to due to having served two suspensions for a total of five games over the last two seasons due to failed drug tests.
Running back Jawan Jamison, Rutgers, seventh round, 228th overall: He battled a right ankle injury during the 2012 season and left school despite only being a redshirt sophomore, as his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and father was killed in a car accident in the summer of 2010. Jamison received a projected third-round grade from the NFL, so him being available this late clearly was a value pick.
10 Takeaways Off The Redskins' Playoff Loss To Seattle
2012 NFL Playoffs, NFC Wild-Card Round: Redskins lose to Seattle 24-14 on Sunday (Jan. 6, 2013).
1. Rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III’s availability for the 2013 season is in doubt.
RGIII underwent major right-knee surgery on Wednesday (Jan. 9) by Dr. James Andrews in Florida. RGIII underwent a direct repair of his LCL and a redo of his 2009 ACL reconstruction. Andrews put out a statement: "We expect a full recovery, and it is everybody's hope and belief that due to Robert's high motivation, he will be ready for the 2013 season."
Dr. Mark Adickes, a Harvard-trained orthopedic surgeon who performed RGIII’s 2009 ACL surgery and played guard for the Skins in 1990 and 1991, revealed in a column for FoxSports.com on Thursday (Jan. 10) that RGIII’s surgery on Wednesday (Jan. 9) also included a repair of his medial meniscus.
The timetable for RGIII’s recovery seems anywhere from six to 12 months.
2. RGIII reinjured the right knee during the game but remained in it.
RGIII, in his third game back off suffering the grade-one sprain of the LCL in his right knee on a fourth-quarter second-and-19 13-yard scramble in the Week 14 overtime win over Baltimore, exited the game in the fourth quarter after his right knee buckled while trying to pickup a low snap by center Will Montgomery. RGIII crumbled to the turf and remained there for several minutes before walking off the field. He was officially credited with a lost fumble on the play.
ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter reported days later that RGIII actually suffered the ACL re-injury on the play prior to his lost fumble, a fourth-quarter first-and-10 sack by rookie linebacker Bruce Irvin (who was not adequately blocked by fullback Darrel (duh-REHL) Young) for a 12-yard loss. RGIII had plenty of room with which to run to his right but seemingly didn’t trust the knee.
RGIII completed 10 of 19 passes for just 84 yards, two touchdowns, a pick and a passer rating of 77.5. He had five carries for 21 yards.
RGIII clearly was not right with the knee during the game.
• RGIII seemed anywhere from 70- to 90-percent health (as was the case during the previous two games) until a first-quarter first-and-goal-at-the-four incompletion intended for receiver Pierre Garcon. RGIII, off a play-action bootleg, ran to his right, fell backward after the throw despite not being touched and was limping badly after the play. But two plays later was a third-and-goal four-yard touchdown pass to tight end Logan Paulsen.
• RGIII underthrew Garcon on a deep route for a second-quarter second-and-seven interception to safety Earl Thomas. The ensuing Seahawks drive resulted in kicker Steven Hauschka’s (HOWSH-kuh’s) first-half-ending 29-yard field goal.
• RGIII had a really bad throw on a third-quarter third-and-10 incompletion intended for receiver Joshua Morgan. The drive resulted in a punt.
• RGIII had a fourth-quarter nine-yard zone-read-option run on which he ran very gingerly. The drive resulted in a punt.
Head coach Mike Shanahan took a lot of criticism on The Official Redskins Postgame Show on ESPN 980 for not pulling RGIII sooner. Shanahan admitted after the game, “You have to go with your gut, and I did. I’m not saying my gut is always right, but I’ve been there before. In different situations, I get to know Robert better as time goes on and I’ll know how stubborn he is – probably more so as time goes on. He’s a competitor, and I’ll probably second guess myself when you take a look at different…In the second half, should you have done it earlier? I think you always do that, especially after you don’t win.”
Criticizing Shanahan for not pulling RGIII sooner is fair, but you should take into account two things:
• 1) RGIII, despite lacking his usual burst, had largely performed well in his first two games back from the injury (Week 16 win at Philadelphia and Week 17 win over Dallas to win the NFC East).
• 2) RGIII, even after the first-quarter first-and-goal-at-the-four incompletion intended for Garcon, registered some quality plays:
o First-quarter third-and-goal four-yard touchdown pass to Paulsen
o Third-quarter third-and-four five-yard completion to receiver Santana Moss. But that drive featured the really bad throw on the third-quarter third-and-10 incompletion intended for Morgan and resulted in a punt.
o Fourth-quarter nine-yard zone-read-option run on which he did run very gingerly. The drive resulted in a punt.
The irony is that RGIII and the Skins’ offense looked terrific in scoring touchdowns on the team’s first two drives of the game.
• The opening drive of the game resulted in RGIII firing a bullet to running back Evan Royster between Thomas and fellow safety Kam Chancellor for a third-and-goal four-yard touchdown pass. The drive also included an RGIII second-and-one three-yard zone-read-option run and a 30-yard RGIII zone-read-option play-action completion to Garcon.
• The Skins’ second drive of the game resulted in RGIII’s third-and-goal four-yard touchdown pass to Paulsen off being under center. The drive also included an RGIII third-and-three 10-yard completion to Moss out of the pistol; an RGIII second-and-five eight-yard zone-read-option run on which he ran by Irvin; and an RGIII third-and-one 11-yard completion to Paulsen off a play-action bootleg.
Complicating all of this was a USA Today report in which Andrews contradicted Shanahan’s assertion the day after the win over the Ravens that Andrews had cleared RGIII. Andrews said that he never even examined RGIII. Andrews essentially admitted to a lack of quality communication with Shanahan in that game in later comments to The Washington Post and Doctor Radio, SiriusXM’s 24/7 health and medical channel. Andrews to the Post: “Coach Shanahan didn’t lie about it, and I didn’t lie. I didn’t get to examine [Griffin’s knee] because he came out for one play, didn’t let us look at him and on the next play, he ran through all the players and back out onto the field. Coach Shanahan looks at me like, ‘Is he OK?’ and I give him the ‘Hi’ sign as in, ‘He’s running around, so I guess he’s OK.’ But I didn’t get to check him out until after the game. It was just a communication problem. Heat of battle. I didn’t get to tell him I didn’t get to examine the knee. Mike Shanahan would never have put him out there at risk just to win a game.”
Rookie quarterback Kirk Cousins went 3-for-10 for 31 yards in relief of RGIII.
The Skins were forced to call a timeout after their first offensive play of the game due to continued trouble with their helmet communication system with RGIII. The Skins also dealt with trouble with their helmet communication system with RGIII during the Week 17 win over Dallas and the Week 4 win at Tampa Bay.
3. The Skins blew a 14-0 second-quarter lead.
The Seahawks scored the game’s final 24 points.
The Skins were outgained by the Seahawks, 380-203.
The Skins lost the time-of-possession battle by 8:40.
4. The Skins’ defense struggled to stop running back Marshawn Lynch and quarterback Russell Wilson.
Lynch had 20 carries for 132 yards, a touchdown and a lost fumble. He had eight carries for 33 yards in the first half but 12 carries for 99 yards, a touchdown and a lost fumble in the second half. Key runs for Lynch included:
• Fourth-quarter third-and-five 27-yard touchdown run on which he cut back past corner DeAngelo Hall, who missed miserably on an attempted tackle.
• Fourth-quarter second-and-three 18-yard zone-read-option run on which linebacker London Fletcher failed on an attempted tackle. The drive resulted in Lynch’s third-and-five 27-yard touchdown run.
• Third-quarter 26-yard run on which he first ran away from the grasp of nose tackle Barry Cofield and then ran by linebacker Ryan Kerrigan. The drive, though, resulted in Lynch’s second-and-goal-at-the-1 lost fumble.
• Third-quarter first-and-10 15-yard zone-read-option run on which linebacker Rob Jackson got faked out big time. The drive, though, resulted in Lynch’s second-and-goal-at-the-1 lost fumble.
• Consecutive second-quarter runs of eight and five yards on a drive that resulted in a Wilson second-and-goal four-yard touchdown pass to fullback Michael Robinson.
• Consecutive second-quarter runs of six and five yards on the drive that resulted in Hauschka’s first-half-ending 29-yard field goal. Lynch ran through an attempted tackle by defensive end Stephen Bowen on the six-yard run and ran through an attempted tackle by linebacker Perry Riley on the five-yard run.
Lynch recovered a second-quarter first-and-five Wilson fumble that safety Madieu Williams failed to recover (thanks to colliding with Wilson) and then ran away from a diving linebacker in Jackson and a diving corner in Cedric Griffin for 20 yards. The drive resulted in Wilson’s second-and-goal four-yard touchdown pass to Robinson.
Lynch also had a second-quarter first-and-10 nine-yard reception on which he broke through an attempted tackle by Williams. The drive resulted in a Hauschka’s second-quarter 32-yard field goal.
Wilson completed 15 of 26 passes for 187 yards, a touchdown and a passer rating of 92.9. Key completions for Wilson included:
• Second-quarter second-and-goal four-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Robinson.
• Fourth-quarter two-point-conversion pass to tight end Zach Miller, who beat Williams.
• Fourth-quarter third-and-10 22-yard completion to Miller, who was open and had plenty of room with which to run. The drive resulted in Lynch’s third-and-five 27-yard touchdown run.
• Second-quarter first-and-10 33-yard completion to a wide-open receiver in Doug Baldwin, who ran right by safety Jordan Pugh (PYOO). The drive resulted in Hauschka’s first-half-ending 29-yard field goal.
• Second-quarter second-and-nine 19-yard completion to a wide-open Robinson on the drive that resulted in his second-and-goal four-yard touchdown reception.
• Second-quarter first-and-10 27-yard completion to receiver Sidney Rice. The drive resulted in Hauschka’s second-quarter 32-yard field goal.
• First-quarter third-and-12 12-yard completion to wide-open Miller. The drive resulted in Hauschka’s second-quarter 32-yard field goal.
Wilson also had eight carries for 67 yards. Key runs for Wilson included:
• Third-quarter first-and-10 28-yard scramble on which he ran by Cofield and ran away from Jackson. The drive did result in a punt.
• Second-quarter second-and-nine 19-yard zone-read-option run on which Riley got frozen and defensive end Jarvis Jenkins missed on an attempted tackle. The drive resulted in Hauschka’s second-quarter 32-yard field goal.
• Second-quarter first-and-10 11-yard zone-read-option run on which Kerrigan got faked out big time. The drive resulted in Wilson’s second-and-goal four-yard touchdown pass to Robinson.
Lynch and Wilson combined for 28 carries for 199 yards, a touchdown and two fumbles (one of which was lost). Something I made mention of repeatedly entering this game was the largely unnoticed reality that the Skins had struggled stop the run in five of their previous nine games: Week 8 loss at Pittsburgh, Week 9 loss to Carolina, Week 13 win over the Giants, Week 14 win over the Ravens, Week 17 win over the Cowboys.
5. The Skins did total five sacks and seven quarterback hits, did generate a massive takeaway and did hold the Seahawks to 1-for-6 in the red zone.
Safety Reed Doughty had two sacks and 12 tackles.
• Doughty came in unblocked on a blitz and sacked Wilson for a five-yard loss on a fourth-quarter third-and-two. The drive resulted in a three-and-out.
• Doughty forced Wilson out of bounds for a third-quarter second-and-two sack for a one-yard loss. The drive resulted in a punt.
• Doughty tackled Wilson on a fourth-quarter first-and-10 zone-read-option run for no gain. The drive, though, resulted in Lynch’s third-and-five 27-yard touchdown run.
• Doughty tackled Lynch on a second-quarter first-and-goal-at-the-5 carry for one yard. The next play, though, was Wilson’s second-and-goal four-yard touchdown pass to Robinson.
• Doughty did fail to come through with a potential pick in the end zone on a second-quarter second-and-seven incompletion, though Baldwin helped to prevent the pick. The drive resulted in Hauschka’s second-quarter 32-yard field goal.
Corner Josh Wilson ran right by rookie running back Robert Turbin for a third-quarter third-and-eight sack for a nine-yard loss. The drive resulted in a punt. The play prior to Wilson’s sack had seen him get beat deep by Baldwin, who was overthrown by Wilson for an incompletion.
Fletcher led the Skins with 15 tackles.
• Fletcher and Bowen combined for a first-quarter third-and-two sack for a 10-yard loss. Bowen pushed center Paul McQuistan to the turf on the play. The drive resulted in a three-and-out.
• Fletcher tackled Lynch on a second-quarter second-and-10 carry for three yards. The drive resulted in Hauschka’s first-half-ending 29-yard field goal.
Riley blitzed off the edge for a first-quarter second-and-six sack for a six-yard loss. The drive did result in Hauschka’s second-quarter 32-yard field goal.
The second half’s opening drive, which saw the Skins clinging to a 14-13 lead, concluded with Cofield forcing the third-quarter second-and-goal-at-the-1 fumble by Lynch. Cofield knocked the ball loose with his helmet. Jenkins recovered the ball. But the ensuing Skins drive resulted in a punt.
6. We didn’t see nearly enough of rookie running back Alfred Morris.
Morris had 16 carries for 80 yards.
Morris had eight carries for 49 yards on the Skins’ first two drives, each of which resulted in an RGIII third-and-goal four-yard touchdown pass. But Morris had eight carries for 31 yards over the final three quarters.
Morris had runs of eight, nine and 18 yards on the nine-play 80-yard drive that resulted in RGIII’s first-quarter third-and-goal four-yard touchdown pass to Royster.
• Morris’ eight-yard run came out of the pistol and on the game’s first offensive play and saw him lower his shoulder into Chancellor for yards after contact.
• Morris’18-yard run came on a first-and-10 came out of the pistol and saw him run through an attempted arm tackle by Thomas.
Morris had two six-yard runs on the 11-play 54-yard drive that resulted in RGIII’s first-quarter third-and-goal four-yard touchdown pass to Paulsen.
• Morris’ second six-yard run on the drive came out of the pistol and on a second-and-seven and saw him lower his shoulder and run through rookie linebacker Bobby Wagner.
Morris had a second-quarter first-and-10 seven-yard zone-read-option run on which he ran through an attempted arm tackle by defensive end Red Bryant. But the drive resulted in a punt.
Morris had consecutive six-yard runs out of the pistol on a third-quarter drive that resulted in a punt.
7. Despite the Skins allowing just two just sacks and four quarterback hits and Morris averaging five yards per carry, the offensive line had a rough game.
Left guard Kory Lichstensteiger, who started despite not practicing on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday due to an injured left ankle, left the game during the opening drive to aggravating that left ankle. He did not return and was replaced by rookie guard and 2012 third-round pick Josh LeRibeus (luh-REE-biss). Lichtensteiger admitted on Monday (Jan. 7) that trying to play “probably” was a mistake.
Montgomery was guilty of a number of poor shotgun snaps and on a number of key plays.
• Low snap on the fourth-quarter second-and-22 RGIII lost fumble after which he exited the game due to his right knee buckling.
• Snap that was low and to the left on a second-quarter third-and-two RGIII incompletion intended for Paulsen. The drive resulted in a three-and-out.
• Snap that extremely low and to the left on a fourth-quarter first-and-10 fumble by Cousins, who did recover the ball. The drive resulted in a turnover on downs.
• Snap that was low and to the left on a fourth-quarter first-and-10 Cousins incompletion intended for Paulsen. The drive resulted in a turnover on downs.
The fourth-quarter first-and-10 Cousins incompletion intended for Paulsen saw right tackle Tyler Polumbus get pushed back big time by Irvin, who deflected the pass.
A third-quarter second-and-10 Morris run for no gain saw right guard Chris Chester get pushed back big time by defensive tackle Alan Branch, whom Morris tripped over. The drive resulted in a punt.
Left tackle Trent Williams got pushed back by Irvin on a first-quarter first-and-10 RGIII incompletion on which his throwing hand hit Williams’ helmet. The drive did result in RGIII’s third-and-goal four-yard touchdown pass to Paulsen. Williams shoved corner Richard Sherman in the face after the game and was fined $7,875 by the league.
8. Skins pass catchers were a mixed bag.
Garcon, who left the game briefly with a left shoulder injury, had four receptions for 50 yards on six targets. His first-quarter first-and-10 30-yard reception saw him make a nice leaping catch with his arms extended above his head and then run through an attempted arm tackle by corner Brandon Browner. The reception came on the drive that resulted in RGIII’s third-and-goal four-yard touchdown pass to Royster.
Moss had three receptions for 19 yards on five targets. He had a first-quarter third-and-three 10-yard reception on the drive that resulted in RGIII’s first-quarter third-and-goal four-yard touchdown pass to Paulsen and a third-quarter third-and-four five-yard reception on a drive that resulted in a punt. But Moss also failed to make a catch on a fourth-quarter second-and-14 Cousins incompletion that could be labeled a drop (the throw was high).
Hankerson had two receptions for 27 yards on five targets. He big fourth-quarter third-and-seven drop with the Skins clinging to a 14-13 on a drive that resulted in a punt. RGIII’s pass on the play was a bit too far in front of Hankerson but was catchable.
Morgan had one reception for no gain on seven targets. His lone catch saw Paulsen failed to adequately block Browner, who made the tackle. Morgan also failed to make a catch on a fourth-quarter third-and-14 Cousins incompletion that could be labeled a drop (the throw was high).
Paulsen had two receptions for 15 yards and a touchdown on four targets. The drive that concluded with his first-quarter third-and-goal four-yard touchdown reception also included a third-and-one 11-yard reception on which he plowed forward on linebacker Malcolm Smith for yards after the catch.
9. This game both continued and ended several trends.
Each of the Skins’ last three postseason appearances (2005, 2007 and 2012) now has 1) come by way of winning out in the regular season and 2) ended with a loss to the Seahawks.
The Seahawks snapped an eight-game road losing streak in the postseason. Their last road postseason win had come on Dec. 31, 1983.
10. Miscellaneous Notes:
The Skins lost the turnover battle, 2-1.
The Skins went 5-for-11 on third downs, going 1-for-7 after beginning 4-for-4.
The Seahawks went 5-for-13 on third downs.
The FedEx Field playing surface, which appeared to be in terrible condition, perhaps played a role in the RGIII injury and two injuries for the Seahawks.
• Defensive end and former Redskin Chris Clemons left the game due to a left knee injury suffered on Moss’ third-quarter third and-four five-yard reception and did not return. We learned on Monday (Jan. 7) that Clemons had suffered a torn ACL and torn meniscus.
• Hauschka suffered a left calf injury in the first half, went 3-for-3 on field goals of 32, 29 and 22 yards but was placed on injured reserve on Wednesday (Jan. 9).
This game, while chippy, featured just seven total accepted penalties. The Skins had just three.
Corner Cedric Griffin returned from his four-game suspension without pay for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances. He had two tackles.
Punter Sav Rocca averaged 48.3 yards and 43.5 net yards on four punts.
The Skins held running back/kickoff returner/punt returner Leon Washington, who finished second in the NFL in yards per kickoff return (29.0) during the regular season, to kickoff returns of just 24 and 22 yards.
Kicker Kai Forbath, who saw just 15 of his 61 kickoffs with the Skins result in touchbacks during the regular season, saw one of his three kickoffs result in a touchback. He did not attempt a field goal.
Inactives for the Skins were receiver/returner Brandon Banks, receiver Dezmon (DEHZ-mihn) Briscoe, rookie offensive tackle Tom Compton, rookie guard Adam Gettis, quarterback Rex Grossman, linebacker Roderick Muckleroy and linebacker Vic So’oto, who was signed from Green Bay’s practice squad on Dec. 19.
The Skins remained without:
• Linebacker Brian Orakpo (torn left pectoral muscle suffered in the Week 2 loss at St. Louis)
• Defensive lineman Adam Carriker (right quadriceps tendon tear suffered in the Week 2 loss at St. Louis)
• Safety Brandon Meriweather (torn right ACL suffered in the Week 11 rout of Philadelphia; Meriweather missed the previous nine games due to an injured left knee)
• Safety Tanard Jackson (indefinite suspension due to a third violation of the NFL’s substance-abuse policy)
• Rookie linebacker Keenan Robinson (torn pectoral muscle suffered in the Week 12 win at the Cowboys)
• Tight end Fred Davis (torn left Achilles suffered in the Week 7 loss at the Giants)
• Running back Roy Helu Jr. (placed on injured reserve on Sept. 26 due to turf toe; he also had dealt with tendinitis in both Achilles)
• Right tackle Jamal Brown (hip problems; was kept on the physically-unable-to-perform list past the deadline of Nov. 27, ending any chance of him playing this season)
• Offensive tackle Jordan Black (four-game suspension without pay for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances)
10 Takeaways Off The Redskins' Win Over Dallas
Week 17: Redskins conclude a 10-6 regular season with a 28-18 win over Dallas on Sunday night (Dec. 30, 2012).
1. The Skins are NFC East champions for the first time since the 1999 season.
The Skins entered this season having finished last in the NFC East in each of the previous four seasons.
This game proved to be not only for the NFC East title but also a win-or-go-home affair for both the Skins and Cowboys. The Skins entered Sunday with a chance to still make the playoffs as a wild card with a loss to the Cowboys, but the Skins needed both Chicago (at Detroit at 1 p.m.) and Minnesota (home to Green Bay at 4:25 p.m.) to lose. Both the Bears (26-24) and Vikings (37-34) won.
The Skins will host Seattle on Sunday, Jan. 6, 2013, at 4:30 p.m. on ESPN 980 and ESPN980.com. Each of the Skins’ last two playoff appearances has ended with a loss at the Seahawks.
2. An amazing turnaround is complete.
The Skins won their seventh consecutive game. The Skins are just the fourth 3-6 team since the 1990 season to make the playoffs. The last 3-6 team to make the playoffs was the 1996 Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Skins have won seven consecutive games for the first time since winning seven consecutive games in Weeks 2-9 of the 1996 season.
Each of the Skins’ last three postseason appearances now has come by way of winning out in the regular season.
• The Skins went from 5-6 to 10-6 in the 2005 season.
• The Skins went from 5-7 to 9-7 in the 2007 season.
• The Skins have gone from 3-6 to 10-6 this season.
3. Rookie running back Alfred Morris had one of the greatest games in Skins history.
Morris had 33 carries for 200 yards and three touchdowns.
Morris had a fourth-quarter third-and-goal one-yard touchdown run that essentially clinched the victory. The drive also included a handoff out of the pistol for a first-and-10 10-yard Morris run on which he broke through an attempted tackle by defensive lineman Sean Lissemore.
Morris had a fourth-quarter first-and-10 32-yard touchdown run that helped to give the Skins a 21-10 lead. The toss run began with rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III under center and included Morris cutting back, then making his way by linebacker Anthony Spencer and then running by safety Eric Frampton.
Morris had a third-quarter 10-yard zone-read-option run on which he broke through an attempted tackle by Lissemore and broke the Skins’ single-season rushing record, which had been set by Clinton Portis during the 2005 season (1,516). Morris’ record-setting run was part of a five-play sequence that featured runs of one, 10, five, six and 22 yards. The nine-play 82-yard drive resulted in RGIII’s third-quarter first-and-goal 10-yard zone-read-option touchdown run.
• Morris had a first-and-10 22-yard toss run off RGIII being under center. Morris broke through an attempted tackle by safety Gerald Sensabaugh and then dragged Frampton for extra yardage before being brought down by him. Spencer suffered an ankle injury on the play.
Morris had a second-quarter first-and-10 17-yard touchdown run on an eight-play 68-yard drive that also included consecutive Morris runs of 13 and 12 yards.
• Morris had first-and-10 13-yard stretch run out of the pistol, running by linebacker Brady Poppinga and defensive lineman Jason Hatcher and then cutting back toward the middle of the field for more yardage.
• The next play saw Morris with a first-and-10 12-yard toss run out of the pistol, running through attempted arm tackles by linebacker Dan Connor and Frampton.
• Morris then had his first-and-10 17-yard touchdown run, on which he ran out of the pistol and by Sensabaugh.
Morris had consecutive runs of 19 and 10 yards on the Skins’ second drive of the game, but that drive resulted in kicker Kai Forbath’s (KY FOHR-bath’s) first-quarter missed 37-yard field-goal try.
• Morris ran through rookie corner Morris Claiborne on a first-and-10 19-yard stretch run, which came off RGIII being under center.
• The next play was a first-and-10 zone-read-option 10-yard run.
Morris had a fourth-quarter first-and-10 zone-read-option 10-yard run, breaking through an attempted tackle by Poppinga. The drive did result in a punt.
Morris had two first-half receptions for 12 yards. He had just 11 receptions this regular season, but five receptions came over the final three games.
Morris finished the 2012 regular season ranked:
• Second in the NFL in rushing yards (1,613)
• Second in the league in rushing touchdowns (13)
• Second in the league in rushing first downs (83)
• Ninth in the league in yards per carry (4.8)
Morris had four fumbles this regular season. Three ended up as lost fumbles: one in the Week 7 loss at the Giants, one in the Week 13 win over the Giants and one in the Week 14 win over Baltimore.
4. RGIII was still clearly not 100 percent but ironically shined as a runner.
RGIII completed just nine of 18 passes for 100 yards and a season-low passer rating of 66.9.
RGIII, despite lacking his usual burst thanks to the grade-one sprain of the LCL in his right knee suffered on a fourth-quarter second-and-19 13-yard scramble in the Week 14 overtime win over the Ravens, had six carries for 63 yards and a touchdown.
RGIII shined with his arm and legs on three key Skins drives:
• The fourth-quarter six-play 74-yard drive that resulted in Morris’ first-and-10 32-yard touchdown run included an RGIII second-and-nine 17-yard zone-read-option run on which he ran by a faked-out linebacker in DeMarcus Ware and a third-and-one bullet of a pass out of the shotgun to receiver Pierre Garcon for 15 yards.
• A third-quarter nine-play 82-yard drive resulted in an RGIII first-and-goal 10-yard zone-read-option touchdown run on which he ran by a faked-out Ware. The drive also included an RGIII (who was under center) first-and-10 18-yard completion to Garcon off play-action to running back Evan Royster and a second-and-13 13-yard completion to Garcon on a receiver screen off zone-read-option play-action to Morris.
• The second-quarter eight-play 68-yard drive that resulted in Morris’ first-and-10 17-yard touchdown run included an RGIII third-and-seven eight-yard completion to tight end Logan Paulsen and an RGIII first-and-10 nine-yard zone-read-option run.
A first-quarter drive that resulted in a punt saw RGIII connect with receiver Leonard Hankerson for a first-quarter second-and-10 12-yard quick-slant completion off being under center and with receiver Santana Moss for a third-and-seven 11-yard completion off being in the pistol. But that drive also saw RGIII seem very off from a mobility standpoint on a second-and-10 three-yard zone-read-option run and nearly picked off by corner Brandon Carr on a second-and-six deep incompletion (Carr caught the ball out of bounds).
RGIII had a first-quarter third-and-four nine-yard zone-read-option run on which he ran by a faked-out Ware. The drive did result in Forbath’s first-quarter missed 37-yard field-goal try.
RGIII broke through an attempted tackle by linebacker Ernie Sims on a fourth-quarter zone-read-option 15-yard run. But two plays later RGIII took a wicked hit from an unblocked Ware on a second-and-eight incompletion. The Skins were forced to burn a timeout due to RGIII being shaken up. The next play (a third-and-eight) resulted in RGIII (in the shotgun) being sacked by Spencer for a 13-yard loss. The drive resulted in a punt.
RGIII went just 1-for-6 on balls thrown over 10 yards in the air according to Pro Football Focus.
RGIII dealt with communication problems during the game. Head coach Mike Shanahan on Monday (Dec. 31): “Right from the second play of the game we had some problems with communicating with the quarterback. He could not hear us, so that’s why we had to use that first timeout, and I think we switched it three or four times during the game. For some reason that communication wasn’t there.”
RGIII finished the 2012 regular season with 20 touchdown passes versus five interceptions and ranked:
• First in the NFL in yards per pass attempt (8.14)
• Third in the league in passer rating (102.4)
• Tied for fourth in the league in completion percentage (65.6)
• First in the league in rushing yards per attempt (6.8)
RGIII captained a Skins’ offense that:
• Set a franchise record for fewest turnovers in a season (14), surpassing the previous team record of 16 set in the nine-game 1982 strike-shortened season.
• Finished tied for 23rd in the NFL in third-down efficiency (35.8 percent; 68-for-190) but has gone 36-for-78 (46.2 percent) on third downs during this seven-game winning streak.
5. The Skins’ defense continued to display remarkable improvement.
Defensive coordinator Jim Haslett blitzed the Cowboys repeatedly, and the results included three interceptions, two sacks, five quarterback hits and nine passes defended.
Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo completed just 20 of 37 passes for 218 yards, two touchdowns, three picks and a passer rating of 55.9. He had totaled three picks over his previous eight games. Romo fell to 1-6 in elimination games (regular season and postseason) in his career.
Corner DeAngelo Hall, used largely in man coverage on receiver Dez Bryant thanks to the repeated blitzing, held Bryant to four receptions for 71 yards on eight targets. Bryant entered the game with 10 touchdown receptions over his previous seven games. Hall graded out at plus-1.7 for the game according to Pro Football Focus.
• Hall provided quality coverage on Bryant on a fourth-quarter third-and-five incompletion. The drive resulted in kicker Dan Bailey’s fourth-quarter 48-yard field goal.
• Hall provided quality coverage on Bryant on a first-quarter second-and-14 incompletion on which linebacker Perry Riley got significant push on running back DeMarco Murray. Hall did get beat by Bryant for a third-and-14 23-yard reception on the next play. But the drive resulted in corner Josh Wilson’s first-quarter second-and-five interception.
• Hall provided quality coverage on receiver Dwayne Harris on a fourth-quarter second-and-10 incompletion. The drive resulted in a punt.
Wilson graded out at plus-2.6 for the game according to Pro Football Focus.
• Wilson had the first-quarter second-and-five interception of an underthrown Romo pass.
• Wilson gave Romo a cracked rib on his left side on a second-quarter second-and-10 quarterback hit on a one-yard completion to tight end Jason Witten. The drive resulted in a punt.
• Wilson, along with linebacker Ryan Kerrigan, pressured Romo on a third-quarter third-and-seven incompletion on which Haslett blitzed five Skins. The drive resulted in a punt.
Linebacker Rob Jackson continued to shine.
• Jackson made a terrific leaping catch for a fourth-quarter first-and-10 interception. He began the play by coming toward Romo but then dropped back into coverage on Murray and generated the pick. The ensuing Skins drive resulted in Morris’ third-and-goal one-yard touchdown run that essentially clinched the victory. Jackson finished the regular season with four picks.
• Jackson pushed Witten back toward Romo on his first-quarter second-and-five pick to Wilson.
• Jackson penetrated into the backfield on the second quarter’s first play, which resulted in a Murray carry for a three-yard loss (the tackle officially was made by Riley and fellow linebacker London Fletcher). That drive did result in Romo’s third-and-goal nine-yard touchdown pass to Witten.
Fletcher blitzed a season-high 16 times according to Pro Football Focus and had team highs of two sacks, three quarterback hits and 11 tackles.
• Fletcher had a fourth-quarter third-and-10 sack of Romo for an 18-yard loss. Haseltt blitzed six Skins on the play, and Fletcher went unblocked. The drive resulted in a punt.
• Fletcher and Kerrigan provided heavy pressure on Romo on a third-quarter third-and-10 incompletion on which Haseltt blitzed seven Skins, as he had on the previous play, a second-and-10 incompletion. The drive resulted in a punt.
• Fletcher and Riley combined to tackle for Murray for a three-yard loss on a carry on the first play of the second quarter. The drive did result in Romo’s third-and-goal nine-yard touchdown pass to Witten.
• Fletcher did have a dropped pick on a third-quarter first-and-10 Romo incompletion on the drive that resulted in Bailey’s fourth-quarter 48-yard field goal.
Rookie corner Richard Crawford had a first-quarter third-and-eight interception off Haslett blitzing seven Skins. The ensuing drive resulted in Forbath’s first-quarter missed 37-yard field-goal attempt. Crawford did get beat by receiver Kevin Ogletree on his fourth-quarter third-and-four 10-yard touchdown reception and then by receiver Dwayne Harris on reception for a two-point conversion on the next play.
Safety Reed Doughty, who started each of the Skins’ final four regular-season games, impressively undercut fullback Lawrence Vickers back into Murray for a second-quarter carry that resulted in a two-yard loss (the tackle officially went to safety Jordan Pugh (PYOO)). The next play, though, was Romo’s third-and-goal nine-yard touchdown pass to Witten.
The Skins finished the 2012 regular season ranked:
• 30th out of 32 NFL teams in fewest passing yards allowed per game (282)
• Tied for 23rd in the league with just 32 sacks
o The Skins’ totaled 41 sacks in 2011 and 29 in 2010.
• 22nd in the NFL in fewest points allowed per game (24.3)
• Second in the NFC with a turnover differential of plus-17
o The Skins’ turnover differentials in each of the previous 10 seasons: minus-14 in 2011, minus-four in 2010, minus-11 in 2009, even in 2008, minus-five in 2007, minus-three in 2006, minus-four in 2005, minus-one in 2004, plus-two in 2003, minus-14 in 2002.
• Tied for fourth in the NFC with 31 takeaways.
6. It wasn’t all good for the Skins’ defense.
The Cowboys went 7-for-13 on third downs.
• The Skins rushed just three, saw Romo with plenty of time and then saw him impressively extend the play with his legs on his second-quarter third-and-goal nine-yard touchdown pass to Witten. The play, though, should have resulted in a delay-of-game penalty, as the play clock clearly had expired before the snap.
• Riley got beat by Witten on his third-quarter third-and-three 10-yard reception. The drive resulted in Bailey’s fourth-quarter 48-yard field goal.
• The Skins finished the 2012 regular season last in the NFL in opponents’ third-down efficiency (44.2 percent; 95-for-215).
Murray and fellow running back Felix Jones combined for 22 carries for 100 yards.
• Murray had a third-quarter first-and-10 21-yard run on which he ran by Riley and then cut back through an attempted tackle by Wilson. The drive did result in a punt.
• Jones ran by Kerrigan on a second-quarter nine-yard run (on which receiver Miles Austin suffered a high ankle sprain) on the drive that resulted in Romo’s third-and-goal nine-yard touchdown pass to Witten.
• The Skins struggled to stop the run in five of their last nine games: Week 8 loss at Pittsburgh, Week 9 loss to Carolina, Week 13 win over the Giants, Week 14 win over Baltimore, Week 17 win over the Cowboys.
• The Skins finished the 2012 regular season fifth in the NFL in fewest rushing yards allowed per game (95.8) and tied for 13th in the league in fewest rushing yards allowed per carry (4.2).
Safety Madieu (muh-DEE-oo) Williams left the game in the second quarter due to a left shoulder injury but returned.
Corner D.J. Johnson left the game in the first quarter due to a sprained left knee suffered on a first-quarter 28-yard punt return by Harris. The Skins placed Johnson on injured reserve on Friday (Jan 4, 2013).
7. This was a remarkably clean game.
The Skins and Cowboys combined for just three accepted penalties. All three came in the fourth quarter.
The Cowboys’ lone accepted penalty was a costly one: a fourth-quarter third-and-seven six-yard roughing-the-passer penalty on defensive lineman Jason Hatcher. The infraction gave the Skins a first-and-goal at the 6. The drive resulted in Morris’ third-and-goal one-yard touchdown run that essentially clinched the victory.
The Skins entered Week 17 30th out of 32 NFL teams in fewest accepted penalties with 114. The Cowboys entered Week 17 tied with St. Louis for last in the league in fewest accepted penalties with 116.
The Skins finished the 2012 regular season 29th out of 32 NFL teams in fewest accepted penalties with 116.
8. The Skins won despite a largely poor game for special teams.
Forbath finally missed a field-goal try and continued to struggle on kickoffs.
• Forbath hit the right upright on his missed first-quarter 42-yard attempt. He finished the 2012 regular season 17-for-18 on field goals over 11 games with the Skins and first in the NFL in field-goal percentage (94.4).
o Twelve of Forbath’s 17 made field goals each have been at least 42 yards. Forbath’s field goals have been of 50, 20, 43, 45, 48, 45, 47, 25, 25, 48, 33, 48, 49, 34, 44, 45 and 42 yards.
• Forbath saw all five of his kickoffs returned and finished the 2012 regular season with just 15 of his 61 kickoffs having resulted in touchbacks with the Skins.
The Skins entered Week 17 fifth in the NFL in fewest yards allowed per punt return (6.7) but allowed two massive punt returns by receiver Dwayne Harris.
• Harris had a fourth-quarter 39-yard punt return that drew a 15-yard facemask penalty from punter Sav Rocca, who perhaps saved a touchdown with that penalty (for which the league fined him $7,875). But the ensuing Cowboys drive resulted in Romo’s third-and-four 10-yard touchdown pass to Ogletree.
• Harris had a first-quarter 28-yard punt return after the Skins went three-and-out on the opening drive of the game. But the ensuing Cowboys’ drive resulted in Crawford’s interception.
• The Skins did finish the 2012 regular season ranked eighth in the NFL in fewest yards allowed per punt return (8.2).
Rocca averaged 41.4 yards and 25.8 net yards on five punts. He’s dealing with a torn meniscus in his right knee and finished the 2012 regular season ranked 25th in the NFL in yards per punt (43.9) and 29th in the league in net yards per punt (37.2).
Hall muffed but recovered the ball on a third-quarter punt return for no gain.
Crawford had a third-quarter three-yard punt return, though he did also provide a fourth-quarter 15-yard punt return. He averaged 19.5 yards on eight punt returns over four games as the Skins’ primary punt returner.
Tight end Niles Paul had just a 17-yard return of the game’s opening kickoff but provided a fourth-quarter 48-yard kickoff return. The ensuing Skins drive resulted in Morris’ fourth-quarter third-and-goal one-yard touchdown run that essentially clinched the victory. Paul averaged 30.7 yards on three kickoff returns in this game and 21.8 yards on 13 kickoff returns over four games as the Skins’ primary kickoff returner.
The Skins did hold the Cowboys to an average of just 18.6 yards on five kickoff returns.
• The Skins finished the 2012 regular season ranked 12th in the NFL in fewest yards allowed per kickoff return (23.0).
• Linebacker Lorenzo Alexander had a nice hit on Harris on a third-quarter 21-yard kickoff return and finished the 2012 regular season with a team-high 31 special-teams tackles according to Skins coaches’ film.
9. Skins pass catchers weren’t flawless but delivered enough.
Garcon had three receptions for 46 yards on five targets as the Skins improved to 9-1 when he's active this season (1-5 when he's not).
• The fourth-quarter six-play 74-yard drive that resulted in Morris’ first-and-10 32-yard touchdown run included a Garcon third-and-one 15-yard reception on which he dragged Claiborne for yardage after the catch.
• The third-quarter nine-play 82-yard drive that resulted in RGIII’s first-and-goal 10-yard zone-read-option touchdown run included Garcon receptions of 18 yards on a first-and-10 and 13 yards on a second-and-13. Garcon also provided a terrific block on Claiborne on RGIII’s touchdown run.
• Garcon did have a third-quarter third-and-two drop on a drive that resulted in a third-quarter three-and-out.
Moss had two receptions for 22 yards on four targets, including a first-quarter third-and-seven 11-yard reception on a first-quarter drive that resulted in a punt.
Hankerson’s lone target saw him break through an attempted tackle by Claiborne for a first-quarter second-and-10 12-yard quick-slant reception on a first-quarter drive that resulted in a punt.
Paulsen’s lone target saw him impressively make the catch despite corner Sterling Moore doing his best with his right arm to separate the ball from Paulsen’s hands on a second-quarter third-and-seven eight-yard reception. The drive resulted in Morris’ first-and-10 17-yard touchdown run. Paulsen also had a big block on Sims on Morris’ first-and-10 12-yard run on the drive that resulted in his first-and-10 17-yard touchdown run.
Receiver Joshua Morgan had a third-and-eight drop on the opening drive of the game, which resulted in a three-and-out. He finished with no receptions on four targets.
Paul had no receptions on one target but did provide a key block on Spencer on Morris’ second-quarter first-and-10 17-yard touchdown run.
The Skins finished the 2012 regular season with different leaders in receptions (Morgan, 48), receiving yards (Garçon, 633) and receiving touchdowns (Moss, eight). The last time the Skins had three different leaders in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns was the 2000 season.
10. Miscellaneous Notes:
The Skins’ offensive line has a lot to be proud of.
• The Skins rushed for 274 yards and four touchdowns on 42 carries and finished the 2012 regular season first in the NFL in rushing yards per game (169.3) and second in the league in rushing yards per attempt (5.2).
• The Skins allowed just one sack and finished the 2012 regular season tied for 12th (with the Seahawks) in the NFL in fewest sacks allowed with 33. The Skins’ sacks-allowed totals over the previous four seasons: 41 in 2011, 46 in 2010, 46 in 2009, 38 in 2008.
• Left guard Kory Lichtensteiger suffered a left ankle injury on Morris' third-quarter 10-yard zone-read-option run on which he broke the Skins’ single-season rushing record. Rookie guard and 2012 third-round pick Josh LeRibeus (luh-REE-biss), who was active for just the sixth time in 16 games this season, filled in for Lichtensteiger, who did return to the game.
• Right tackle Tyler Polumbus returned from a one-game absence caused by a concussion. He did get pushed back big time by linebacker Anthony Spencer on a first-quarter third-and-six RGIII incompletion on a drive that resulted in a punt.
• Left tackle Trent Williams had a great block on Sims on Garcon’s third-quarter second-and-13 13-yard receiver-screen reception. The next play was RGIII’s third-quarter first-and-goal 10-yard zone-read-option touchdown run. Williams did commit a fourth-quarter second-and-two five-yard false-start penalty on a drive that resulted in a punt.
The already-banged-up Cowboys got even more banged-up:
• Romo suffered the cracked rib on his left side on the second-quarter quarterback hit by Wilson on the second-and-10 one-yard completion to Witten.
• Bryant suffered severe lower back spasms that forced him to leave the game in the fourth quarter.
• Austin suffered a high ankle sprain in the second quarter. He attempted to play after halftime but left the game during the opening series of the third quarter.
• Spencer suffered an ankle injury on Morris’ third-quarter first-and-10 22-yard run but returned to the game.
• Ware dealt with an ailing right shoulder and right elbow.
Inactives for the Skins were receiver/returner Brandon Banks, receiver Dezmon (DEHZ-mihn) Briscoe, rookie offensive tackle Tom Compton, rookie guard Adam Gettis, safety DeJon Gomes (second-degree sprain of his left MCL), linebacker Roderick Muckleroy and linebacker Vic So’oto, who was signed from Green Bay’s practice squad on Dec. 19.
The Skins remained without:
• Linebacker Brian Orakpo (torn left pectoral muscle suffered in the Week 2 loss at St. Louis)
• Defensive lineman Adam Carriker (right quadriceps tendon tear suffered in the Week 2 loss at St. Louis)
• Safety Brandon Meriweather (torn right ACL suffered in the Week 11 rout of Philadelphia; Meriweather missed the previous nine games due to an injured left knee)
• Safety Tanard Jackson (indefinite suspension due to a third violation of the NFL’s substance-abuse policy)
• Corner Cedric Griffin (four-game suspension without pay for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances)
• Rookie linebacker Keenan Robinson (torn pectoral muscle suffered in the Week 12 win at the Cowboys)
• Tight end Fred Davis (torn left Achilles suffered in the Week 7 loss at the Giants)
• Running back Roy Helu Jr. (placed on injured reserve on Sept. 26 due to turf toe; he also had dealt with tendinitis in both Achilles)
• Right tackle Jamal Brown (hip problems; was kept on the physically-unable-to-perform list past the deadline of Nov. 27, ending any chance of him playing this season)
• Offensive tackle Jordan Black (four-game suspension without pay for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances)
10 Takeaways From The Redskins' Win At Philadelphia
Week 16: Redskins improve to 9-6 with a 27-20 win at Philadelphia on Sunday afternoon (Dec. 23, 2012).
1. An amazing run continues.
The Skins have won six consecutive games for the first time since winning the final five games of the 2005 regular season and then winning at Tampa Bay, 17-10, on Jan. 7, 2006, in the wild-card round of the playoffs.
The Skins have won six consecutive games in a regular season for the first time since winning seven consecutive games in Weeks 2-9 of the 1996 season.
2. The Skins’ playoff scenarios are as follows:
The Skins will win the NFC East for the first time since the 1999 season if they beat Dallas at FedEx Field in Week 17. The game was flexed to the Sunday-night position on NBC, and kickoff will now be at 8:20 p.m. on ESPN 980 and ESPN980.com.
The Skins could still make the playoffs with a loss to the Cowboys (who would win the NFC East with a win over the Skins), but the Skins would need both Chicago (at Detroit at 1 p.m.) and Minnesota (home to Green Bay at 4:25 p.m.) to lose.
3. Rookie quarter Robert Griffin III was clearly not at a hundred percent but played well in his return from a one-game absence.
RGIII did not play in the Week 15 38-21 win at Cleveland due to a grade-one sprain of the LCL in his right knee suffered on a fourth-quarter second-and-19 13-yard scramble in the Week 14 overtime win over Baltimore.
RGIII was a full participant in practice on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
RGIII completed 16 of 24 passes for 198 yards, two touchdowns, a pick and a passer rating of 102.4. He has had a passer rating of at least 101.8 in each of the five games he’s quarterbacked during the six-game winning streak.
RGIII, thanks in large part to the right knee, had just two carries for four yards. He gingerly ran out of bounds on a first-quarter first-and-10 five-yard zone-read-option run on a drive that resulted in a turnover on downs. Head coach Mike Shanahan during his postgame press conference: “We didn’t do everything that we would normally do…did not wanna put that pressure on that LCL.”
Quality throws from RGIII included:
• Third-quarter third-and-10 22-yard touchdown pass to receiver Santana Moss, who did a spectacular job of keeping both feet in-bounds. RGIII floated a perfect pass. The score helped to give the Skins a 27-13 lead.
• First-and-10 zone-read-option play-action pass to receiver Pierre Garcon for 29 yards on the first offensive play of the third quarter. The drive resulted in rookie running back Alfred Morris’ third-quarter 10-yard touchdown run.
• Third-quarter first-and-10 21-yard completion to tight end Niles Paul off play-action. The next play was Morris’ third-quarter 10-yard touchdown run.
• Second-quarter second-and-eight 11-yard touchdown pass to receiver Joshua Morgan on a receiver screen
• Second-quarter first-and-10 27-yard completion to Garcon. The drive resulted in Forbath’s 42-yard field goal.
• Fourth-quarter second-and-six 10-yard completion to Morgan. The drive did result in a punt.
• First-quarter first-and-10 17-yard completion to Garcon on a great throw into traffic. The drive did result in a turnover on downs.
• First-quarter third-and-nine 10-yard completion to receiver Leonard Hankerson. The drive did result in a turnover on downs.
• First-and-10 17-yard completion to Morris off play-action on the first play of the second quarter. The drive resulted in kicker Kai Forbath’s (KY FOHR-bath’s) 45-yard field goal.
• Fourth-quarter third-and-two eight-yard completion to tight end Chris Cooley off zone-read-option play-action. But two plays later was RGIII’s interception.
Bad throws from RGIII included:
• Fourth-quarter second-and-nine pick to safety Colt Anderson, who returned the ball 37 yards. RGIII threw hard and high to Morgan, and the ball bounced off his hands and into the grasp of Anderson. The ensuing Eagles drive resulted in running back Dion Lewis’ first-and-10 17-yard touchdown run that helped to cut the Skins’ lead to 27-20.
• First-quarter third-and-two incompletion intended for Paul. RGIII threw high off zone-read-option play-action. The drive resulted in a turnover on downs.
RGIII enters Week 17:
• First in the NFL in yards per attempt (8.27)
• Tied for second in the league in passer rating (104.1)
• Fifth in the league in completion percentage (66.4)
• First in the league in rushing yards per attempt (6.6)
4. The Skins’ defense had yet another Jekyll-and-Hyde performance. First, the good:
The good from the Skins’ defense included two first-half takeaways, five sacks and holding the Eagles to 5-for-15 on third downs.
Linebacker Ryan Kerrigan had two sacks, aided greatly on another sack and finished with five tackles.
• Kerrigan displayed relentless pursuit in beating rookie right tackle Dennis Kelly for a third-and-15 sack-strip on the final play of the first quarter. The fumble was recovered by rookie corner Richard Crawford, who generated a 10-yard return. The ensuing Skins drive resulted in Forbath’s second-quarter 45-yard field goal.
• Kerrigan beat Kelly again for a second-quarter first-and-10 sack for a three-yard loss. Two plays later was linebacker London Fletcher’s third-and-12 pick.
• Kerrigan pushed Kelly back to where Kelly’s left foot landed on rookie quarterback Nick Foles’ right foot, causing him to fall down on a third-quarter fourth-and-two sack for a three-yard loss. The sack officially went to linebacker Lorenzo Alexander.
• Kerrigan stuffed running back LeSean McCoy for a one-yard loss on a second-quarter first-and-10 carry. The drive resulted in a three-and-out.
• Kerrigan did over-pursue on a first-quarter third-and-two six-yard run by rookie running back Bryce Brown. But the drive resulted in Kerrigan’s third-and-15 sack-strip on the final play of the first quarter.
• McCoy did run by Kerrigan on a fourth-quarter third-and-one six-yard run on the drive that resulted in Foles’ game-ending five-yard illegal-forward-pass penalty.
Nose tackle Barry Cofield played very well, including producing three of the Skins’ six passes defended.
• Cofield tipped the pass on the play that resulted in Fletcher’s second-quarter third-and-12 pick. The ensuing Skins drive resulted in RGIII’s second-and-eight 11-yard touchdown pass to Morgan.
• Cofield provided pressure on Foles on a fourth-quarter third-and-seven incompletion. The drive resulted in a punt.
• Cofield tipped a pass that resulted in a first-and-10 incompletion on the game’s opening drive, which did result in receiver Jeremy Maclin’s 27-yard touchdown reception.
• Cofield displayed excellent pursuit in bringing down Maclin for a tackle on a second-quarter second-and-nine four-yard reception. The drive resulted in kicker Alex Henery’s (HEHN-ree’s) 38-yard field goal.
• Cofield hit Foles after he delivered the ball for a two-yard completion to McCoy on a second-quarter first-and-20 on the drive that resulted in Henery’s 38-yard field goal.
• Cofield did fail on an attempted tackle of Brown on his second-and-10 nine-yard run on the game’s opening drive, which resulted in Maclin’s 27-yard touchdown reception.
Fletcher, who was probable with his sprained left ankle, led the Skins with 12 tackles and had a pick for a third consecutive game and for the fourth time in five games. He generated a nine-yard return off his second-quarter third-and-12 pick, which was due in large part to Cofield tipping the pass. The ensuing Skins drive resulted in RGIII’s second-and-eight 11-yard touchdown pass to Morgan. Fletcher now has a career-high five picks this season. He did fail on an attempted tackle of Brown on his second-and-10 nine-yard run on the game’s opening drive, which resulted in Maclin’s 27-yard touchdown reception. That drive also saw Fletcher get blocked exceptionally well by right guard Jake Scott on McCoy’s second-and-three six-yard run.
Linebacker Perry Riley had a first-quarter second-and-seven sack for an eight-yard loss, impressively hurdling over McCoy to get to Foles as defensive coordinator Jim Haslett rushed six Skins. The next play was Kerrigan’s third-and-15 sack-strip. Riley also tackled McCoy for a one-yard gain on a second-quarter second-and-13 run. The next play was Fletcher’s third-and-12 pick.
Defensive end Jarvis Jenkins tackled McCoy for a three-yard loss on a third-quarter first-and-10 carry on a drive that resulted in a turnover on downs.
5. And now the bad from the Skins’ defense:
The bad from the Skins’ defense included giving up 411 yards of Eagles offense, including allowing Foles to go 32-for-48 for 345 yards, a touchdown and a pick.
Corner D.J. Johnson had another rough game.
• Johnson got beat by Maclin on his first-and-10 27-yard touchdown reception on the game’s opening drive.
• McCoy ran through an attempted arm tackle by Johnson on a second-quarter first-and-10 15-yard reception. The next play saw Johnson fail in an attempted tackle on rookie receiver Damaris (duh-MAHR-iss) Johnson on his first-and-10 12-yard reception. The drive resulted in Henery’s second-quarter 38-yard field goal.
Corner DeAngelo Hall had a mixed game.
• Hall got beat by Maclin on a third-quarter first-and-10 38-yard reception on the drive that resulted in Henery’s third-quarter 30-yard field goal.
• Hall got beat by receiver Jason Avant on a third-and-12 11-yard reception on the game’s opening drive, which resulted in Maclin’s first-and-10 27-yard touchdown reception.
• McCoy ran by Hall on a fourth-quarter third-and-one six-yard run on the drive that resulted in Foles’ game-ending five-yard illegal-forward-pass penalty.
• Hall did get significant push on McCoy on Kerrigan’s second-quarter first-and-10 sack for a three-yard loss. Two plays later was Fletcher’s third-and-12 pick.
Linebacker Rob Jackson had a mixed game.
• The good from Jackson included:
o Stuffing McCoy for a two-yard loss on a first-and-10 run on the game’s opening drive, which did result in Maclin’s first-and-10 27-yard touchdown reception
o Providing very good coverage on a second-and-12 incompletion intended for Maclin on the game’s opening drive, which did result in Maclin’s first-and-10 27-yard touchdown reception
o Stuffing Brown for no gain on a third-and-one run on the game’s opening drive, which did result in Maclin’s first-and-10 27-yard touchdown reception
o Getting significant push on rookie center Dallas Reynolds on Kerrigan’s second-quarter first-and-10 sack for a three-yard loss. Two plays later was Fletcher’s third-and-12 pick.
• The bad from Jackson included:
o Getting run by McCoy on a seven-yard run on the game’s first offensive play. The drive resulted in Maclin’s first-and-10 27-yard touchdown reception.
o Getting run by McCoy on a third-quarter second-and-four five-yard run. The drive did result in a fourth-quarter punt.
o Failing on an attempted tackle of McCoy on a first-quarter second-and-10 eight-yard run. The drive did result in Kerrigan’s third-and-15 sack-strip on the final play of the first quarter.
Crawford had a mixed game.
• The good from Crawford included:
o Recovering the fumble and producing a 10-yard return on the Kerrigan sack-strip on the final play of the first quarter
o Providing good coverage that forced a one-yard Foles scramble on a second-quarter third-and-11 on a drive that resulted in a three-and-out
• The bad from Crawford included:
o Botching his coverage responsibilities to the point that Maclin was open in the end zone on a late-fourth-quarter third-and-two at the Skins’ 17. But Foles made a bad throw, and the pass was incomplete. The drive resulted in Foles’ game-ending five-yard illegal-forward-pass penalty.
o Getting beat and then getting run by receiver Riley Cooper on his third-quarter first-and-10 18-yard reception. The drive resulted in Henery’s third-quarter 30-yard field goal.
Safety Madieu (muh-DEE-oo) Williams came in unblocked on a safety blitz (as Haslett rushed seven Skins) for a third-quarter second-and-nine sack for a seven-yard loss on the drive that resulted in Henery’s third-quarter 30-yard field goal. But Williams failed on an attempted tackle of McCoy on a first-quarter second-and-10 eight-yard run on the drive that resulted in Kerrigan’s sack-strip on the final play of the first quarter. And McCoy ran by Williams on a late-fourth-quarter fourth-and-two 12-yard reception on the drive that resulted in Foles’ game-ending five-yard illegal-forward-pass penalty.
Lewis’ fourth-quarter first-and-10 17-yard touchdown run saw him run by safety Jordan Pugh (PYOO), who also was run by on McCoy’s fourth-quarter third-and-one six-yard run on the drive that resulted in Foles’ game-ending five-yard illegal-forward-pass penalty.
Defensive lineman Stephen Bowen, who was questionable due to a torn upper-left biceps suffered in the Week 15 win at the Browns, pressured Foles (thanks to quality coverage by the Skins’ secondary) on his game-ending five-yard illegal-forward-pass penalty. But Bowen failed in an attempted arm tackle of McCoy on his fourth-quarter third-and-one six-yard run earlier on the drive.
The Skins were incredibly lucky on the game’s final drive. Foles made a bad throw to an open Maclin in the end zone off the botched coverage by Crawford on the third-and-two at the Skins’ 17. Two plays later tight end Evan Moore dropped a first-and-goal-at-the-5 pass that should have resulted in a touchdown.
Soft coverage employed by the Skins resulted in consecutive Foles completions of 10, 10 and 21 yards on the fourth-quarter six-play 61-yard drive that resulted in Lewis’ first-and-10 17-yard touchdown run.
Safety Dejon Gomes suffered a second-degree sprain of his left MCL on the opening kickoff of the third quarter.
McCoy returned from a four-game absence caused by a concussion suffered in the Skins' Week 11 rout of the Eagles. He had just 13 carries for 45 yards but totaled nine receptions for 77 yards on 11 targets.
Eagles head coach Andy Reid revealed on Monday (Dec. 24) that Foles played the entire game despite suffering a broken right (throwing) hand in the second quarter.
The Skins enter Week 17:
• 31st out of 32 NFL teams in opponents’ third-down efficiency (43.6 percent; 88-for-202)
• 30th in the league in fewest passing yards allowed
• Tied for 22nd in the league in sacks (30)
• Fifth in the league in fewest rushing yards allowed
• Tied for 13th in the league in fewest rushing yards allowed per attempt (4.2)
• Tied for 21st in the league in fewest points allowed per game (24.7)
• Sixth in the NFC in takeaways (28)
The Skins enter Week 17 second in the NFC with a turnover differential of plus-14 (28 takeaways versus 14 giveaways).
6. Morris had another impressive performance.
Morris had 22 carries for 91 yards, including a first-and-10 10-yard touchdown run on the opening drive of the third quarter.
Morris had a first-and-10 nine-yard run three plays before his touchdown.
Morris had consecutive runs of five, 10 and six yards on the third-quarter seven-play 50-yard drive that resulted in RGIII’s third-and-10 22-yard touchdown pass to Moss.
• Morris’ second-and-five 10-yard run saw him run by linebacker Jamar Chaney, make corner Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie miss on an attempted tackle and then drag safety Kurt Coleman, who was clinging to Morris’ left leg.
• The next play saw Morris run by defensive tackle Fletcher Cox on a first-and-10 six-yard run.
Morris was key on the second-quarter five-play 25-yard drive that resulted in RGIII’s second-and-eight 11-yard touchdown pass to Morgan. Morris had a second-and-eight six-yard run on which he drove his helmet into Coleman for yards after contact. The next play saw Morris with a third-and-two four-yard zone-read-option run. Two plays after that was Morgan’s touchdown.
Morris broke through an attempted tackles by Anderson and corner Nnamdi Asomugha (NAHM-dee AH-suhm-wuh) on a fourth-quarter first-and-10 14-yard run. The drive did result in a punt.
Morris had a first-and-10 17-yard reception on the first play of the second quarter on the drive that resulted in Forbath’s 45-yard field goal.
Morris needs 104 rushing yards in Week 17 to break Clinton Portis’ team record for rushing yards in a season (1,516 in 2005).
Morris enters Week 17:
• Fourth in the NFL in rushing yards (1,413)
• Tied for 10th in the league in yards per carry (4.7)
7. Skins pass catchers continued to shine.
Garcon had seven receptions for 89 yards on nine targets as the Skins improved to 8-1 when he’s active this season and 1-5 when he’s not.
• Garcon had a first-and-10 29-yard reception on the first offensive play of the third quarter, making an excellent leaping catch his arms extended above his head. The drive resulted in Morris’ third-quarter first-and-10 10-yard touchdown run.
• Garcon had a second-quarter first-and-10 27-yard reception. The drive resulted in Forbath’s 42-yard field goal.
• Garcon had a first-quarter first-and-10 17-yard reception. The drive did result in a turnover on downs.
• Garcon provided a terrific block on rookie corner Brandon Boykin on Morgan’s second-quarter second-and-eight 11-yard touchdown reception.
Morgan had two receptions for 21 yards on five targets, including the second-quarter second-and-eight 11-yard touchdown reception on which he broke through an attempted tackle by Anderson. Morgan also had a second-quarter second-and-nine seven-yard run on which he ran away from defensive end Trent Cole and then hurdled over an attempted arm tackle by Anderson. The drive resulted in Forbath’s 45-yard field goal.
Moss had two receptions on three targets for 26 yards, including the third-quarter third-and-10 22-yard touchdown reception on which he impressively dragged his left foot in keeping both feet in-bounds. Moss now has eight touchdown receptions this season, his best total since recording nine touchdown receptions in his first season with the Skins (2005). Moss also had a first-quarter second-and-two 12-yard run on which he ran by defensive end Brandon Graham. The drive did result in a turnover on downs.
Paul’s lone reception was the third-quarter first-and-10 21-yard reception. The next play was Morris’ third-quarter first-and-10 10-yard touchdown run.
Hankerson had the first-quarter third-and-nine 10-yard reception on a drive that did result in a turnover on downs. The only other time he was targeted saw him with a drop on a third-quarter second-and-10 incompletion. The next play, though, was RGIII’s third-and-10 22-yard touchdown pass to Moss. Hankserson also had a great block on Rodgers-Cromartie on Moss’ first-quarter second-and-two 12-yard run, though the drive did result in a turnover on downs.
Cooley had the fourth-quarter third-and-two eight-yard reception for his first catch since being brought back on Oct. 22. But two plays later was RGIII’s interception.
8. Cobra Kai set an NFL record.
Forbath went 2-for-2 on field goals of 45 and 42 yards in the second quarter. He improved to 17-for-17 on field goals, setting a record for most consecutive made field goals to begin an NFL career.
Twelve of Forbath’s 17 field goals each have been at least 42 yards. Forbath’s field goals have been of 50, 20, 43, 45, 48, 45, 47, 25, 25, 48, 33, 48, 49, 34, 44, 45 and 42 yards over 10 games with the Skins.
Forbath did see just two of his six kickoffs result in touchbacks and now has seen just 15 of his 56 kickoffs result in touchbacks with the Skins.
9. The Skins finally played an entire game without a key offensive lineman but did just fine.
The Skins entered this game having had the same starting offensive line through all 14 games this season. But right tackle Tyler Polumbus was inactive due to a concussion, and so 2011 seventh-round draft pick Maurice Hurt started at right tackle.
The Skins allowed just one sack and now are tied for 14th in the NFL in fewest sacks allowed with 32.
The Skins totaled 128 rushing yards and a touchdown on 28 carries (4.6 yards per carry). The Skins are first in the NFL in rushing yards and are tied for third in the league in yards per carry (5.1).
Center Will Montgomery played the entire game despite having suffered a grade-two sprain of his left MCL in the Week 15 win at the Browns. Montgomery incredibly was a full participant in practice on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
Left tackle Trent Williams came across the field to block Anderson on Morris’ first-and-10 10-yard touchdown run on the opening drive of the third quarter.
10. Miscellaneous Notes:
RGIII, Williams and linebacker/special-teams standout Lorenzo Alexander were named to the NFC's Pro Bowl roster Wednesday (Dec. 26). Fletcher and Morris were named as alternates.
The Eagles, who fell to 4-11, remained without receiver DeSean Jackson, left tackle Jason Peters, right tackle Todd Herremans and center Jason Kelce (KEHL-see).
This game proved to be the last home game for Reid with the Eagles, who fired him on Dec. 31.
Running back Evan Royster had just two carries, but each went for seven yards and a first down. The 14 rushing yards were his most since the Week 3 loss to Cincinnati (two carries for 21 yards).
• Royster had a second-quarter third-and-two seven-yard run on which he broke through an attempted tackle by linebacker DeMeco (deh-MEE-koh) Ryans and then made Graham miss on an attempted tackle. The drive resulted in Forbath’s 45-yard field goal.
• Royster had a third-quarter second-and-four seven-yard run on the drvie that resulted in RGIII’s third-and-10 22-yard touchdown pass to Moss.
• Royster had a key pass-protection block on Ryans on RGIII’s third-quarter third-and-10 22-yard touchdown pass to Moss.
The Skins, who entered this game tied with the Cowboys for last in the NFL in fewest accepted penalties with 111, had just three accepted penalties. The Skins enter Week 17 30th out of 32 NFL teams in fewest accepted penalties with 114. The Cowboys are tied with St. Louis for last in the league in fewest accepted penalties with 116.
Punter Sav Rocca averaged 43.0 yards and 38.0 net yards on two punts. He’s dealing with a torn meniscus in his right knee and enters Week 17 25th in the NFL in yards per punt (44.1) and 24th in the league in net yards per punt (38.1).
The Skins held Johnson, who entered Week 16 tied for fourth in the NFL in yards per punt return, to just one punt return for 10 yards. The Skins held Brown to an average of 18.5 yards on four kickoff returns. The Skins enter Week 17 fifth in the NFL in fewest yards allowed per punt return (6.7) and 14th in the league in fewest yards allowed per kickoff return (23.4).
Inactives for the Skins were Polumbus, receiver/returner Brandon Banks, receiver Dezmon (DEHZ-mihn) Briscoe, rookie guard Adam Gettis, linebacker Roderick Muckleroy and linebacker Vic So’oto, who was signed from Green Bay’s practice squad on Dec. 19.
Rookie guard Josh LeRibeus (luh-REE-biss), a 2012 third-round pick, was active for just the fifth time in 15 games this season.
Rookie offensive tackle Tom Compton, a 2012 sixth-round pick, was active for the first time this season.
The Skins remained without:
• Linebacker Brian Orakpo (torn left pectoral muscle suffered in the Week 2 loss at St. Louis)
• Defensive lineman Adam Carriker (right quadriceps tendon tear suffered in the Week 2 loss at St. Louis)
• Safety Brandon Meriweather (torn right ACL suffered in the Week 11 rout of the Eagles; Meriweather missed the previous nine games due to an injured left knee)
• Safety Tanard Jackson (indefinite suspension due to a third violation of the NFL’s substance-abuse policy)
• Corner Cedric Griffin (four-game suspension without pay for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances)
• Rookie linebacker Keenan Robinson (torn pectoral muscle suffered in the Week 12 win at the Cowboys)
• Tight end Fred Davis (torn left Achilles suffered in the Week 7 loss at the Giants)
• Running back Roy Helu Jr. (placed on injured reserve on Sept. 26 due to turf toe; he also had dealt with tendinitis in both Achilles)
• Right tackle Jamal Brown (hip problems; was kept on the physically-unable-to-perform list past the deadline of Nov. 27, ending any chance of him playing this season)
• Offensive tackle Jordan Black (four-game suspension without pay for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances)
10 Takeaways Off The Redskins' Win At Cleveland
Week 15: Redskins improve to 8-6 with a 38-21 win at Cleveland on Sunday afternoon (Dec. 16, 2012).
1. The Skins now control their own destiny.
The Skins, Giants and Dallas are tied atop the NFC East at 8-6. But the Skins, thanks to their wins at the Cowboys and over the Giants, would win the division thanks to the first tiebreaker for a three-way tie atop a division (best won-lost-tied percentage in games among the clubs). The Skins will win the division if they win their final two regular-season games.
The Skins have won five consecutive games for the first time since the five-game winning streak that ended the 2005 regular season. That streak was extended to six games with a 17-10 playoff win at Tampa Bay on Jan. 7, 2006.
2. The Skins won despite playing without rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III.
RGIII was inactive due to the grade-one sprain of the LCL in his right knee suffered on a fourth-quarter second-and-19 13-yard scramble in the Week 15 overtime win over Baltimore.
RGIII practiced in limited fashion on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
RGIII said after the game on The Official Redskins Postgame Show on ESPN 980, “I’m healthy right now” and said that he and backup quarterback Rex Grossman “were giggling like little girls” at how well the Skins’ offense performed.
RGIII enters Week 16 ranked:
• First in the NFL in yards per pass attempt (8.27)
• Second in the league in passer rating (104.2)
• Sixth in the league in completion percentage (66.4)
• First in the league in yards per carry (6.7)
3. Rookie quarterback Kirk Cousins was terrific in his first NFL start.
Cousins completed 26 of 37 passes for 329 yards, two touchdowns, a pick and a passer rating of 104.4.
Cousins went 1-for-6 with a pick over his first seven pass attempts but went 25-for-31 and two touchdowns over the rest of the game.
Cousins was especially effective on play-action passes, going 15-for-19 for 229 yards and two touchdowns.
• First-quarter first-and-10 54-yard touchdown pass to receiver Leonard Hankerson. Cousins made a great throw off a play-action bootleg. This was the first instance of the Skins making use of play-action bootleg in this game, the result was great and Cousins never looked back.
• Fourth-quarter first-and-10 32-yard completion to receiver Joshua Morgan thanks to a great throw off play-action. Three plays later Cousins connected with tight end Logan Paulsen on a third-and-four 10-yard completion off play-action. Four plays later was running back Alfred Morris’ first-and-goal eight-yard touchdown run that helped to give the Skins a 38-21 lead.
• Third-quarter first-and-10 17-yard completion to receiver Santana Moss off play-action. Two plays later Cousins connected with Moss on a second-and-four 20-yard completion off a play-action bootleg. Four plays later Cousins, with corner Dimitri Patterson in his face, fired a third-quarter third-and-goal two-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Hankerson off play-action.
• Fourth-quarter third-and-six 15-yard completion to Paulsen thanks to a perfect throw off a play-action bootleg. The drive resulted in a Cousins game-ending kneel-down.
• First-and-10 15-yard completion to receiver Pierre Garcon off play-action on the first play of the fourth quarter despite defensive end Jabaal Sheard (juh-BAHL SHEERD) coming at Cousins off having blown through right tackle Jordan Black. The drive resulted in running back Evan Royster’s four-yard touchdown run that helped to give the Skins a 31-14 lead.
• Third-quarter first-and-10 17-yard completion to Garcon off play-action. Garcon did commit a 15-yard taunting penalty after the reception. The drive did result in a punt.
• Second-quarter second-and-six 16-yard completion to Garcon. Cousins fired a perfect strike off play-action. The drive did result in a punt.
Cousins captained a Skins attack that went 6-for-10 on third downs in the second half off going 1-for-5 on third downs in the first half. The Skins enter Week 16 25th in the NFL in third-down efficiency (34.3 percent; 58-for-169). Quality Cousins third-down throws not already chronicled included:
• Third-and-six 19-yard completion to Paulsen on the final play of the third quarter. Four plays later was a fourth-quarter third-and-two six-yard completion to Garcon thanks to a great throw. Three plays later was Royster’s four-yard touchdown run that helped to give the Skins a 31-14 lead.
• Second-quarter third-and-nine 25-yard completion to Royster. The drive resulted in kicker Kai Forbath’s (KY FOHR-bath’s) second-quarter 44-yard field goal.
Cousins also displayed his mobility.
• Second-quarter second-and-four 17-yard scramble off a play-action bootleg. The drive resulted in Forbath’s second-quarter 44-yard field goal.
• Fourth-quarter first-and-10 six-yard scramble off a play-action bootleg. Two plays later was Royster’s four-yard touchdown run that helped to give the Skins a 31-14 lead.
Bad plays for Cousins included:
• First-quarter third-and-10 interception. The ball was tipped by corner Sheldon Brown, who had tight man-to-man coverage on Garcon. Safety T.J. Ward caught the ball and returned it 37 yards. Cousins did make the tackle on Ward.
• First-quarter third-and-five incompletion intended for Royster. Cousins was in the shotgun and had time, but his throw was short thanks to him not stepping up in the pocket. The drive resulted in a three-and-out.
• Second-quarter third-and-eight incompletion intended for Hankerson, who Cousins threw behind. The next play was Forbath’s 44-yard field goal.
• Third-quarter second-and-nine 10-yard intentional-grounding penalty on a drive that resulted in a punt.
4. The Skins’ defense enjoyed perhaps its best game of the season.
The only other game that you could argue was better was the Week 11 31-6 rout of Philadelphia.
The Skins held the Browns to 21 points.
The Skins had two third-quarter picks and now have 26 takeaways this season off totaling just 21 takeaways all of last season and 27 takeaways in 2010. The Skins haven’t had 30 takeaways since the 2003 season.
The Skins had two fourth-quarter sacks.
The Skins held the Browns to 4-for-12 on third downs.
The Skins held Browns rookie running back Trent Richardson to 11 carries for just 28 yards, though he did have two touchdowns.
The Skins held Browns rookie receiver Josh Gordon to just three receptions for 27 yards on eight targets, including no receptions on two targets in the second half.
Linebacker Rob Jackson was outstanding.
• Jackson had a second-and-nine pick (thanks to a poor throw by rookie quarterback Brandon Weeden) and then a 17-yard return on the opening drive of the third quarter. The ensuing Skins drive resulted in Morris’ third-quarter second-and-goal three-yard touchdown run.
• Jackson had a fourth-quarter second-and-three sack-strip on which he took off Weeden’s helmet. The ball was recovered by the Browns. The next play was rookie receiver Travis Benjamin’s 69-yard touchdown reception.
• Jackson tipped the ball on a first-quarter first-and-10 Weeden incompletion that was intended for Gordon. The next play saw Jackson tackle Richardson on a one-yard run. The drive resulted in a punt.
• Jackson and nose tackle Barry Cofield teamed to tackle Richardson on a second-quarter first-and-five carry for a one-yard loss. The drive did result in Richardson’s second-quarter third-and-goal one-yard touchdown run.
Linebacker London Fletcher, who was questionable with his sprained left ankle, played in his 238th consecutive regular-season game and led the Skins with seven tackles.
• Fletcher had a third-quarter first-and-10 pick (thanks to a poor throw by Weeden) and then an eight-yard return. The ensuing Skins drive resulted in Royster’s fourth-quarter four-yard touchdown run that helped to give the Skins a 31-14 lead.
• Fletcher impressively tackled Richardson for a six-yard loss on a first-quarter second-and-nine reception. The drive resulted in a three-and-out.
• Fletcher and defensive end Jarvis Jenkins teamed for a tackle on a first-quarter second-and-10 Richardson carry for no gain. The drive resulted in a punt.
Linebacker Ryan Kerrigan had two of the Skins’ six passes defended and finished with three tackles.
• Kerrigan tipped a third-quarter third-and-nine Weeden incompletion on a drive that resulted in a three-and-out.
• Kerrigan came into the Browns’ backfield to bat the ball down on a first-and-10 Weeden incompletion on the Browns’ first drive, which resulted in a punt.
• Kerrigan tackled Richardson on a second-quarter first-and-10 one-yard carry on a drive that ended with the end of the half.
• Kerrigan tackled fullback Alex Smith on a second-quarter second-and-six one-yard reception. The drive did result in Richardson’s second-quarter third-and-goal one-yard touchdown run.
Safety Reed Doughty stood out.
• Doughty tackled Richardson on a one-yard carry on the first play of the third quarter. The next play was Jackson’s second-and-nine pick.
• Doughty tackled Richardson on a third-quarter second-and-eight carry for a one-yard loss. The drive resulted in a three-and-out.
• Doughty came in unblocked on a safety blitz and hit Weeden on a first-quarter first-and-15 completion to tight end Jordan Cameron for two yards. The drive resulted in a three-and-out.
Corner DeAngelo Hall tied for second on the Skins with six tackles and shined in coverage.
• Hall provided very good coverage on a third-quarter third-and-three Weeden incompletion intended for Gordon on a drive that resulted in a turnover on downs.
• Hall provided tight coverage on a first-quarter third-and-11 Weeden five-yard completion to receiver Greg Little on a drive that resulted in a three-and-out.
• Hall tackled Smith on a third-and-nine seven-yard reception on the final play of the first quarter. The next play was a punt.
Cofield had a fourth-quarter third-and-one sack for a seven-yard loss on a drive that resulted in a turnover on downs. He also teamed with Jackson to tackle Richardson on the second-quarter first-and-five carry for a one-yard loss. The drive did result in Richardson’s second-quarter third-and-goal one-yard touchdown run.
Bad moments for the Skins’ defense included:
• Corner D.J. Johnson getting scorched by Benajmin on his fourth-quarter third-and-seven 69-yard touchdown reception
• Receiver/returner Joshua Cribbs breaking through an attempt at being tripped for a tackle by Johnson on a second-quarter first-and-10 direct-snap 16-yard run. The drive resulted in Richardson’s third-and-goal one-yard touchdown run.
• Richardson running through linebacker Perry Riley and then plowing across the goal line on his first-quarter first-and-goal six-yard touchdown run.
• Little being wide open on a second-quarter first-and-10 30-yard reception. The drive resulted in Richardson’s third-and-goal one-yard touchdown run.
• Cameron being wide open on a third-quarter first-and-10 28-yard reception. The next play, though, was Fletcher’s third-quarter first-and-10 pick.
• Corner Josh Wilson getting beat by Little on a third-quarter first-and-10 12-yard reception. The drive did result in Fletcher’s third-quarter first-and-10 pick.
• Wilson getting beat by Gordon on a second-quarter third-and-nine 10-yard reception. The drive did end with the end of the half.
• Wilson getting beat by Gordon on a first-quarter first-and-10 incompletion thanks to an overthrow by Weeden. The drive resulted in a punt.
Defensive end Stephen Bowen had just a 38-percent playtime percentage due to a torn upper-left biceps.
The Skins enter Week 16 ranked:
• Last in the NFL in opponents’ third-down efficiency (44.4 percent; 83-for-187)
• 30th out of 32 NFL teams in fewest passing yards allowed
• Tied for 28th in the league in sacks (25)
• Sixth in the league in fewest rushing yards allowed
• Tied for 13th in the league in fewest rushing yards allowed per attempt (4.2)
• 23rd in fewest points allowed per game (25.0)
• Sixth in the NFC in takeaways (26)
The Skins are tied for second in the NFC with a turnover differential of plus-13 (26 takeaways versus 13 giveaways).
5. Skins pass catchers helped Cousins’ cause.
Garcon had six receptions for 65 yards on 12 targets and recovered Moss’ fumble on a fourth-quarter third-and-eight seven-yard reception. The next play was Morris’ first-and-goal eight-yard touchdown run that helped to give the Skins a 38-21 lead. Other quality plays from Garcon included:
• First-and-10 15-yard reception on the first play of the fourth quarter. The drive resulted in Royster’s four-yard touchdown run that helped to give the Skins a 31-14 lead.
• Fourth-quarter third-and-two six-yard reception. Three plays later was Royster’s four-yard touchdown run that helped to give the Skins a 31-14 lead.
• Third-quarter first-and-10 17-yard reception. Garcon did then commit a 15-yard taunting penalty after the reception. The drive resulted in a punt.
• Second-quarter second-and-six 16-yard reception. The drive did result in a punt.
• A first-quarter second-and-eight deep incompletion intended for Garcon should have resulted in a pass-interference penalty on corner Joe Haden. The drive resulted in a three-and-out.
Moss had five receptions on 57 yards on six targets. He had two big catches on the third-quarter drive that resulted in Hankerson’s third-and-goal two-yard touchdown reception: a first-and-10 17-yard reception and a second-and-four 20-yard reception on which Haden bounced off Moss in an attempt at a shoulder tackle and rookie safety Tashaun (tuh-SHAHN) Gipson, perhaps anticipating Haden making the tackle, ran across Moss and out of bounds. Moss did have a fumble on a fourth-quarter third-and-eight seven-yard reception on a receiver screen, but the ball was recovered by Garcon.
Morgan had four receptions for 60 yards on four targets, including a fourth-quarter first-and-10 32-yard reception on the drive that resulted in Morris’ first-and-goal eight-yard touchdown run that helped to give the Skins a 38-21 lead.
Paulsen, who had totaled five receptions over his previous four games, had four receptions for 47 yards on five targets. Three of his receptions came on third downs.
• Fourth-quarter third-and-four 10-yard reception on the drive that resulted in Morris’ first-and-goal eight-yard touchdown run that helped to give the Skins a 38-21 lead.
• Third-and-six 19-yard reception on the final play of the third quarter. The drive resulted in Royster’s four-yard touchdown run that helped to give the Skins a 31-14 lead.
• Fourth-quarter third-and-six 15-yard reception on the drive that resulted in the Cousins game-ending kneel-down.
Hankerson was targeted three times and had two receptions: a first-quarter first-and-10 54-yard touchdown reception and a third-quarter third-and-goal two-yard touchdown reception. The 54-yard touchdown reception saw Hankerson bobble but then catch the ball in the vicinity of three Browns, fall down, get up and run into the end zone.
Royster had two receptions for 30 yards on four targets, including a second-quarter third-and-nine 25-yard reception on which he beat linebacker D’Qwell Jackson in coverage and then broke through an attempted tackle by him. The drive resulted in Forbath’s 44-yard field goal. Royster did have a drop on a first-quarter third-and-eight incompletion on a drive that resulted in a three-and-out.
6. Morris struggled when it came to yards per carry, but his presence was invaluable.
Morris had 27 carries for 87 yards and two touchdowns. He averaged just 3.2 yards per carry but helped Cousins go 15-for-19 for 229 yards and two touchdowns on play-action passes.
Morris’ fourth-quarter first-and-goal eight-yard touchdown run saw him run through Gipson.
Morris had runs of six and 11 yards on the seven-play 60-yard third-quarter drive that resulted in Cousins third-and-goal two-yard touchdown pass to Hankerson.
Morris enters Week 16 third in the NFL in rushing yards (1,322) and tied for 11th in the league in yards per carry (4.7).
7. Cobra Ky remains perfect on field goals but continues to struggle on kickoffs.
Forbath’s second-quarter 44-yard field goal made him 15-for-15 on field goals of 50, 20, 43, 45, 48, 45, 47, 25, 25, 48, 33, 48, 49, 34 and 44 yards over nine games with the Skins.
Forbath did see all seven of his kickoffs returned and now has seen just 13 of his 50 kickoffs with the Skins result in touchbacks.
8. The Skins’ coverage units continued to shine.
Cribbs entered the game fourth in the NFL in yards per punt return (12.8) and tied for sixth in the league in yards per kickoff return (27.7). But the Skins held him to averages of 7.5 yards on two punts returns and 27.3 yards on seven kickoff returns.
Linebacker Lorenzo Alexander crushed Cribbs on a first-quarter 25-yard kickoff return. Alexander also pressured Weeden on a second-quarter third-and-10 nine-yard completion to receiver Mohamed Massaquoi (mass-uh-KWAH). The drive resulted in a three-and-out. Alexander did suffer a pinched nerve in his right shoulder but returned to the game.
The Skins enter Week 16 fifth in the NFL in fewest yards allowed per punt return (6.6) and 14th in the league in fewest yards allowed per kickoff return (23.8).
9. The Skins’ offensive line had a rough game and then lost a key backup to suspension.
The Skins, who have enjoyed the same starting offensive line through all 14 games this season, saw two offensive linemen leave the game due to injury. Center Will Montgomery suffered a grade-two sprain of his left MCL. Right tackle Tyler Polumbus suffered a concussion.
Morris’ average of 3.2 yards per carry was his lowest since the Week 6 win over Minnesota (2.9).
The Skins allowed two sacks and enter Week 16 tied for 16th in the NFL in fewest sacks allowed with 31.
• Polumbus was beaten by Sheard on a first-quarter third-and-six sack for a nine-yard loss on a drive that resulted in a three-and-out.
• Defensive end Juqua (juh-KWAY) Parker made his way through left tackle Trent Williams and left guard Kory Lichtensteiger on a second-quarter first-and-10 sack that resulted in a 12-yard loss and a Cousins fumble that he recovered. The next play was a Royster minus-one-yard run that ended the first half.
Left guard Kory Lichtensteiger committed a second-and-five five-yard false-start penalty on the game’s opening drive, which resulted in a three-and-out. He also committed a second-and-quarter fourth-and-one five-yard false-start penalty. The next play saw the Skins punt. The Skins announced on Tuesday (Dec. 18) that Lichtensteiger is the winner of the team’s 2012 Ed Block Courage Award for his comeback from tearing the ACL and MCL in his right knee in Oct. 2011.
Right guard Chris Chester committed a fourth-quarter second-and-seven five-yard false-start penalty. The drive did result in Morris’ first-and-goal eight-yard touchdown run that helped to give the Skins a 38-21 lead.
We learned on Monday (Dec. 17) that the NFL had suspended Black for the Skins’ next four games (regular season and postseason) without pay for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances. Black’s suspension is the third drug-related suspension of the year for the Skins and the sixth in the last two seasons.
10. Miscellaneous Notes:
The Skins had six accepted penalties and entering Week 16 are tied with the Cowboys for last in the NFL in fewest accepted penalties with 111.
Rookie corner Richard Crawford had two punt returns in his second game as the Skins’ primary punt returner: a first-quarter 13-yard return and a second-quarter five-yard return.
Royster had the Skins’ lone kickoff return, a 22-yarder in the fourth quarter.
Punter Sav Rocca averaged 42.6 yards and 39.6 net yards on five punts. He’s dealing with a torn meniscus in his right knee and enters Week 16 25th in the NFL in yards per punt (44.1) and tied for 22nd in the league in net yards per punt (38.1).
Inactives for the Skins included RGIII, receiver/returner Brandon Banks, receiver Dezmon (DEHZ-mihn) Briscoe, rookie offensive tackle Tom Compton, rookie guard Adam Gettis, and linebacker Roderick Muckleroy
Rookie guard Josh LeRibeus (luh-REE-biss), a 2012 third-round pick, was inactive for the 10th time in 14 games this season.
The Skins remained without:
• Linebacker Brian Orakpo (torn left pectoral muscle suffered in the Week 2 loss at Saint Louis)
• Defensive lineman Adam Carriker (right quadriceps tendon tear suffered in the Week 2 loss at Saint Louis)
• Safety Brandon Meriweather (torn right ACL suffered in the Week 11 rout of Philadelphia; Meriweather missed the previous nine games due to an injured left knee)
• Safety Tanard Jackson (indefinite suspension due to a third violation of the NFL’s substance-abuse policy)
• Corner Cedric Griffin (four-game suspension without pay for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances)
• Rookie linebacker Keenan Robinson (torn pectoral muscle suffered in the Week 12 win at the Cowboys)
• Tight end Fred Davis (torn left Achilles suffered in the Week 7 loss at the Giants)
• Running back Roy Helu Jr. (placed on injured reserve on Sept. 26 due to turf toe; he also had dealt with tendinitis in both Achilles)
• Right tackle Jamal Brown (hip problems; was kept on the physically-unable-to-perform list past the deadline of Nov. 27, ending any chance of him playing this season)
10 Takeaways Off The Redskins' Win Over Baltimore
Week 14: Redskins improve to 7-6 with a 31-28 overtime win over Baltimore on Sunday afternoon (Dec. 9, 2012).
1. It’s been a while since we’ve seen this.
The Skins have won four consecutive games for the first time since Weeks 2-5 of the 2008 season.
The Skins haven’t won five consecutive games since the five-game winning streak that ended the 2005 regular season. That streak was extended to six games with a 17-10 playoff win at Tampa Bay on Jan. 7, 2006.
The Skins snapped a six-game losing streak to AFC opponents.
The Skins snapped the Ravens’ NFL-high 15 game winning streak in games following a loss.
2. Rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III was good but not great and then left the game due to injury.
RGIII suffered a grade-one sprain of the LCL in his right knee on a fourth-quarter second-and-19 13-yard scramble. He ran by defensive end Pernell McPhee but then cut to the inside instead of the outside in order to try to gain more yardage. RGIII’s right knee bent in a sickening way thanks to a hit from defensive tackle Haloti Ngata (huh-LOH-tee NAH-tuh).
RGIII left the game for one play, returned, incredibly went 2-for-3 with completions of 15 yards to receiver Santana Moss and 22 yards to receiver Pierre Garcon, but then committed a 10-yard intentional-grounding penalty after not being ready for the snap and left the game for good.
RGIII suffered a torn right ACL while playing for Baylor in Sept. 2009.
RGIII completed 15 of 26 passes for 242 yards, a touchdown, no picks and a passer rating of 101.8. He had seven carries for 34 yards and was credited with a fumble for a second-quarter pitch that fell short of rookie running back Alfred Morris, who recovered the ball.
RGIII captained an offense that put on a clinic in the first quarter to the tune of two touchdowns and 186 yards of offense (NFL season high for first-quarter yardage). Impressive plays for RGIII in that first quarter included:
• Second-and-10 31-yard completion to Moss on the drive that resulted in Morris’ one-yard touchdown run. The play was the result of zone-read-option play-action to Morris.
• Second-and-13 29-yard completion to receiver Leonard Hankerson on the drive that resulted in Morris’ one-yard touchdown run
• Second-and-six 21-yard completion to Morgan (who was spectacular in generating yards after the catch) on the drive that resulted in Morris’ one-yard touchdown run. The play was the result of play-action to Morris.
• Third-and-goal four-yard touchdown pass to receiver Joshua Morgan
• First-and-11 14-yard completion to Garcon on the drive that resulted in the Morgan touchdown reception
RGIII connected with Hankerson on a first-and-10 17-yard reception off play-action to Morris on a drive that resulted in kicker Kai Forbath’s third-quarter 49-yard field goal.
RGIII connected with fullback Darrel (duh-REHL) Young on a first-and-10 28-yard reception and with Garcon on a second-and-18 17-yard reception on a second-quarter drive that resulted in a punt.
RGIII was guilty of some poor throws.
• Low throw on a third-and-seven incompletion that was intended for an open Garcon on the first play of the second quarter. The next play was a punt.
• First-quarter low throw on a first-and-10 incompletion that was intended for tight end Niles Paul, who couldn’t come through with the catch. The drive did result in Morris' first-quarter one-yard touchdown run.
• Second-quarter first-and-10 incompletion that was intended for running back Evan Royster. CBS analyst Rich Gannon criticized RGIII’s footwork after the play. The drive resulted in a punt.
RGIII was the victim of poor pass protection, as the Ravens finished with three sacks and eight quarterback hits.
RGIII enters the Skins' Week 15 game at Cleveland:
• First in the NFL in yards per pass attempt (8.27)
• Tied for first in the league with New England quarterback Tom Brady in passer rating (104.2)
• Tied for fifth in the league in completion percentage (66.4)
• First in the league in rushing yards per attempt (6.7)
3. That other rookie quarterback saved the day.
2012 fourth-round pick Kirk Cousins was tremendous in coming off the bench and finishing a fourth-quarter 13-play 85-yard drive that resulted in the game being tied at 28.
Cousins connected with Hankerson on a second-and-20 15-yard reception and then on the next play took a shotgun snap, pump-faked, ran to his right and then fired the ball with linebacker Paul Kruger charging to an open Garcon in the end zone for a third-and-five 11-yard touchdown pass.
The Skins, trailing 28-26, then went for a two-point conversion for the first time this season, and Cousins ran the ball into the end zone on a quarterback draw. Cousins told us on The Official Redskins Postgame Show on ESPN 980 that he had a run-pass option on the play.
Cousins’ only other appearance this season saw him go 5-for-9 for 111 yards, a touchdown and two picks in the Week 5 loss to Atlanta.
4. It was a tale of two halves for the Skins’ defense for a second consecutive game.
The good from the Skins’ defense included two third-quarter takeaways, two second-half sacks and holding the Ravens to seven points after halftime.
• Linebacker London Fletcher, who was questionable with his sprained left ankle, had a huge third-quarter pick on a third-and-six for the Ravens at the Skins’ 11. Defensive coordinator Jim Haslett blitzed six Skins on the play, and the pick was due largely to heavy pressure from linebacker Ryan Kerrigan, who went unblocked and finished with two of the Skins’ three quarterback hits. The takeaway led to Forbath’s third-quarter 49-yard field goal. Fletcher also provided excellent coverage on tight end Dennis Pitta (PIH-tuh) on a deep incompletion on the first offensive play of overtime.
• Linebacker Rob Jackson had a third-quarter first-and-10 sack-strip-recovery, as he beat left tackle Michael Oher for the sack-strip and then hustled for the recovery. Nose tackle Chris Baker initially fell on the ball but couldn’t come through with the recovery. The takeaway led to Forbath’s third-quarter 48-yard field goal.
• Safety Jordan Pugh (PYOO) had a third-and-six sack for a nine-yard loss on the first play of the fourth quarter. Haslett blitzed seven Skins on the play, and Pugh came in unblocked. The sack forced a three-and-out for the Ravens.
• Linebacker Lorenzo Alexander committed a second-quarter third-and-13 five-yard neutral-zone-infraction penalty on a drive that resulted in receiver Anquan Boldin’s first-and-10 31-yard touchdown reception but had three big second-half tackles .
o Alexander and corner DeAngelo Hall tackled Flacco on a third-and-six three-yard scramble on the opening drive in overtime.
o Alexander tackled Pitta on a fourth-quarter third-and-six three-yard reception on a drive that resulted in a three-and-out for the Ravens.
o Alexander tackled receiver/returner Jacoby Jones on a fourth-quarter four-yard punt return.
The bad from the Skins’ defense included quarterback Joe Flacco going 10-for-13 for 127 yards and three touchdowns in the first half, running back Ray Rice totaling seven carries for 71 yards in the first half and the Ravens scoring 21 points in the first half.
• Hall, who was questionable with a sprained right ankle (and also is dealing with a knee injury), struggled.
o Hall was beaten by Boldin on a first-quarter second-and-11 19-yard touchdown reception and on Boldin’s second-quarter first-and-10 31-yard touchdown reception.
o Hall was beaten by Boldin on his fourth-quarter third-and-four 28-yard reception, on which Haslett blitzed seven Skins and Hall struggled mightily to tackle Boldin. The next play was Rice’s seven-yard touchdown run that helped to give the Ravens a 28-20 lead.
o Rookie running back Bernard Pierce hurdled over Hall, who went low, on a fourth-quarter first-and-10 11-yard reception. The drive resulted in Rice’s seven-yard touchdown run that helped to give the Ravens a 28-20 lead.
• Safety Madieu (muh-DEE-oo) Williams struggled.
o Williams shared in some of the blame for Boldin’s touchdown receptions. Williams appeared late in providing safety help on Boldin’s first-quarter second-and-11 19-yard touchdown reception and went the wrong way thanks to a Flacco pump-fake on Boldin’s second-quarter first-and-10 31-yard touchdown reception.
o Rice cut back past Williams on a first-quarter second-and-five 46-yard run on the drive that resulted in Boldin’s first-quarter second-and-11 19-yard touchdown reception.
o Pierce broke through an attempted tackle by Williams on a third-quarter second-and-three 21-yard run. The drive did result in Fletcher’s third-and-six pick.
• Linebacker Perry Riley was beaten by Pitta on his second-quarter third-and-10 14-yard touchdown reception. Riley did register a game-high 15 tackles.
• Corner Josh Wilson was beaten by receiver Torrey Smith and failed in an attempted tackle on Smith’s second-quarter second-and-10 21-yard reception on the drive that resulted in Boldin’s first-and-10 31-yard touchdown reception. Smith’s 21-yard recepton also saw Williams, as he was going for a tackle, collide with Riley.
Hall and Williams combined for a grade of minus-7.3 according to Pro Football Focus.
Rice and Pierce combined for 28 carries for 174 yards and a touchdown. The Skins’ run defense now has struggled in four of the last six games.
The Skins allowed the Ravens to go 6-for-12 on third downs..
The Skins enter their Week 15 game at Cleveland:
• Last in the NFL in opponents’ third-down efficiency (45.1 percent; 79-for-175)
• 31st out of 32 NFL teams in fewest passing yards allowed
• Seventh in the league in fewest rushing yards allowed
• Tied for 14th in league in fewest rushing yards allowed per attempt (4.2)
• Tied for fifth in the NFC in takeaways (24)
The Skins are tied for third in the NFC with a turnover differential of plus-12 (24 takeaways versus 12 giveaways).
5. Head coach Mike Shanahan made receiver/returner Brandon Banks inactive, and the result on punt returns was spectacular.
Banks entered Week 14 22nd in the NFL in yards per kickoff return (24.0) and 25th in the league in yards per punt return (6.8).
Rookie corner Richard Crawford, who had been inactive in each of the previous five games and had not played in six consecutive games, was outstanding on punt returns. He had an electrifying 64-yard punt return in overtime that led to Forbath’s game-winning 34-yard field goal and provided a 20-yard punt return in the first quarter and a 16-yard punt return in the second quarter.
Paul handled kickoff returns but totaled just 37 yards on two returns. He fumbled on his fourth-quarter 19-yard return, but the ball was ruled to have been recovered out of bounds via video replay. The ensuing drive resulted in Cousins’ third-and-five 11-yard touchdown pass to Garcon. Paul was a standout on kickoff and punt returns at Nebraska.
6. Morris had another very good game, though he did have another lost fumble.
Morris had 23 carries for 129 yards, including a first-quarter one-yard touchdown run. Impressive runs for Morris included:
• 29-yard zone-read-option run on the first offensive play of the game. Kruger went after RGIII thanks to the zone-read, and Morris broke through an attempted tackle by safety Ed Reed. The drive resulted in RGIII’s first-quarter third-and-goal four-yard touchdown pass to Morgan.
• First-quarter third-and-two six-yard zone-read-option run on which Morris broke through an attempted tackle by safety Bernard Pollard. The drive resulted in RGIII’s first-quarter third-and-goal four-yard touchdown pass to Morgan.
• Third-quarter second-and-10 10-yard zone-read-option run on which Morris sped through an attempted tackle by Kruger. The drive resulted in Forbath’s third-quarter 48-yard field goal.
• Third-quarter first-and-10 17-yard run on the drive that resulted in Forbath’s third-quarter 49-yard field goal
• Third-quarter second-and-six eight-yard run on which Morris plowed through attempted tackles by Kruger and linebacker Jameel McClain, who was injured on the play. The drive resulted in Forbath’s third-quarter 49-yard field goal.
• 11-yard zone-read-option run on the final play of the first quarter. The drive did result in a second-quarter punt.
Morris did have a second-quarter lost fumble that led to Pitta’s third-anjd-10 14-yard touchdown reception. The fumble was officially forced by former Skins nose tackle Ma’ake Kemoeatu (mah-AH-kay kay-moy-AH-too), though a hit by linebacker Josh Bynes helped to jar the ball loose before Kemoeatu finished the forced fumble. Morris now has three lost fumbles, including one in each of the last two games.
Morris now has rushed for at least 113 yards in each of the last three games and in six of 13 games this season.
Morris enters the Skins' Week 15 game at Cleveland:
• Third in the NFL in rushing yards (1,235)
• Tied for eighth in the league in rushing yards per attempt (4.9)
7. Skins pass catchers had a mixed game.
Garcon had five receptions on nine targets for 83 yards. The Skins improved to 6-1 when Garcon is active this season and 1-5 when he is not.
• The good from Garcon included:
o Fourth-quarter third-and-five 11-yard touchdown reception on a throw from Cousins
o Drawing a fourth-quarter third-and-six seven-yard pass-interference penalty on the drive that resulted in his third-and-five 11-yard touchdown reception
o Fourth-quarter second-and-10 22-yard reception from an essentially one-legged RGIII on the drive that resulted in Garcon’s third-and-five 11-yard touchdown reception
o First-quarter first-and-10 23-yard reception on a screen off zone-read-option play-action, running through an attempted arm tackle by Kruger in generating massive YAC. The drive resulted in RGIII’s first-quarter third-and-goal four-yard touchdown pass to Morgan.
o Second-quarter second-and-18 17-yard reception on which Garcon broke through an attempted tackle by Bynes. The drive did result in a punt.
• The bad from Garcon included:
o Fourth-quarter third-and-three drop on a drive that resulted in a three-and-out
o First-quarter 10-yard holding penalty, though Garcon had a first-and-seven 10-yard reception on the next play
Morgan had three receptions on four targets for 30 yards, including his first-quarter third-and-goal four-yard touchdown reception. His most impressive play was a first-quarter second-and-six 21-yard reception on which he broke through an attempted tackle by Reed and then fought forward (with help from Garcon and Young) despite having corners Cary Williams and Corey Graham on him. The next play was Morris' first-quarter one-yard touchdown run. Morgan did commit a first-quarter 10-yard illegal-block-above-the-waist penalty.
Hankerson had four receptions on five targets for 67 yards, including a first-quarter second-and-13 29-yard reception on the drive that resulted in Morris’ first-quarter one-yard touchdown run and a third-quarter first-and-10 17-yard reception off play-action to Morris on the drive that resulted in Forbath’s third-quarter 49-yard field goal. Hankerson did commit a second-quarter third-and-two five-yard false-start penalty on a drive that resulted in a punt and did see a high throw go off his fingers and then off Williams’ helmet in the end zone on a first-quarter second-and-four incompletion. But the next play was RGIII’s first-quarter third-and-goal four-yard touchdown pass to Morgan.
Moss had three receptions on four targets for 52 yards, including a first-quarter second-and-10 31-yard reception off zone-read-option play-action to Morris on the drive that resulted in Morris’ first-quarter one-yard touchdown run and a fourth-quarter first-and-10 15-yard reception (on which he got out of bounds) from an essentially one-legged RGII on the drive that resulted in Garcon’s third-and-five 11-yard touchdown reception. Moss did see the ball bounce off his shoulder on a second-quarter first-and-10 deep incompletion but drew a seven-yard pass-interference penalty on the next snap. The drive resulted in a punt.
Paul had no receptions on one target, as he failed to come through with a catch on a first-quarter low throw by RGIII on a first-and-10 incompletion on the drive that resulted in Morris’ first-quarter one-yard touchdown run.
8. Forbath remains perfect.
Forbath went 3-for-3 on field goals of 48 and 49 yards in the third quarter and 34 yards in overtime. He now is 14-for-14 on field goals of 50, 20, 43, 45, 48, 45, 47, 25, 25, 48, 33, 48, 49 and 34 yards over eight games with the Skins.
Forbath did see just one of his seven kickoffs result in a touchback and now has seen just 13 of his 43 kickoffs with the Skins result in touchbacks. His kickoff after the third-quarter 49-yard field goal went out of bounds, resulting in the Ravens getting the ball at their 40. The drive, though, resulted in a three-and-out.
9. Penalties were back to being a problem.
The Skins, who had totaled just nine accepted penalties over the previous two games, had eight accepted penalties in this game.
The Ravens’ second-quarter nine-play 77-yard drive that resulted in Boldin’s 31-yard touchdown reception included Alexander’s third-and-13 five-yard neutral-zone-infraction penalty and a third-and-one five-yard encroachment penalty by defensive lineman Jarvis Jenkins.
Hankerson had the second-quarter third-and-two five-yard false-start penalty on a drive that resulted in a punt.
Tight end Logan Paulsen had a second-quarter second-and-eight 10-yard holding penalty on a drive that resulted in a punt.
The Skins enter their Week 15 game at Cleveland last in the NFL in fewest accepted penalties (105).
10. Miscellaneous Notes:
The Ravens’ defense, which was without linebackers Terrell Suggs and Dannell Ellerbe (duh-NEHL EHL-er-bee), was guilty of 17 missed tackles according to Pro Football Focus.
Reed graded out at minus-5.3 according to Pro Football Focus.
The Skins’ offensive line combined for a grade of plus-8.5 in run blocking according to Pro Football Focus but struggled in pass protection.
• The Skins allowed three sacks and eight quarterback hits and enter their Week 15 game at Cleveland 17th in the NFL in fewest sacks allowed (29).
• Right tackle Tyler Polumbus was beaten badly by Kruger on a fourth-quarter sack that was split by Kruger and defensive end Arthur Jones. The next play was RGIII’s 13-yard scramble on which he suffered the grade-one sprain of his right LCL. Polumbus also allowed five hurries according to Pro Football Focus.
• Kruger, Jones and Ngata combined for three sacks and seven quarterback hits.
The Skins went 4-for-11 on third downs and enter their Week 15 game at Cleveland 29th out of 32 NFL teams in third-down efficiency (33.1 percent; 51-for-154).
Punter Sav Rocca averaged 48.0 yards and 39.0 net yards on five punts. He’s dealing with a torn meniscus in his right knee and enters the Skins' Week 15 game at Cleveland 23rd in the NFL in yards per punt (44.3) and 23rd in the league in net yards per punt (37.9).
The Skins held Ravens receiver/returner Jacoby Jones to averages of 29.0 yards on five kickoff returns and 8.3 yards on three punt returns. The Skins enter their Week 15 game at Cleveland 14th in the NFL in fewest yards allowed per kickoff return (23.2) and fifth in the league in fewest yards allowed per punt return (6.6).
Inactives for the Skins included Banks, receiver Dezmon (DEHZ-mihn) Briscoe, rookie offensive tackle Tom Compton, rookie guard Adam Gettis, quarterback Rex Grossman and linebacker Roderick Muckleroy
Rookie guard Josh LeRibeus (luh-REE-biss), a 2012 third-round pick, was inactive for the ninth time in 13 games this season.
The Skins remained without:
• Linebacker Brian Orakpo (torn left pectoral muscle suffered in the Week 2 loss at Saint Louis)
• Defensive lineman Adam Carriker (right quadriceps tendon tear suffered in the Week 2 loss at Saint Louis)
• Safety Brandon Meriweather (torn right ACL suffered in the Week 11 rout of Philadelphia; Meriweather missed the previous nine games due to an injured left knee)
• Safety Tanard Jackson (indefinite suspension due to a third violation of the NFL’s substance-abuse policy)
• Corner Cedric Griffin (four-game suspension without pay for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances)
• Rookie linebacker Keenan Robinson (torn pectoral muscle suffered in the Week 12 win at the Cowboys)
• Tight end Fred Davis (torn left Achilles suffered in the Week 7 loss at the Giants)
• Running back Roy Helu Jr. (placed on injured reserve on Sept. 26 due to turf toe; he also had dealt with tendonitis in both Achilles)
• Right tackle Jamal Brown (hip problems; was kept on the physically-unable-to-perform list past the deadline of Nov. 27, ending any chance of him playing this season)
10 Takeaways Off The Redskins' Win Over The Giants
Week 13: Redskins improve to 6-6 with a 17-16 win over the Giants on Monday Night Football (Dec. 3, 2012).
1. The Skins are rolling.
One month to the day of a third consecutive loss (21-13 to Carolina on Nov. 4) that dropped ‘em to 3-6, the Skins woke up with a three-game winning streak that has ‘em just one game behind the NFC East-leading Giants.
The Skins have won three games against NFC East opponents in three consecutive weeks for the first time since Weeks 15-17 of the 2005 season.
The Skins now are 3-1 in the NFC East.
The Giants had won 26 consecutive road games in which the team had a halftime lead, the longest road winning streak of its kind in NFL history according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
2. The Skins’ struggles on Monday Night Football have stopped – for now.
The Skins entered this game having lost 10 consecutive home games on Monday Night Football.
The Skins entered this game just 3-14 over their last 17 games on Monday Night Football.
3. Rookie running back Alfred Morris was dominant.
Morris had 22 carries for 124 yards.
Morris had a fourth-quarter third-and-three six-yard game-clinching run on which he plowed through an attempted tackle by defensive tackle Chris Canty.
Morris had 16 carries for 80 yards in the second half, including five carries for 41 yards on the 12-play 86-yard drive that resulted in rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III’s fourth-quarter eight-yard touchdown pass to receiver Pierre Garcon.
• Morris had a third-quarter 10-yard zone-read triple-option run on which he dragged linebacker Keith Rivers for yards after contact. Two plays later, Morris had a 16-yard zone-read-option run on which he ran through an attempted tackle by Rivers.
Morris had consecutive runs of 19 (stretch play) and eight yards (toss play) on the four-play 80-yard drive that resulted in receiver Joshua Morgan’s first-quarter 13-yard fumble return for a touchdown.
Morris had a third-quarter 12-yard stretch-play run.
Morris had a second-quarter 10-yard stretch-play run.
Morris did have a third-quarter lost fumble, which was just his second lost fumble of the season. Both lost fumbles have come against the Giants.
Morris broke the Skins’ record for rushing yards by a rookie with a third-quarter 16-yard gain that pushed him past Reggie Brooks’ record of 1,063 rushing yards for the Skins during the 1993 season.
Morris enters Week 14 tied for third in the NFL with 1,106 rushing yards and is tied for ninth in the league with 4.8 yards per carry.
Morris’ role in the success of the passing game cannot be overstated. RGIII was 9-for-11 for 122 yards and the game-winning touchdown on his play-action passes in this game.
4. RGIII was very good again.
RGIII completed 13 of 21 passes for 163 yards, a touchdown, no picks and a passer rating of 101.9.
Impressive throws from RGIII included:
• Fourth-quarter eight-yard touchdown pass to Garcon. The play was the result of zone-read-option play-action.
• Fourth-quarter 17-yard completion to Garcon. The play was the result of zone-read-option play-action. Three plays later was Morris’ third-and-three six-yard game-clinching run.
• Second-quarter 18-yard completion to Garcon off zone-read-option play-action. The next play resulted in a second-quarter 35-yard completion to Garcon off play-action to Morris. Four plays later was kicker Kai Forbath’s (KY FOHR-bath’s) 33-yard field goal.
• First-quarter 25-yard completion to Garcon off zone-read-option play-action. Three plays later was Morgan’s first-quarter 13-yard fumble return for a touchdown. Griffin did take a nasty hit from Canty on the play.
RGIII had five carries for 72 yards and broke Cam Newton’s NFL record for rushing yards by a rookie quarterback. Impressive runs by RGIII included:
• Third-quarter third-and-one 46-yard zone-read-option run on which defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul totally bit on the fake to Morris. RGIII benefited from a great block by receiver Leonard Hankerson on corner Prince Amukamara (uh-MOO-kuh-MAH-ruh) on the play, which ended with Brown pulling down RGIII by his jersey. The next play, though, was Morris’ lost fumble.
• First-quarter 12-yard zone-read triple-option run on which he sped by defensive end Osi Umenyiora. RGIII awkwardly slid on his back and then lost the ball to a forced fumble by safety Stevie Brown. The ball incredibly went right into the arms of Morgan, who returned it 13 yards for an improbable touchdown. Morgan made his way through an attempted tackle by Rivers on the play.
• Third-quarter second-and-seven seven-yard run on which RGIII faked a stretch handoff to Morris to the right and then ran left, outrunning Umenyiora for the first down. Seven plays later was RGIII’s fourth-quarter eight-yard touchdown pass to Garcon.
• Fourth-quarter eight-yard zone-read-option run on which he outran defensive Justin Tuck, who bit on the fake. RGIII did take a wicked hit from linebacker Michael Boley on the tackle due to trying to stay in-bounds in order to burn time. Six plays later was Morris’ third-and-three six-yard game-clinching run.
RGIII has 11 touchdown passes versus two picks in four NFC East games this season.
RGIII enters Week 14 second in the NFL in yards per pass attempt (8.19), third in the league in passer rating (104.4) and tied for fifth in completion percentage (67.1).
RGIII enters Week 14 leading the league in yards per carry (6.8).
5. The Skins’ defense wasn’t good, but it was good enough. And then it lost a key corner to suspension.
It was a tale of two halves for the Skins’ defense.
• The Skins allowed the Giants to go 8-for-10 on third downs in the first half but just 1-for-5 on third downs in the second half.
• The Giants had 16 first downs in the first half but just five first downs in the second half.
• The Giants had 40 offensive plays in the first half but just 23 offensive plays in the second half.
• Giants quarterback Eli Manning went 14-for-22 for 187 yards and a touchdown in the first half but just 6-for-11 for 93 yards in the second half.
• Giants running back Ahmad Bradshaw had 15 carries for 77 yards in the first half but just nine carries for 26 yards in the second half.
The Skins totaled just one sack and two quarterback hits, but the one sack was a big one: linebacker Rob Jackson’s fourth-quarter third-and-four sack for a seven-yard loss. Jackson also drew a fourth-quarter third-and-10 10-yard holding penalty on left tackle Will Beatty (BEE-dee) and, along with nose tackle Chris Baker, pressured Manning on a 10-yard intentional-grounding penalty on the first play of the second quarter.
Credit defensive coordinator Jim Haslett for making some halftime adjustments. Among them was using the pass-rushing Jackson more on third downs. Linebacker Lorenzo Alexander had often played over Jackson on third downs due to being better in pass coverage.
Bad plays for the Skins’ defense included:
• Receiver Victor Cruz beating corner DeAngelo Hall for a third-quarter 49-yard reception. The drive ended with kicker Lawrence Tynes’ third-quarter 35-yard field goal that gave the Giants a 16-10 lead.
• Cruz beating corner Cedric Griffin for a second-quarter third-and-10 30-yard reception on which quarterback Eli Manning had a ton of time to throw. The drive ended with Manning’s four-yard touchdown pass to tight end Martellus Bennett.
• Bennett beating linebacker London Fletcher for a second-quarter third-and-10 28-yard reception. One play later was Tynes’ 40-yard field goal that ended the first half and gave the Giants a 13-10 lead.
• Bennett being wide open on a second-quarter second-and-20 24-yard reception on which Manning had a ton of time. Four plays later was Manning’s four-yard touchdown pass to Bennett.
• Fletcher getting beat in coverage and then failing on an attempted tackle on a first-quarter 22-yard reception for Bennett. The drive ended with Tynes’ first-quarter 39-yard field goal that gave the Giants a 3-0 lead.
• Tight end Bear Pascoe plowing through attempted tackles by Fletcher and safety Madieu (muh-DEE-oo) Williams on a 16-yard reception on the Giants’ first offensive play. The drive ended with Tynes’ first-quarter 39-yard field goal that gave the Giants a 3-0 lead.
• Receiver Hakeem Nicks beating Griffin on a third-quarter 16-yard reception. Four plays later was Tynes’ third-quarter 35-yard field goal that gave the Giants a 16-10 lead.
• Rookie receiver Rueben Randle’s second-quarter 13-yard reception on which Hall missed on an attempted tackle. Four plays later was Tynes’ 40-yard field goal that ended the first half and gave the Giants a 13-10 lead.
• Receiver Jerrel Jernigan (jer-EHL JER-nih-gihn) beating corner D.J. Johnson on a first-quarter third-and-five nine-yard reception. The drive ended with Tynes’ first-quarter 39-yard field goal that gave the Giants a 3-0 lead.
• Nicks beating Hall on a first-quarter nine-yard reception. The drive did end with Tynes missing a second-quarter 43-yard field-goal attempt.
• Bradshaw’s first-quarter third-and-two 14-yard reception on a direct snap. The drive ended with Tynes missing the second-quarter 43-yard field-goal attempt.
• Cruz’s third-quarter third-and-10 12-yard reception on which Manning had a ton of time. The drive did end with a punt.
Griffin committed a second-quarter 21-yard pass-interference penalty. The drive ended with Manning’s four-yard touchdown pass to Bennett.
Williams committed a fourth-quarter 15-yard horse-collar-tackle penalty. The drive did end in a punt.
Other good plays for the Skins’ defense in addition to Jackson’s fourth-quarter third-and-four sack for a seven-yard loss included:
• Tackle by corner Josh Wilson on a second-quarter third-and-11 six-yard reception by Cruz. The next play was Tynes’ missed 43-yard field goal.
• Tackle by Griffin on a third-quarter third-and-five three-yard reception by Nicks. The next play was a punt.
• Good coverage by Hall on a deep incompletion intended for Nicks on the first offensive play of the third quarter. The drive ended with a punt.
• Good coverage by Griffin on a fourth-quarter incompletion intended for Nicks, who caught the ball out of bounds. The drive ended with a punt.
• Good coverage by Hall on a first-quarter third-and-eight incompletion intended for Cruz. The next play was Tynes’ first-quarter 39-yard field goal that gave the Giants a 3-0 lead.
• Key pass break-up by Griffin on a first-quarter deep incompletion intended for Nicks, who had run past Griffin. The drive ended with Tynes’ missed 43-yard field goal.
• Key pass break-up by safety Reed Doughty on a second-quarter incompletion intended for Bennett. The drive did end with Manning’s four-yard touchdown pass to Bennett.
We learned on the afternoon after this game that the NFL had suspended Griffin without pay for the team’s next four games for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances. He reportedly tested positive for amphetamines and cited the use of Adderall, which is a prescription drug and a stimulant used often in treating attention deficit hyperactivity disorder because it improves focus and energy, as the reason for the suspension.
Hall did suffer an ankle injury, which he played through.
The Skins’ defense enters Week 14 ranked:
• Last in the NFL in opponents’ third-down efficiency (44.8 percent)
• 31st out of 32 NFL teams in fewest passing yards allowed
• Tied for 26th in sacks (21)
• 23rd in fewest points allowed per game (25.1)
• Fourth in fewest rushing yards allowed
• Tied for 10th in fewest yards allowed per carry (4.1)
• Sixth out of 16 NFC teams in takeaways (22)
6. Garcon was impactful again.
Garcon, who was listed as probable with the injured toe on his right foot, had eight receptions for 106 yards. Key catches included:
• Fourth-quarter eight-yard touchdown reception
• Second-quarter receptions of 18 and 35 yards on the drive that resulted in Forbath’s 33-yard field goal. Garcon generated significant yards after catch on the 35-yard reception, running by Brown, safety Antrel Rolle and linebacker Chase Blackburn.
• Fourth-quarter 17-yard reception on the Skins’ game-ending drive
• Leaping catch for a first-quarter 25-yard reception on the drive that resulted in Morgan’s first-quarter 13-yard fumble return for a touchdown
Garcon did have a third-and-four drop on the game’s opening drive, which ended in a punt.
The Skins improved to 5-1 when Garcon is active this season and 1-5 when he is not.
Garcon caught eight of RGIII’s 13 completions.
• Receiver Santana Moss was not targeted once. He had a second-quarter zone-read triple-option run for no gain.
• Receiver Leonard Hankerson was targeted just once, but it resulted in a fourth-quarter 14-yard reception thanks to a nice catch on a high throw. The next play was RGIII’s eight-yard touchdown pass to Garcon.
• Morgan had two receptions on four targets for 17 yards
7. The Skins’ offensive line had perhaps its most impressive game this season.
The Skins allowed no sacks and just two quarterback hits despite the Giants entering this game tied for fifth in the NFL with 30 sacks, including five in a Week 12 38-10 ripping of Green Bay. Pierre-Paul was questionable with a back injury and did not start. The Skins enter Week 14 tied for 16th in the NFL in fewest sacks allowed (26).
The Skins rushed for 207 yards on 31 carries. The Skins enter Week 14 leading the NFL in rushing yards per game (167.2) and tied for second in yards per carry (5.3).
Left tackle Trent Williams started despite being questionable with a deep thigh bruise. He had a great downfield block on Amukamara (uh-MOO-kuh-MAH-ruh) on fullback Darrel (duh-REHL) Young’s second-quarter 15-yard reception. Williams joined us on The Official Redskins Postgame Show on ESPN 980 and indicated that he played at about 60-percent health.
The Skins have had the same starting offensive line in all 12 games this season: Williams, left guard Kory Lichtensteiger, center Will Montgomery, right guard Chris Chester and right tackle Tyler Polumbus.
The Morris third-quarter lost fumble produced a pileup that saw defensive tackle Linval (LIHN-vahl) Joseph, while standing, pull the leg of a prone Montgomery, who then kicked at Joseph. Joseph and Lichtensteiger were hit with offsetting unnecessary-roughness penalties. The league fined Montgomery $10,000 and Joseph $7,875.
8. The Skins benefited from the Giants hurting themselves.
A first-quarter deep incompletion saw Manning overthrow Cruz, who had Williams and Hall beat deep. The drive ended with Tynes missing a second-quarter 43-yard field-goal attempt.
Cruz had a third-quarter third-and-nine drop. The next play was Tynes’ third-quarter 35-yard field goal that gave the Giants a 16-10 lead.
The Giants, who entered the game with the second-fewest accepted penalties in the NFL (48), had nine accepted penalties, including six in the first half.
The Skins had just four accepted penalties.
• Griffin committed the second-quarter 21-yard pass-interference penalty.
• Williams committed the fourth-quarter 15-yard horse-collar-tackle penalty.
• Tight end Logan Paulsen committed a second-quarter 10-yard holding penalty and a highly questionable fourth-quarter 10-yard pass-interference penalty. He also had a second-down drop on the game’s opening drive for a second consecutive game.
The Skins had five accepted penalties to Dallas’ seven in the 38-31 win at the Cowboys on Thanksgiving.
The Skins enters Week 14 tied with the Cowboys and St. Louis for last in the NFL in fewest accepted penalties (97).
9. Skins coaches have a lot to be proud of.
Head coach Mike Shanahan recorded his 171st overall victory as an NFL head coach, pushing him past Paul Brown and tying him with Redskins legend Joe Gibbs for 12th all-time in league history.
This game furthered just how well Shanahan and offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan have done in adapting their offense to RGIII. The zone-read-option plays, especially out of the pistol, continue to work in spectacular fashion. According to ESPN Stats & Info, the Skins “ran 32 of their 52 plays (62 percent) from a formation in which Griffin was lined up in shotgun, with a running back stationed behind him (this is often referred to as the “pistol” formation). Those 32 plays gained 259 yards (including 180 of their 207 rushing yards), an average of better than 8 yards per play.”
Haslett’s halftime adjustments helped the Skins’ defense play much better in the second half. Fletcher joined us on The Official Redskins Postgame Show on ESPN 980 and said, “What we did…in the second half…[is we came out] with more outside blitzes with [linebacker] Perry [Riley] rushing from one side, Rob Jackson rushing from another side.”
Shanahan successfully challenged a third-and-10 Paulsen reception that initially was ruled for nine yards but (generously, at least according to what we saw on television) was changed to 11 yards upon video review on the game’s opening drive. RGIII took a big hit from Umenyiora on the play.
A negative for Shanahan’s game management was a late-second-quarter timeout while the Skins were on offense on the drive that resulted in Forbath’s 33-yard field goal. The Giants ended up getting the ball back with 35 seconds left in the half, which ended with Tynes’ 40-yard field goal that gave the Giants a 13-10 lead.
10. Miscellaneous Notes:
The Skins lost the turnover battle, 1-0, and now enter Week 14 tied for third in NFC with a turnover differential of plus-11 (22 takeaways versus 11 giveaways).
Forbath’s second-quarter 33-yard field goal made him 11-for-11 on field goals of 50, 20, 43, 45, 48, 45, 47, 25, 25, 48 and 33 yards over seven games with the Skins.
Forbath did see none of his four kickoffs result in touchbacks and now has seen just 12 of his 36 kickoffs with the Skins result in touchbacks.
Punter Sav Rocca averaged 42.0 yards and 38.3 net yards on three punts of 51, 38 and 37 yards. He’s dealing with a torn meniscus in his right knee and enters Week 14 25th in the NFL in yards per punt (43.9) and 21st in the league in net yards per punt (39.3). Rocca did capably handle a poor snap by long snapper Nick Sundberg on the fourth-quarter extra point that gave the Skins a 17-16 lead.
Tight end Niles Paul had a second-quarter 39-yard kickoff return. He did have a third-quarter drop on his lone target.
Receiver/returner Brandon Banks had a 20-yard kickoff return and totaled 21 yards on three punt returns. He enters Week 14 22nd in the NFL in yards per kickoff return (24.0) and 25th in the league in yards per punt return (6.8). Banks was not targeted once.
Tight end Chris Cooley had a key block on Blackburn on Morris’ fourth-quarter third-and-three six-yard game-clinching run.
Inactives for the Skins included receiver Dezmon (DEHZ-mihn) Briscoe, rookie corner Richard Crawford for a fifth consecutive game (and he did not play for a sixth consecutive game), rookie guard Adam Gettis, quarterback Rex Grossman, linebacker Roderick Muckleroy and defensive end Doug Worthington.
Rookie guard Josh LeRibeus (luh-REE-biss), a 2012 third-round pick, was inactive for the eighth time in 12 games this season.
The Skins promoted offensive tackle and 2012 sixth-round pick Tom Compton from the practice squad to the active roster on Wednesday, Dec. 5.
The Skins remained without:
• Safety Brandon Meriweather (torn right ACL suffered in the Week 11 rout of Philadelphia; Meriweather missed the previous nine games due to an injured left knee)
• Tight end Fred Davis (torn left Achilles suffered in the Week 7 loss at the Giants)
• Linebacker Brian Orakpo (torn left pectoral muscle suffered in the Week 2 loss at Saint Louis)
• Defensive lineman Adam Carriker (right quadriceps tendon tear suffered in the Week 2 loss at Saint Louis)
• Running back Roy Helu Jr. (placed on injured reserve on Sept. 26 due to turf toe; he also had dealt with tendonitis in both Achilles)
• Right tackle Jamal Brown (hip problems; was kept on the physically-unable-to-perform list past the deadline of Nov. 27, ending any chance of him playing this season)
• Safety Tanard Jackson (indefinite suspension due to a third violation of the NFL’s substance-abuse policy)
• Rookie linebacker Keenan Robinson (torn pectoral muscle suffered in the Week 12 win at the Cowboys)
10 Takeaways Off The Redskins' Win At Dallas
Week 12: Redskins improve to 5-6 with a 38-31 win at Dallas on Thanksgiving (Nov. 22, 2012).
1. What a difference five days make.
The Skins have gone from 3-6 and in the midst of a three-game losing streak to now 5-6 and very much in the NFC’s playoff mix.
The Skins recorded their first victory in seven all-time games at the Cowboys on Thanksgiving.
The Skins improved to 16-27 in regular-season games under head coach Mike Shanahan.
2. Rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III shined bright in his first nationally-televised game.
RGIII completed 19 of 27 passes for 304 yards, four touchdowns, a pick and a passer rating of 131.8. He fired three touchdown passes in a 28-point second quarter. RGIII had seven carries for 29 yards.
RGIII had eight touchdown passes over his first nine games. He now has eight touchdown passes over the last two games.
Impressive plays for RGIII included:
• Late-second-quarter 11-yard completion to receiver Joshua Morgan despite heavy duress that included defensive lineman Jason Hatcher getting heavy push on left guard Kory Lichtensteiger and then getting a hand on RGIII’s helmet. Two players later, RGIII fired a perfect back-shoulder throw while running to his right to receiver Santana Moss for a six-yard touchdown.
• Gorgeous throw on a second-quarter 68-yard touchdown bomb to receiver Aldrick Robinson, who blew by two Cowboys defensive backs thanks to his speed and the zone-read play-action.
• Second-quarter third-and-two nine-yard completion to Moss, who caught a bullet of a throw between linebacker Ernie Sims and rookie corner Morris Claiborne. Two plays later, RGIII capably handled a bad shotgun snap by center Will Montgomery and connected with receiver Pierre Garcon for a 19-yard reception off zone-read play-action. One play after that, rookie running back Alfred Morris had a one-yard touchdown run.
• The final play of the third quarter: 14-yard zone-read option run on which he ran by Claiborne, who had been being blocked by Garcon. This play perfectly illustrated the effectiveness of the zone-read option, as linebackers Bruce Carter and DeMarcus Ware sandwiched Morris, who didn’t have the ball, clearing space for RGIII. Two plays later, RGIII got blasted by an unblocked Ware but delivered the ball to Morgan for what proved a 13-yard reception.
• Fourth-quarter third-and-one 29-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open tight end in Niles Paul. Fullback Darrel (duh-REHL) Young had a key pass-protection block on Ware on the play.
• Fourth-quarter 23-yard completion to Moss. Three plays later, the two hooked-up for a third-and-one four-yard completion pass play. Six plays later, kicker Kai Forbath (KY FOHR-bath) connected on a 48-yard field goal that gave the Skins a 38-28 lead.
• Second-quarter third-and-four eight-yard completion to receiver/returner Brandon Banks
• First-quarter third-and-four six-yard completion to Garcon
• First-quarter nine-yard zone-read option run on which he ran past a diving linebacker in Anthony Spencer
Even some bad from RGIII turned out to be good. He threw behind Garcon, but he made a great catch and run for a second-quarter 59-yard touchdown reception.
RGIII did all of this despite being the victim of three sacks and seven quarterback hits.
RGIII is second in the NFL in yards per pass attempt (8.21), fourth in the league in completion percentage (67.4) and fourth in the league in passer rating (104.6).
Bad plays from RGIII included:
• Throwing behind Garcon on a first-quarter third-and-13 incompletion
• Throwing low on a third-quarter incompletion that was intended for receiver Leonard Hankerson
• Throwing a fourth-quarter pick that was intended for Morgan, who wasn’t open. The interception was a result in part of Ware, who was being blocked by Morris and tight end Logan Paulsen, pushing Paulsen back into RGIII.
3. Morris was terrific again.
Morris had 24 carries for 113 yards, including the second-quarter one-yard touchdown run.
Impressive runs from Morris included:
• Second-quarter 16-yard run on which Montgomery had a good block on Carter and Lichtensteiger had a nice block on Hatcher. The next play was RGIII’s six-yard touchdown pass to Moss.
• 15-yard run on the first play of the fourth quarter. Four plays later was RGIII’s 29-yard touchdown pass to Paul.
• 10-yard run on the first play of the second quarter. Morris dragged safety Danny McCray, who had Morris by his right ankle, for extra yardage. One play later was RGIII’s 68-yard touchdown bomb to Robinson.
• Second-quarter seven-yard run on which Carter essentially had to ride Morris before completing the tackle. Three plays later was RGIII’s 59-yard touchdown pass to Garcon.
• Second-quarter seven-yard run. Two plays later was his one-yard touchdown run.
• Fourth-quarter six-yard run on which Morris took off Claiborne’s helmet.
Morris also had a great pass-protection block on safety Charlie Peprah on Garcon’s second-quarter 59-yard touchdown reception, taking off Peprah’s helmet. The play also was a result of a play-action fake to Morris.
Morris is fifth in the NFL in rushing yards per game (89.3) and is 13th in the league in yards per carry (4.7).
The Skins lead the league in rushing yards per game (163.5).
4. The Skins’ defense was very mixed.
The Skins forced three more takeaways in winning the turnover battle, 3-1, and now have 22 takeaways this season. The Skins had 21 takeaways all of last season and haven’t had 30 takeaways since the 2003 season. The Skins now are third in the NFC with a turnover differential of plus-12 (22 takeaways versus 10 giveaways).
The Skins had two sacks and 10 quarterback hits.
• Linebacker Ryan Kerrigan had a fourth-quarter sack for an 11-yard loss and came in unblocked and batted a first-quarter pass for an incompletion.
• Defensive end Stephen Bowen teamed with linebacker Perry Riley for a third-quarter third-and-six sack for a seven-yard loss. Bowen twisted with nose tackle Barry Cofield on the play.
• Cofield had three of the Skins’ 10 quarterback hits and teamed with linebacker Rob Jackson for a tackle of running back Felix Jones on a first-quarter one-yard carry.
• The Skins are 26th in the NFL with 20 sacks.
Jackson also had a solo tackle of Jones on a second-quarter two-yard carry.
The Skins held the Cowboys, who were without running back DeMarco Murray, to just 11 carries for just 35 yards. The Skins are third in the NFL in fewest rushing yards allowed per game (89.2) and tied for 11th in the league in fewest yards allowed per carry (4.1).
Linebacker London Fletcher, who was listed as questionable with a sprained left ankle, played in his 235th consecutive regular-season game.
• Fletcher had a third-quarter pick that he returned 10 yards. He was covering tight end Jason Witten but then abandoned him after he curled. Fletcher finished with two passes defended and also had a heavy hit on receiver Miles Austin on a first-quarter third-and-11 incompletion in the end zone. Austin likely wouldn’t have caught the ball anyway, but Fletcher’s hit made sure of that.
• Fletcher and safety Madieu (muh-DEE-oo) Williams did fail in attempted tackles of Jones on his fourth-quarter third-and-six 10-yard touchdown reception. And Fletcher did get beat by Witten on a second-quarter second-and-six six-yard reception. Fletcher left the game for good in the second half due to the ankle.
Corner DeAngelo Hall had a mixed game:
• Hall got beat by rookie receiver Cole Beasley on a second-quarter second-and-three nine-yard reception. But two plays later, Hall generated a pick that he returned 27 yards, though Hall may have been guilty of holding Beasley prior to the pick. Hall now has 19 picks over 63 games with the Skins.
• Hall failed in an attempted tackle of Beasley on a fourth-quarter 12-yard reception but tipped the ball at the line of scrimmage on a fourth-quarter red-zone incompletion and recovered the Cowboys’ late-fourth-quarter onside kick, which he returned 43 yards before sliding at the Cowboys’ 2 as opposed to scoring a touchdown in order the ensure an RGIII kneel-down at the archrival Cowboys.
• Hall finished with two passes defended and allowing five receptions for just 36 yards on eight targets according to Pro Football Focus. But the NFL fined him $35,750 for two infractions, bringing his fine total for the season to at least $65,750.
Corner Josh Wilson was beat by receiver Dez Bryant on a second-quarter third-and-two 11-yard reception but then forced a fumble with his helmet. But Wilson had a number of negative plays, giving up seven receptions for 166 yards and two touchdowns on 10 targets according to Pro Football Focus.
• Wilson tried to make a play on the ball but failed on Bryant’s third-quarter 85-yard touchdown reception.
• Wilson committed a first-quarter 14-yard pass-interference penalty on which he didn’t turn his head around
• Wilson and Williams failed in attempted tackles of Jones on his third-quarter 33-yard reception.
• Wilson got beat by Bryant on his fourth-quarter 11-yard touchdown reception, though the coverage was good. The ball was just in the perfect spot.
Safety DeJon Gomes recovered the fumble that Wilson forced and returned it 13 yards. Gomes also tripped receiver Dwayne Harris for a tackle on a first-quarter four-yard reception. Gomes did freeze on Harris’ fourth-quarter 36-yard reception and was the victim of a great block by Harris on Bryant’s third-quarter 85-yard touchdown reception.
Williams had missed tackles on the Jones fourth-quarter third-and-six 10-yard touchdown reception and the Jones third-quarter 33-yard reception but had a heavy end-zone hit on Bryant to prevent a touchdown bomb in the game’s final minute.
Corner Cedric Griffin knocked the ball away from Witten on a second-quarter incompletion. But Griffin got beat by Harris on a first-quarter third-and-eight 17-yard reception and on a third-quarter 14-yard reception.
Riley had half of the third-quarter third-and-six sack and a tackle of rookie running back Lance Dunbar on a third-quarter reception that went for minus-four yards. Riley also had a tackle of Jones on a second-quarter one-yard run. Riley did get beat by Witten on a first-quarter third-and-four six-yard reception
Linebacker Lorenzo Alexander got beat by Witten on a third-quarter third-and-13 15-yard reception. Alexander did have two quarterback hits.
The Cowboys trimmed a 22-point fourth-quarter lead to a seven-point fourth-quarter lead.
The Cowboys went 8-for-17 on third downs. The Skins are tied for 28th in the NFL in opponents’ third-down efficiency (43.2 percent).
Quarterback Tony Romo completed 37 of 62 passes for 441 yards, three touchdowns and two picks. He fell to 5-1 on Thanksgiving. The Skins are 31st out of 32 NFL teams in fewest passing yards allowed per game (301.4).
Rookie linebacker Keenan Robinson suffered a torn pectoral muscle and was placed on season-ending injured reserve on Monday, when the Skins signed free-agent linebacker Roddrick Muckelroy. He was a fourth-round pick of Cincinnati in the 2010 NFL Draft.
5. Skins receivers made plays.
Garcon, who was listed as questionable with the injured toe on his right foot, had four receptions on six targets for 86 yards, including the second-quarter 59-yard touchdown reception. RGIII’s pass was behind Garcon, but he made an outstanding leaping catch with his arms extended above his head, and then outran corners Mike Jenkins and Brandon Carr en route to the end zone. The ball may have been picked off by Carr if not for the catch. Garcon also had a second-quarter 19-yard reception, a first-quarter third-and-four six-yard reception and a seven-yard run on the final play of the first quarter.
Moss had four catches on five targets for 42 yards, including the second-quarter six-yard touchdown reception on which he did a great job of keeping both feet in bounds. He now has seven touchdown receptions over the last nine games. Moss also had two big receptions on the 11-play, 50-yard, fourth-quarter drive that resulted in Forbath’s 48-yard field goal to give the Skins a 38-28 lead: a 23-yard reception and a third-and-one four-yard reception despite the ball being tipped by Spencer.
Morgan had five receptions on six targets for 48 yards, including a second-quarter 11-yard reception on which he plowed forward for yards after the catch despite having Carter and Sims on him. Two plays later was RGIII’s six-yard touchdown pass to Moss. Morgan also had a first-quarter 17-yard reception on a screen on which left tackle Trent Williams had a good block on McCray and Young had a nice block on Claiborne.
Hankerson’s lone catch was a big one: a 12-yard reception on the 11-play, 50-yard, fourth-quarter drive that resulted in Forbath’s 48-yard field goal to give the Skins a 38-28 lead. Hankerson ran through an attempted arm tackle by McCray on the play. Hankerson also drew a second-quarter five-yard pass-interference penalty on Carr. The next play was Morris’ one-yard touchdown run.
The lone time that Robinson was targeted resulted in his second-quarter 68-yard touchdown reception. The play came immediately after he was called for a five-yard false-start penalty.
6. Pass protection was again a major issue.
The Skins allowed three sacks and seven quarterback hits and are tied for 17th in the NFL in fewest sacks allowed with 26.
RGIII’s fourth-quarter pick was a result in part of Ware, who was being blocked by Morris and Paulsen, pushing Paulsen back into RGIII.
Hatcher had a third-quarter sack of RGIII for an eight-yard loss on which Lichtensteiger tripped over Ware, who had crossed with Hatcher.
Spencer blew by Paulsen for a first-quarter sack for a seven-yard loss. Paulsen moved toward the outside, while Spencer came toward the inside. Paulsen also had a drop on the opening drive of the game but did block two Cowboys on Morris’ second-quarter one-yard touchdown run.
Hatcher and Ware crossed in beating Lichtensteiger and Williams on a first-quarter third-and-10 that resulted in a 12-yard intentional-grounding penalty on RGIII.
A third-quarter third-and-six RGIII incompletion saw him under major pressure, as Ware got push on Williams and Spencer got push on right tackle Tyler Polumbus.
Williams committed a fourth-quarter five-yard false-start penalty. He did suffer a deep left-thigh bruise early in the game and revealed on Monday that he was playing at about 60-percent health.
7. For at least one game, penalties were not a problem for the Skins.
The Skins entered this game with an NFL-worst 88 accepted penalties but had just five accepted penalties.
• RGIII had the first-quarter 12-yard intentional-grounding penalty.
• Wilson had the first-quarter 14-yard pass-interference penalty.
• Robinson had the second-quarter five-yard false-start penalty.
• Paul had a third-quarter five-yard false-start penalty on special teams.
• Williams had the fourth-quarter five-yard false-start penalty.
The Cowboys entered this game next to last in the NFL in fewest accepted penalties with 83 and had seven accepted penalties.
8. Forbath remains perfect, and thanks to a massive kick.
Forbath’s fourth-quarter 48-yard field goal was huge in that it gave the Skins a 38-28 lead, making the game a two-possession game.
Forbath now is 10-for-10 on field goals of 50, 20, 43, 45, 48, 45, 47, 25, 25 and 48 yards over six games with the Skins.
Forbath did see just three of his seven kickoffs result in touchbacks and now has seen just 12 of his 32 kickoffs with the Skins result in touchbacks.
9. Banks continues to have a bad season on returns.
Banks foolishly returned a first-quarter punt out of the end zone. He hesitated in coming out, then did so but generated just a seven-yard return. He also had a third-quarter six-yard punt return and now is 24th in the NFL in yards per punt return (6.8).
Banks totaled just 40 yards on two kickoff returns and now is 23rd in the NFL in yards per kickoff return (24.1).
Banks did have a second-quarter third-and-four eight-yard reception.
10. Miscellaneous Notes:
The Cowboys lost Austin, Carter and corner Orlando Scandrick to injuries during the game.
Punter Sav Rocca averaged 45.2 yards and 41.8 net yards on five punts, placing two inside the 20. He’s dealing with a torn meniscus in his right knee, struggled over the final three games of October but now has punted well in each of the last three games. Rocca is tied for 25th in the NFL in yards per punt (44.0) and is tied for 18th in the league in net yards per punt (39.4).
The Skins were too slow in getting to the line of scrimmage and running a play after a third-quarter third-and-10 Morgan reception that initially was ruled for 10 yards but then was ruled via replay a nine-yard reception thanks to a successful Cowboys challenge.
Inactives for the Skins were receiver Dezmon (DEHZ-mihn) Briscoe, rookie corner Richard Crawford for a fourth consecutive game (and he did not play for a fifth consecutive game), rookie guard Adam Gettis, quarterback Rex Grossman, guard/tackle Maurice Hurt, corner Jerome Murphy and defensive end Doug Worthington.
Rookie guard Josh LeRibeus (luh-REE-biss), a 2012 third-round pick, was active for a third consecutive game and for the fourth time this season.
The Skins remained without:
• Safety Brandon Meriweather (torn right ACL suffered in the Week 11 rout of Philadelphia; Meriweather missed the previous nine games due to an injured left knee)
• Tight end Fred Davis (torn left Achilles suffered in the Week 7 loss at the Giants)
• Linebacker Brian Orakpo (torn left pectoral muscle suffered in the Week 2 loss at Saint Louis)
• Defensive lineman Adam Carriker (right quadriceps tendon tear suffered in the Week 2 loss at Saint Louis)
• Running back Roy Helu Jr. (placed on injured reserve on Sept. 26 due to turf toe; he also had dealt with tendonitis in both Achilles)
• Right tackle Jamal Brown (hip problems; was kept on the physically-unable-to-perform list past the deadline of Nov. 27, ending any chance of him playing this season)
• Safety Tanard Jackson (indefinite suspension due to a third violation of the NFL’s substance-abuse policy)
10 Takeaways Off The Redskins' Win Over Philadelphia
Week 11: Redskins improve to 4-6 with a 31-6 rout of Philadelphia on Sunday afternoon (Nov. 18, 2012).
1. We still have a season, and thanks to a rare blowout win for the Skins.
The Skins, despite having lost three consecutive games prior to this victory, are just two games behind the NFC East-leading Giants. Five of the Skins’ final seven games (starting with this game) are division games. The Skins are very much in the mix when it comes to winning what seems to be a mediocre division this season.
The 25-point margin of victory is the Skins’ largest since a 34-3 blowout of Detroit in Oct. 2007.
The Skins improved to 15-27 in regular-season games under head coach Mike Shanahan. Just four of the 15 victories have been by 10 points or more.
The Skins' first game off their bye was a home game against the Eagles for a third consecutive season. The Skins lost, 59-28, in the Monday Night Massacre on Nov. 15, 2010, and lost, 20-13, in the Rex Grossman four-interception game on Oct. 16, 2011.
2. Rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III was outstanding.
RGIII completed 14 of 15 passes for 200 yards, four touchdowns, no turnovers and a perfect passer rating of 158.3. He also had 12 carries for a team-high 84 rushing yards. RGIII did have a second-quarter fumble that was recovered by fullback Darrel (duh-REHL) Young. The only other performance by RGIII that you realistically could argue was better was what he did in the Week 6 win over Minnesota: 17-of-22 for 182 yards, a touchdown and a pick; 13 carries for 138 yards and two touchdowns, including the magnificent fourth-quarter 76-yard touchdown run.
RGIII is fourth in the NFL in yards per pass attempt (7.92), fifth in the league in passer rating (101.0) and tied for sixth in the league in completion percentage (67.1).
RGIII is leading an offense that now has gone three consecutive games without committing a turnover.
Impressive plays for RGIII included:
• Fourth-quarter first-and-20 28-yard run. Three plays later RGIII stood strong in the pocket and fired a 17-yard touchdown pass to tight end Logan Paulsen, who fought through an attempted tackle by safety Kurt Coleman. Paulsen did this despite having suffered a left-hip injury in the third quarter.
• Third-quarter third-and-14 23-yard scramble. Three plays later RGIII connected with receiver Santana Moss on a 61-yard touchdown bomb.
• Second-quarter third-and-six 10-yard scramble on which he eluded attempted tackles by defensive end Jason Babin and rookie linebacker Mychal (MY-kuhl) Kendricks. Three plays later RGIII fired a 49-yard touchdown bomb to a wide-open receiver in Aldrick Robinson.
• First-quarter six-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Young
The Skins went 5-for-11 on third downs off having gone 6-for-27 on third downs over the previous two games and having entered this game last in the NFL in third-down efficiency (28.6 percent; 32-for-112).
RGIII did have a late-second-quarter completion to receiver Pierre Garcon for minus-one yard. RGIII did a nice job of avoiding pressure on the play but was throwing across the field and should have just thrown the ball away. Of course, he’s turned similar circumstances into significant gain before (second-quarter 26-yard pass play to tight end Fred Davis in the Week 1 win at New Orleans).
3. Safety Brandon Meriweather finally made his regular-season Skins debut. And then was lost for the season.
Meriweather, who had dealt with an injured left knee since the preseason, was impactful.
• First-quarter third-and-21 pick that he returned 25 yards
• First-quarter tackle of tight end Clay Harbor on a reception for minus-one yard
• First-quarter heavy hit on Harbor to dislodge the ball and force an incompletion
• Second-quarter tackle of running back LeSean McCoy on a run for one yard.
But Meriweather suffered a right-knee injury early in the third quarter and did not return. Shanahan revealed on Monday that Meriweather had suffered a torn right ACL. The Skins placed Meriweather on injured reserve on Tuesday, when they signed free-agent corner Jerome Murphy, who was a third-round pick of St. Louis in the 2010 NFL Draft.
4. The Skins’ defense played its best game of the season.
That’s not saying much, I know. And the Eagles were without quarterback Michael Vick (concussion; rookie Nick Foles got the start), receiver Jason Avant (hamstring) and three injured offensive linemen (left tackle Jason Peters, right tackle Todd Herremans and center Jason Kelce (KEHL-see)). But the defense was largely very good.
The Skins forced three first-half takeaways off having gone two consecutive games without a takeaway. The Skins now are third in the NFC with a turnover differential of plus-10 (19 takeaways versus nine giveaways). The Skins had 21 takeaways all of last season and haven’t had 30 takeaways since the 2003 season.
The Skins totaled four sacks and seven quarterback hits. The Skins entered this game having totaled just two sacks over the previous three games and just three quarterback hits over the previous two games. The Skins now are tied for 23rd in the NFL with 18 sacks.
The Skins held McCoy, whom Shanahan has consistently referred to as one of the top backs in the NFL, to 15 carries for 45 yards. McCoy was carted off the field with a concussion in the fourth quarter thanks to a hit from safety Madieu (muh-DEE-oo) Williams. The Skins are seventh in the NFL in fewest rushing yards allowed per game (94.6) and tied for 13th in the league in fewest yards allowed per carry (4.1).
Nose tackle Barry Cofield had perhaps his best game since signing with the Skins prior to last season, grading out at plus-5.5 according to Pro Football Focus. He had an excellent forced fumble late in the second quarter, using his left arm to knock the ball out of McCoy’s hands while falling forward. Linebacker Ryan Kerrigan recovered the ball, ripping it from the grasp of rookie center Dallas Reynolds. Cofield and Kerrigan teamed again in the third quarter, as Cofield pushed aside Reynolds and then Kerrigan finished the play, tackling McCoy on a carry that resulted in a six-yard loss. Two plays later Kerrigan, while being blocked by McCoy, chopped the ball out of Foles’ hand for what was officially a sack-strip (McCoy did recover the ball). Kerrigan also played a major role in corner DeAngelo Hall's second-quarter tackle of receiver DeSean Jackson on a reception for minus-three yards but did not play on every defensive snap of the game for the first time in his career.
Hall had a first-quarter pick that returned 22 yards. The ball bounced off tight end Brent Celeck (who was being covered by linebacker London Fletcher), and Hall caught it. He also had a fourth-quarter tackle of McCoy on run for minus-five yards and the second-quarter tackle of Jackson on a reception for minus-three yards. Hall did commit a fourth-quarter five-yard holding penalty and was run by (while on his knees) tight end Riley Cooper on his first-quarter third-and-seven 15-yard reception.
Linebacker Perry Riley had a third-quarter third-and-six sack, tipped the ball on an attempted screen to McCoy on a first-quarter incompletion and, along with rookie linebacker Keenan Robinson, provided pressure on the next play, which resulted in Meriweather’s interception. Riley did get beat by Celek on a third-quarter third-and-five 22-yard reception and did commit a fourth-quarter 15-yard unnecessary-roughness penalty and a first-quarter five-yard illegal-formation penalty.
Corner Josh Wilson was credited with a second-quarter sack-strip, though it was defensive end Jarvis Jenkins coming in to finish the sack that forced the fumble. Wilson also drew a second-quarter 10-yard holding penalty on receiver Jeremy Maclin. Wilson did get beat by Cooper on a first-quarter third-and-eight 23-yard reception and did suffer a second-degree strain of the rotator cuff in his left shoulder late in the game.
Linebacker Rob Jackson had a fourth-quarter sack.
Foles completed just 21 of 46 passes.
5. There were some rough moments for the Skins’ defense.
The Eagles went just 7-for-19 on third downs but 4-for-9 in the first half.
• Rookie fullback Stanley Havili (huh-VEE-lee) had a first-quarter third-and-two nine-yard reception.
• Cooper had the first-quarter third-and-seven 15-yard reception.
• Copper had the first-quarter third-and-eight 23-yard reception on which he beat Wilson.
• Rookie receiver Damaris (duh-MAHR-iss) Johnson had a second-quarter third-and-17 21-yard reception.
Celek had the third-quarter third-and-five 22-yard reception.
A late-first-quarter three-play stretch was bookended by McCoy receptions of 20 and 25 yards on screens. The Skins rushed seven on the 20-yard screen, which came on a second-and-20.
Fletcher committed a first-quarter five-yard neutral-zone-infraction penalty. He suffered a left-ankle injury in the first quarter but did return.
Corner Cedric Griffin committed a fourth-quarter five-yard delay-of-game penalty.
Linebacker Lorenzo Alexander committed a late-fourth-quarter five-yard offside penalty.
6. Penalties remain a massive problem.
The Skins had 13 more accepted penalties for 80 yards. The Skins now have an NFL-worst 88 accepted penalties and have been penalized for a league-worst 729 yards.
7. Morris was mostly having a very bad game until the fourth quarter.
Morris had a first-quarter third-and-one carry for minus-five yards, was stuffed for no gain on an early-fourth-quarter fourth-and-one, committed two third-quarter false-start penalties and had a third-quarter fumble that he recovered.
But Morris had fourth-quarter carries for 17, seven, nine and 20 yards and finished with 20 carries for 76 yards.
Morris did have a fourth-quarter carry for minus-five yards on a direct pitch. The same play resulted in a second-quarter 12-yard run on which Young provided a terrific block on Kendricks.
Morris provided a terrific block on RGIII’s third-quarter third-and-14 23-yard scramble.
Morris also served as the Skins’ third-down back, as he played on 91 percent of the Skins’ snaps on offense. Running back Evan Royster played for just two of the Skins’ 53 snaps on offense.
8. The Skins’ offensive line did not have its best game.
Credit the front five for some of Morris’ lengthy runs, but the running game largely disappointed over the first three quarters. Also, RGIII was running on pass plays too often in this game, although the Eagles officially finished with just two sacks and four quarterback hits.
Babin beat left tackle Trent Williams for a third-quarter third-and-17 sack that resulted in an eight-yard loss. Babin got significant push on right tackle Tyler Polumbus on a second-quarter sack for zero yards (the sack did not officially go to Babin). The Skins are 19th in the NFL in fewest sacks allowed with 23.
Polumbus committed a third-quarter five-yard illegal-formation penalty.
Right guard Chris Chester committed a third-quarter five-yard false-start penalty.
Left guard Kory Lichtensteiger had a second-quarter five-yard false-start penalty.
9. Skins coaches deserve some scrutiny.
Let’s make clear that this was a much-needed and very-welcome win, and the Skins’ coaching staff overall has a lot to be proud of, especially oft-criticized defensive coordinator Jim Haslett and his crew.
But the going for it on the early-fourth-quarter fourth-and-one at the Eagles’ 18 made little sense to me. The Skins had not been running the ball well, RGIII had just been stuffed for no gain on a third-and-one and the Skins have a kicker in Kai Forbath who had made a second-quarter 25-yard field goal to improve to 9-for-9 with the team. Another Forbath field goal would have given the Skins a 27-6 lead. Instead, Morris was stuffed for no gain.
The Skins were in complete personnel confusion in the third quarter and were forced to call a timeout while on offense. But the next play was RGIII’s 61-yard touchdown bomb to Moss.
Some of offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan’s play-calling was questionable, though, as is always the case, execution is more to blame than play-calling. Also, these calls were perhaps a function of the Skins not having faith in their pass protection.
• Morris’ first-quarter third-and-one carry for minus-five yards was the result of an option pitch as opposed to, say, just running the ball up the middle or a quarterback draw.
• The Skins ran Morris on a second-and-11 at the Eagles’ 15 with 14 seconds left in the second quarter. He gained three yards. Why not throw the ball into the end zone? Forbath then made the 25-yard field goal as the first half ended.
• The Skins didn’t have much success on receiver screens that admittedly have worked this season. Receiver-returner Brandon Banks had a third-quarter reception for no gain on the play before the timeout. Garcon, who’s dealing with a very painful injured toe on his right foot, had a third-quarter reception for minus-one yard.
Also, the coaches must share in the blame for the Skins’ terrible penalty problem.
10. Miscellaneous notes:
Moss’ third-quarter 61-yard touchdown reception was the play of the year for the Skins from a degree-of-difficulty standpoint. Moss, listed as being 5-foot-10, caught the ball between two Eagles defensive backs: Coleman and rookie corner Brandon Boykin. Moss then broke through an attempted tackle by Boykin to get into the end zone. Moss now has just 25 receptions over 10 games but also six touchdown receptions over the last eight games.
Garcon had three receptions on three targets for five yards in his first game since the Week 5 loss to Atlanta.
Forbath's (FOHR-bath's) second-quarter 25-yard field goal made him 9-for-9 on field goals of 50, 20, 43, 45, 48, 45, 47, 25 and 25 yards over five games with the Skins. Forbath did see just one of his five kickoffs result in a touchback and now has seen just nine of his 25 kickoffs result in touchbacks.
Punter Sav Rocca, who is dealing with a torn meniscus in his right knee, averaged 45.4 yards and 39.8 net yards on five punts, placing three inside the 20. He now is 25th in the NFL in yards per punt (43.9) and 20th in net yards per punt (39.1).
Banks had punt returns of eight, 11 and 13 yards. He ran into Alexander on the eight-yard return in the second quarter. Banks also had a fourth-quarter run for six yards to go with the third-quarter reception for no gain. He did not register a kickoff return. Banks is 23rd in the NFL in yards per punt return (6.9) and is tied for 21st in the league in yards per kickoff return (24.6). One of our Skins insiders, Rich Campbell of The Washington Times, wrote about Banks dealing with a right hip injury that likely will require surgery in the offseason.
Inactives for the Skins were Grossman, linebacker Mario Addison, receiver Dezmon (DEHZ-mihn) Briscoe, rookie corner Richard Crawford for a third consecutive game (and he did not play for a fourth consecutive game), rookie guard Adam Gettis, guard/tackle Maurice Hurt and defensive end Doug Worthington.
Rookie guard Josh LeRibeus (luh-REE-biss), a 2012 third-round pick, was active for just the third time this season.
Long snapper Nick Sundberg returned from the broken left arm suffered in the Week 1 win at the Saints.
The Skins remained without:
• Davis (torn left Achilles suffered in the Week 7 loss at the Giants)
• Linebacker Brian Orakpo (torn left pectoral muscle suffered in the Week 2 loss at Saint Louis)
• Defensive lineman Adam Carriker (right quadriceps tendon tear suffered in the Week 2 loss at Saint Louis)
• Running back Roy Helu Jr. (placed on injured reserve on Sept. 26 due to turf toe; he also had dealt with tendonitis in both Achilles)
• Right tackle Jamal Brown (hip; is on the physically-unable-to-perform list)
• Safety Tanard Jackson (indefinite suspension due to a third violation of the NFL’s substance-abuse policy)
10 Takeaways Off The Redskins' Loss To Carolina
Week 9: Redskins fall to 3-6 with a 21-13 loss to Carolina on Sunday afternoon (Nov. 4, 2012).
1. The losing continues, and head coach Mike Shanahan made some eyebrow-raising comments.
The Skins lost their third consecutive game and for the fourth time in five games.
The Skins fell to 14-27 under Shanahan.
The Skins fell to 5-15 at home under Shanahan.
Shanahan, who had called this a “must-win game,” after the game seemed to hint that the Skins were entering an evaluation portion of the season as opposed to contending for the playoffs: “When you lose a game like that, now you’re playing to see who, obviously, is going to be on your football team for years to come. And now we get a chance to evaluate players and see where we’re at. Obviously we’re not out of it statistically, but now we find out what type of character we got and how guys keep on fighting through with the rest of the season.” The comments were a major topic on The Official Redskins Postgame Show on ESPN 980 and on NBC’s Football Night in America.
Shanahan clarified the comments on Monday, when he also expressed displeasure with those in the media who ripped him without calling him.
The Skins seemingly would need to win six of their final seven games to have a realistic shot at the postseason. While you and I can talk in terms of the season essentially being over from a playoff-contending standpoint, neither the coaching staff nor the players should. Shanahan did say on Sunday that the Skins “mathematically” still have a chance, and upon further review what he seemed to be saying on Sunday was now we’ll find out the true fighters on the team. But the phrasing and tone were all wrong.
Sunday’s comments were another example of him not saying things in the best possible manner. The best example of this was the postgame press conference following the benching of quarterback Donovan McNabb on Oct. 31, 2010, but even on Monday Shanahan incorrectly said that not a single player on offense was on the team two years ago. How Shanahan, a two-time Super Bowl-winning and potential Pro Football Hall of Fame head coach, can have these troubles in postgame press conferences is pretty remarkable. I get that talking to reporters is probably like priority no. 12 for him (and that's fine), but this is an area in which he needs to get better.
The Skins have to win four of their final seven games to avoid a fourth consecutive double-digit-loss season.
2. The Skins’ defense struggled again.
Quarterback Cam Newton connected with a wide-open receiver in Armanti Edwards for a fourth-quarter 82-yard reception. Newton had a one-yard touchdown run two plays later, helping to give the Panthers a 21-6 lead.
The Skins struggled to stop the run for a second consecutive game. Newton and running backs Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams combined for 24 carries for 125 yards and two touchdowns.
• Stewart had a third-quarter 21-yard run on which he ran by defensive end Stephen Bowen, who failed in an attempted tackle. Defensive coordinator Jim Haslett took the blame for the play on Tuesday: "We had a show-blitz on, so that was my fault for the call."
• Stewart had a first-quarter 17-yard run.
• Stewart had a first-quarter 11-yard run on which corner DeAngelo Hall went to grab the ball instead of tackle Stewart. Hall did have a team-best two passes defended and did grade out at plus-2.6 coverage for the game according to Pro Football Focus.
• Newton had a second-quarter third-and-two 11-yard run.
• Newton had a first-quarter 10-yard run.
The Skins are ninth in the NFL in fewest rushing yards allowed per game (96.2) and tied for 13th in the league in fewest yards allowed per attempt (4.2).
The Panthers went 5-for-11 on third downs, including 4-for-5 in the first half.
• The Panthers went 3-for-3 on third downs on a 12-play, 98-yard drive that resulted in receiver Steve Smith’s 19-yard touchdown reception: Newton had an 11-yard run on a third-and-two, tight end Greg Olsen had a 17-yard reception on a third-and-six and Smith’s 19-yard touchdown reception came on a third-and-10.
• Newton had a third-and-one three-yard run on the first-quarter drive that resulted in Williams’ 30-yard touchdown run.
• Olsen had linebacker Perry Riley beat but dropped the ball on a third-quarter third-and-four incompletion.
The Skins are 28th out of 32 NFL teams in opponents’ third-down efficiency (43.8 percent; 49-for-112).
The Skins did not force any takeaways for a second consecutive game off having forced 16 takeaways over the first seven games.
The Skins totaled no sacks and just two quarterback hits and now have totaled two sacks over the last three games and three quarterback hits over the last two games. The Skins are tied for 22nd out of 32 NFL teams with 14 sacks.
Corner Josh Wilson graded out at minus-2.9 coverage according to Pro Football Focus. He got beat by Smith on his second-quarter 19-yard reception. Fox analyst Daryl Johnston was critical of Wilson for not turning his head around to find the ball on the play. Wilson also was apparently at fault for Edwards' fourth-quarter 82-yard reception, as Haslett said on Tuesday that the Skins were in three-deep coverage, meaning that Wilson should have stayed on the outside to cover Edwards according to John Keim of The Washington Examiner. And Wilson committed two pass-interference penalties and was beat by Smith on a first-quarter incompletion that was caused by Newton throwing too high.
Linebacker London Fletcher graded out at minus-2.6 according to Pro Football Focus, which now has given him eight negative grades in nine games this season. He got beat on 13-yard receptions by Olsen and fellow tight end Gary Barnidge on the game’s opening drive, which did result in a Panthers punt. Fletcher also committed a questionable second-quarter 15-yard roughing-the-passer penalty.
The Skins are 31st out of 32 NFL teams in fewest passing yards allowed per game (302).
Newton’s final passing numbers weren’t overwhelming: 13-of-23 for 201 yards, a touchdown and a passer rating of 100.1.
3. Rookie quarterback Robert Grffin III had perhaps his worst game.
RGIII dealt with sore ribs, so that perhaps explained at least in part his modest throwing numbers: 23-of-39 for 215 yards, no touchdowns, no picks and a passer rating of 74.2. He did have 11 carries for 53 yards.
The Skins went 3-for-15 on third downs, now are 6-for-27 on third downs over the last two games and now are last in the NFL in third-down efficiency (28.6 percent; 32-for-112).
Poor throws from RGIII included:
• Throwing high on a fourth-quarter incompletion that was intended for running back Alfred Morris
• Throwing behind receiver Joshua Morgan on a fourth-quarter third-and-10 incompletion
• Throwing high on a fourth-quarter third-and-20 incompletion that was intended for Morgan
• Throwing behind Morgan on a third-quarter third-and-six incompletion
• Throwing high on a fourth-quarter incompletion that was intended for tight end Logan Paulsen
• Throwing high on a first-quarter incompletion that was intended for tight end Chris Cooley
Impressive plays from RGIII included:
• Fourth-quarter fourth-and-four eight-yard run on which he got helicoptered by a hit from rookie linebacker Luke Kuechly (KEEK-lee)
• Incredibly avoiding a sack by defensive end Greg Hardy, who had right tackle Tyler Polumbus beat on what proved to be a fourth-quarter incompletion that was intended for running back Evan Royster
• Third-quarter 25-yard completion to receiver Leonard Hankerson
• Third-quarter 22-yard completion to tight end Niles Paul
• Third-quarter 17-yard completion to Hankerson
• First-quarter third-and-six 16-yard completion to Morgan
• Second-quarter fourth-and-three six-yard completion to Morgan
RGIII is eighth in the NFL in completion percentage (65.6) and yards per attempt (7.61), 10th in the league in passer rating (93.9) and second in the league in rushing yards per attempt (6.5).
4. RGIII wasn’t helped out enough by those around him.
Morgan had six receptions for 46 yards on 12 targets. He failed to catch:
• A fourth-quarter third-and-20 pass that was high but could have been caught.
• A fourth-quarter third-and-10 pass that was behind Morgan but went through his hands.
• A fourth-quarter pass that he dropped after a heavy hit from linebacker Thomas Davis.
• A third-quarter pass that to be fair was behind Morgan.
Morgan did have:
• An outstanding second-quarter 13-yard reception, which he made despite tight coverage from rookie corner Josh Norman.
• A first-quarter third-and-six 16-yard reception.
• A third-quarter nine-yard run.
The Skins allowed four sacks.
• Third quarter…third-and-10 for the Skins on their 41…defensive end Charles Johnson beats Polumbus and splits a sack with defensive tackle Dwan Edwards.
• First play of the fourth quarter…second-and-15 for the Skins on the Panthers’ 41…Johnson throws Polumbus to the ground and sacks RGIII.
• Fourth quarter…third-and-12 for the Skins on their 20…Hardy blows by center Will Montgomery for a sack of RGIII.
• Fourth quarter…fourth-and-10 for the Skins on their 43…Polumbus and left guard Kory Lichtensteiger struggle in pass protection, and Hardy and Johnson split a sack of RGIII.
Polumbus also was beat by Hardy on a fourth-quarter incompletion on which RGIII’s escapability was terrific. Polumbus graded out at minus-5.7 according to Pro Football Focus.
The Skins are tied for 23rd out of 32 NFL teams in fewest sacks allowed with 21.
Royster failed to make a diving catch on the fourth-quarter incompletion on which RGIII’s escapability was terrific. Royster also failed in pass protection on safety Haruki Nakamura (huh-ROO-kee nah-kuh-MER-uh) on a second-quarter incompletion on which Nakamura blasted RGIII, causing the sore ribs.
Receiver Aldrick Robinson started but failed to catch the ball on the Skins’ first offensive play for a drop.
Offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan was guilty of some questionable play calling, highlighted by a second-quarter fourth-and-goal-at-the-two RGIII wide run on which he was stuffed for no gain and seemingly (and inexplicably) had no throw option. The Skins scored no points on a 16-play, 78-yard drive. The Skins had gone 2-for-2 on fourth downs on the drive.
5. The Skins continued to commit too many penalties.
The Skins committed 13 penalties for 97 yards.
The Skins are last in the NFL in fewest accepted penalties with 75. The Skins have been penalized for a league-worst 649 yards.
Costly penalties for the Skins included:
• Left tackle Trent Williams’ first-quarter 10-yard holding penalty on a 12-play, 68-yard drive that resulted in Forbath’s 47-yard field goal. Williams did grade out at plus-4.3 according to Pro Football Focus.
• Paul and Paulsen had second-quarter five-yard false-start penalties on the 16-play, 78-yard drive that resulted in no points.
• Tight end Chris Cooley’s third-quarter 10-yard illegal-block-above-the-waist penalty on a 10-play, 69-yard drive that resulted in Forbath’s 25-yard field goal.
• Fullback Darrel (duh-REHL) Young’s third-quarter 10-yard holding penalty and left guard Kory Lichtensteiger’s third-quarter five-yard ineligible-downfield-pass penalty on a drive that resulted in a fourth-quarter Rocca punt.
• Wilson’s fourth-quarter five-yard pass-interference penalty. The next play was a Newton one-yard touchdown run that helped to make the score 21-6.
• Montgomery’s fourth-quarter 10-yard holding penalty that nullified an RGIII three-yard touchdown run. Montgomery did grade out at plus-3.2 according to Pro Football Focus.
• A fourth-quarter five-yard illegal-formation penalty that nullified a three-yard touchdown pass to Hankerson.
6. The Skins played in a game with no turnovers for a second consecutive week.
The Skins are fifth in the NFC with a turnover differential of plus-seven (16 takeaways versus nine giveaways) this season.
7. Morris was great but underutilized.
Morris had 13 carries for 76 yards, but 10 of those carries and 54 of those yards came in the first half. He had just three carries for 22 yards in the second half. The Skins trailed, 14-3, at the half, but cut the deficit to 14-6 in the third quarter, so it’s not as if the Skins had to be in must-throw mode.
Four of Morris’ carries went for 55 yards. The other nine carries totaled just 21 yards.
Quality runs from Morris included:
• Third-quarter 18-yard run
• First-quarter 16-yard run
• Consecutive runs of nine and 12 yards to begin the second quarter
Morris is sixth in the NFL in rushing yards per game (88.1) and is tied for 13th in league in yards per attempt (4.8).
8. It was another mixed game for Skins special teams.
Kicker Kai Forbath (KY FOHR-bath) went 2-for-2 on field goals of 47 yards in the first quarter and 25 yards in the third quarter. He now is 8-for-8 on field goals of 50, 20, 43, 45, 48, 45, 47 and 25 yards over four games with the Skins. Forbath did see just one of his three kickoffs result in a touchback.
Punter Sav Rocca, whom Shanahan has revealed is dealing with a torn meniscus in his right knee, had a fourth-quarter 51-yard punt, a third-quarter 49-yard punt and a fourth-quarter 37-yard punt that was fair-caught at the 9.
Receiver/returner Brandon Banks had two punt returns: a third-quarter punt return for minus-five yards and a fourth-quarter punt return for one yard. He also averaged just 18.3 yards on three kickoff returns. Banks had receptions for minus-nine yards on the game’s final play (on which he ran a designed screen the wrong way according to Shanahan on Monday) and two yards on a second-quarter third-and-goal at the 4. Banks also had a third-quarter third-and-six three-yard run. He is 25th in the NFL in yards per punt return (6.2) and 21st in the league in yards per kickoff return (24.6).
Safety Reed Doughty had a second-quarter five-yard illegal-block-above-the-waist penalty on a Banks 17-yard kickoff return. Doughty did lead the Skins with 10 tackles.
9. The officiating was highly questionable, especially in the first half.
Officiating is not why the Skins lost this game, but that doesn’t mean the Skins shouldn’t be mad about some of what took place.
Williams’ first-quarter 30-yard touchdown run came on a play on which a whistle was blown while Williams was still running. He appeared as if he may have stepped out of bounds, although replays clearly showed that he did not. The blown whistle was heard by various Skins defenders, including Riley, who was chasing Williams. While he may have scored anyway, you can’t be sure of that. Incredibly, the touchdown was allowed to stand.
Head referee Carl Cheffers told a pool reporter, "The line judge blew his whistle. We had a lot of discussion about it. We just felt when the whistle blew, that the player would have already scored a touchdown. So, we tried to piece together if we had to spot - by rule, we would have to put him down when the whistle blew, and we tried to decide where that spot would be, and we felt that spot would be in the end zone.“
The NFL admitted to the officiating error on Monday. The league said that the Panthers should have instead been offered the ball at the 17 - at the point where line judge Thomas Symonette blew his whistle because he mistakenly thought Williams had stepped out of bounds. Under the rules, the Panthers also could have chosen to replay the down at the 30.
Also, Hall may have been held on the Williams touchdown run.
Additionally, Fletcher was called for a second-quarter 15-yard roughing-the-passer penalty on which Newton did some serious (though not quality) selling. Later on that drive, Wilson was called for the first of his two pass-interference penalties. Johnston criticized the call on Fox.
The Skins also benefited from poor officiating. A third-quarter five-yard delay-of-game penalty on Newton was the result at least in part of the referee and the umpire being between the center and Newton, who was in the shotgun.
10. Miscellaneous notes:
Receiver Santana Moss suffered a concussion late in the fourth quarter.
Inactives for the Skins were rookie corner Richard Crawford for a second consecutive game, receiver Pierre Garcon (toe; now has played in just three of nine games this season), quarterback Rex Grossman, safety Brandon Meriweather (left knee), rookie guard Adam Gettis, guard/tackle Maurice Hurt and defensive end Doug Worthington (calf).
Rookie guard Josh LeRibeus (luh-REE-biss), a 2012 third-round pick, was active for just the second time this season (Week 4 win at Tampa Bay and now this Week 9 loss to Carolina).
The Skins remained without:
• Tight end Fred Davis (torn left Achilles suffered in the Week 7 loss at the Giants)
• Linebacker Brian Orakpo (torn left pectoral muscle suffered in the Week 2 loss at Saint Louis)
• Defensive lineman Adam Carriker (right quadriceps tendon tear suffered in the Week 2 loss at Saint Louis)
• Running back Roy Helu Jr. (placed on injured reserve on Sept. 26 due to turf toe; he also had dealt with tendonitis in both Achilles)
• Right tackle Jamal Brown (hip; is on the physically-unable-to-perform list)
• Safety Tanard Jackson (indefinite suspension due to a third violation of the NFL’s substance-abuse policy)
The Skins announced a number of roster moves on Tuesday:
• Corner David Jones and long snapper Justin Snow were waived.
• Corner Domonique “D.J.” Johnson was signed from the practice squad to the active roster.
• Long snapper Nick Sundberg was activated from injured reserve. He had been designated for return off suffering a broken left arm in the Week 1 win at New Orleans.
• Brown was cleared for practice.
More from ESPN 980
Al Galdi
|
Al Galdi's blog is presented by
|
|
|
|
Show host, Redskins beat reporter and update anchor for ESPN 980 WTEM-Washington, D.C.; update anchor for Sporting News Radio |
|
|
Subscribe to Al Galdi's Blog |
|
|
Follow Al Galdi on Twitter |
|
|
Email Al Galdi |
Galdi's Tweets
7 hours ago in reply to RSJem
8 hours ago in reply to HogsHaven
8 hours ago in reply to adcHail