Redskins Recap: Redskins Fizzle Out Against Broncos in Denver, Final Score 45-21

1^st Quarter:

-Matt Prater kicks off through the end zone. Redskins start with the ball on their own 20-yard line. Redskins 3 and out and are forced to punt. Broncos start with the ball on their own 22-yard line.

-Broncos Drive down the field and score on a Wes Welker Touchdown. PAT is good. Broncos 7, Redskins 0. 10:02 remaining in the first quarter.

-Broncos kick off and the kick goes through the end zone. Redskins start on their own 20. Redskins start to drive down field but are forced to punt. Sav Rocca’s punt down on the Broncos 1-yard line.

-Broncos get a first down but are forced to punt from their own 20-yard line. Joshua Morgan returns the punt to the Redskins 24-yard line. This drive had two very impressive catches, one by Moss and one by Garcon. Redskins miss the snap on a 3^rd and short play and are now forced to punt. Broncos start their next drive with the ball on their own 10-yard line.

-Broncos start to drive, but Rob Jackson has a huge sack to create a 3^rd and long. The Broncos are forced to pun at the end of the first quarter. Broncos 7, Redskins 0.

2^nd Quarter:

-Joshua Morgan returns the punt to the Redskins 40-yard line after escaping some tackles. Redskins offense continues to sputter and the Redskins are forced to punt. Broncos start on their own 7-yard line after a penalty for holding.

-Broncos drive but fail to convert on a 3^rd and short and are forced to punt at mid-field. Punt is down on the Redskins 5-yard line. Redskins drive down the field and have it on the Redskins 32-yard line at the 2-minute warning. Redskins take a long drive and with the help of some timely penalties by the Broncos, the Redskins score on a touchdown pass to Hankerson. PAT is good with 19 seconds left in the half. Broncos 7, Redskins 7.

-Broncos take a knee to end the half.

3^rd Quarter:

-Redskins kick off through the end zone and the Broncos start on their own 20-yard line. The Broncos start to drive but Ryan Kerrigan knocks the ball out of his hands and Brian Orakpo recovers the ball on the Broncos 19.

-Redskins short 3-play drive ends in a touchdown by Alfred Morris with 11:34 left in the 3^rd Quarter. Broncos 7, Redskins 14.

-Redskins kick off through the end zone and the Broncos will start on their own 20-yard line. Kai is not giving Holliday a chance to get into the end zone. Peyton’s pass is picked off by DeAngelo Hall for a pick 6 with 11:25 left in the 3^rd quarter. Broncos 7, Redskins 21.

-Redskins’ kick off is returned by Holiday to the Broncos 25-yard line. Broncos drive down the field and go for it on a 4^th and 2, which leads to a score by the Montee Ball. 7:48 remains in the 3^rd quarter. Broncos 14, Redskins 21.

-Prater kicks off into the back of the end zone and Morgan takes a knee. Redskins start with the ball on their own 20-yard line. Redskins get to mid-field and are forced to punt. The broncos start with the ball on their own 17-yard line.

-Broncos drive down to the Redskins 1-yard line but are stopped on 3^rd down. End of the 3^rd quarter. Broncos 14, Redskins 21.

4^th Quarter:

-Broncos go for it on 4^th down and Joel Dreeson scores with no one covering him. 14:56 left in the 4^th quarter. Broncos 21, Redskins 21.

-Broncos kick off through the end zone and the Redskins start with the ball on their own 20-yard line. Redskins 3 and out after 3 pass play calls. They are forced to punt. Sav Rocca’s punt is shanked and the Broncos will start with the ball at the Redskins 35-yard line.

-Broncos screen pass to Moreno ends in touchdown with 14:19 left in the 4^th quarter. Broncos 28, Redskins 21.

-Broncos kick off goes through the end zone. Redskins start with the ball on their own 20-yard line. The ball is stripped from Robert Griffin III by Von Miller and recovered by the Broncos on the Redskins 24-yard line.

-Broncos drive down to the Redskins 1-yard line but are forced to kick a field goal. Broncos 31, Redskins 21.

-Broncos kick off is through the back of the end zone, Redskins start on their own 20-yard line. Redskins 3 and out after taking a sack. Broncos start with the ball on their own 45-yard line after Sav Rocca’s punt.

-Broncos drive down the field but Jordan Pugh intercepts Manning’s pass and returns it to the Redskins 22-yard line. Harris Jr. intercepts Robert Griffin III’s pass at the Redskins 25-yard line. Manning throws a screen pass to Demaryius Thomas for a touchdown. 6:35 remains in the 4^th quarter. Broncos 38, Redskins 21.

-Redskins start with the ball on their own 20-yard line. Redskins begin to drive down field, but Robert Griffin III takes a nasty shot and his pass is intercepted. DeAngelo Hall takes the ball right out of Demaryius Thomas’s hands for an interception. Kirk Cousins enters the game. Cousins had a productive drive but his pass was intercepted and returned for a touchdown. Broncos 45, Redskins 21 with 2:07 left to play.

-Redskins start with the ball on their own 20-yard line after Prater’s kick off. Cousins suffered a helmet-to-helmet hit by Woodyard. Cousins pass was intercepted again after the ball bounced off of Jordan Reed. The Broncos take a knee to end the game.

Important Game Notes:

1^st Half:

-Stopping Manning: The only way to do well against Peyton Manning is to keep him off the field. The Redskins ran the ball very well and kept manning off the field in the 1^st half.

-Clutch Catches: Santana Moss, Pierre Garcon and Leonard Hankerson all had great catches to keep the Redskins drives going. Hankerson made a great catch to get the Redskins only score in the 1^st half.

-Timely Mistakes: The Broncos defense made 2 silly mistakes to keep the Redskins drive going. I do not want to say the Redskins got lucky, but the Broncos helped them out a bit.

-Robert not seeing the field: Robert Griffin III made a huge mistake when he tried to throw the ball to a double-covered Jordan Reed late in the 2^nd quarter. Garcon was open for a touchdown and Morgan was wide open for a big play 1^st down. Griffin should consider him lucky that his mistake was not a turnover. He was not so lucky the rest of the game.

2^nd Half:

-Pressure on Peyton: Kerrigan and Orakpo managed to create a turnover by making Manning fumble. DeAngelo Hall also had an interception for a touchdown.

-Offensive Inconsistency: The Redskins offense completely stalled in the second half and the Broncos scored 38 unanswered points (THIRTY-EIGHT???? REALLY????). The defense certainly did not lose this game. They could not get off the field because of the Redskins offense.

-Injury heavy game: Lots of people got banged up and hurt in this one. There were lots of time stoppages for injuries for both teams. Robert Griffin III did not return after taking a nasty shot by a Broncos defensive lineman. Cousins even took a shot by a Broncos Linebacker.