Skins Stats & Snaps: Redskins @ Chiefs (DEF/ST)

Snaps- All 23 active defenders played over the course of a season-high 76 defensive snaps against the Chiefs. All but 5 of those 23 players got at least 18 snaps for Greg Manusky's unit. The only three defenders that did not get any action were inactive (Anthony Lanier, Josh Harvey-Clemons and Joshua Holsey).

Quarterback Pressure- Getting pressure on the quarterback was one of the few things the defense did well on Monday night. Despite the fact that Alex Smith got rid of the ball in an average of 2.49 seconds, he was pressured 21 times, hit on 8 dropbacks and sacked on 4 occasions.

This marks the first time that a Washington defense has recorded 4 or more sacks in three consecutive games since Weeks 15-17 of the 2015 season.

Through a quarter of the season, the Redskins rank 3rd in sacks (12), 7th in sack percentage (8.3%) and 5th in adjusted sack rate (8.7%).

Penalties- Penalties were a major issue for the Redskins in this game. These infractions only cost the team 44 yards, but 5 of the 7 accepted penalties against them gave the Chiefs a first down. Kansas City scored on four of the five drives that the Redskins' defense was flagged on.

All seven of the accepted penalties against Washington were committed by the defense, which is more than double their combined total from the three previous games this season.

Third-Down Defense- The Redskins went from holding the Raiders' once explosive offense to 0-11 on third down to allowing 8 first down conversions to the Chiefs on 13 attempts. The 8 first downs allowed on third down were tied for the most allowed by Washington this year (8 vs. Eagles), and the 61.5% conversion rate allowed was a new season-worst for the defense.

The Redskins have allowed opponents not called the Raiders to convert on 54% of their downs in 2017. The Buccaneers currently rank last in the league with a 50% conversion rate allowed. Let's all hope that the Oakland game wasn't a fluke.

Turnovers-After forcing at least 2 turnovers in each of their first 3 games this year, the defense failed to score a takeaway against the Chiefs.

Tight End Defense- The Redskins have simply been horrible at covering tight ends for years, and this season is no different. On Monday night, Travis Kelce destroyed the defense en route to posting a line of 7 receptions, 6 first downs, 111 yards receiving and a touchdown. Kelce also picked up a first down on a 3-yard rush for good measure. His 3.06 yards per route run against the Redskins was the best by any tight end in all of Week 4.

Washington ranks in the bottom-5 in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns allowed to the tight ends. They rank dead last in receiving yards allowed against the position, which is 52 yards more than the next worst team in this department.

And if you're still not worried about this, then consider that they will still have to play against the following tight ends before the season is over: Zach Ertz, Jason Witten (twice), Jimmy Graham, Kyle Rudolph, Hunter Henry and Antonio Gates.

I think I've been talking about this longer than anybody, and I am not going to stop until it gets fixed.

Rushing Defense- The defense allowed new season highs in rushing yards (168), rushing first downs (7) and yards per carry (5.4). The Redskins also gave up a rushing touchdown for only the second time this year and missed 12 tackles in the game, 9 of which came against Kareem Hunt. Hunt became the first player to rush for over 100 yards against the Burgundy and Gold this season.

It's kind of hard to be too upset with this effort though, when you consider that 1) this was Chiefs' second worst rushing game of the year, 2) they lead the NFL in rushing yards, average and DVOA and 3) they possessed the ball for nearly 33 of the final 45 minutes of the game.

DEFENSIVE LINE

Defensive Linemen (6 Players)
Player	Snaps	Snap %
Ziggy Hood	44	58%
Matt Ioannidis *	40	53%
Jonathan Allen *	37	49%
Terrell McClain	33	43%
Stacy McGee	32	42%
Anthony Lanier	Inactive	N/A

Ziggy Hood- Ziggy Hood led all Washington defensive linemen in snaps played for the first time since Week 7 of last year. This was only the third time that Hood has led this group in snaps in his 20 games with the team. He had not ranked higher than third on the D-line in snaps since Week 17 of 2016.

Hood did very little with the extra opportunity though. He made one tackle on a 5-yard Kareem Hunt run on 2nd-and-6 and failed to generate a single QB pressure for the second straight game. His biggest contribution to the game was an encroachment penalty on a Kansas City 2nd-and-1 play; the Chiefs would go on to score a field goal later in that drive.

Matt Ioannidis- Matt Ioannidis' assault on opposing interior offensive lines continued on Monday night. He recorded the first full sack of his career, hit Alex Smith twice, registered a team-high 6 pressures and assisted on two tackles that were made short of the line to gain. He posted a pass-rushing productivity score of 17.0 in the game, which ranked second among all interior linemen in Week 4. Only the 19.9 mark produced by Aaron Donald was better. His 84.9 PFF grade ranked second on the defense and third on the team in this game.

Ioannidis has now either been credited with a sack or a half a sack in three of the team's four games this season. That is a stark contrast to last season, when he did not even hit one opposing quarterback in the 9 games that he took defensive snaps in. His 2017 PFF pass-rushing grade of 84.2 ranks fifth among all interior defenders. He is easily the most improved player on the team.

Jonathan Allen- His performance on Monday night didn't quite live up to the bar he set last week against the Raiders, but he was still effective, nonetheless. Allen assisted on 3 tackles, none of which ended with a Kansas City first down, and pressured Smith on multiple dropbacks. He led all Redskins defensive linemen with a 20.8% pressure rate and earned an 82.9 PFF grade, the third highest rating on the team.

This was, however, the first game in which Allen did not either sack or hit the opposing quarterback, which is a stat that can be looked at in both a positive and negative light.

Terrell McClain- The former Cowboy had his best game in a Burgundy and Gold uniform. McClain recorded his fist sack and quarterback hit (2 total QB hits) as a Redskin and tallied a season-high 3 tackles (all solo).

Stacy McGee- McGee got onto the stat sheet for the first time since Week 1, as he assisted on tackles that came on Kareem Hunt runs of 0 and -1 yards. He tackled Hunt on his own on a 1-yard run. He did not get pressure on the quarterback for the second consecutive week.

OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS

Outside Linebackers (5 Players)
Player	Snaps	Snap %
Preston Smith *	61	80%
Ryan Kerrigan *	57	75%
Junior Galette	26	34%
Ryan Anderson	8	11%
Chris Carter	1	1%

Preston Smith- On the very first defensive play of the night for the Redskins, Preston Smith recorded his fourth sack of the year. That makes four consecutive game with a sack for Smith, which marks the second time in his career that he has accomplished that feat (Weeks 15-18 of the 2015 season). Dexter Manley, Charles Mann and Fred Stokes are the only other Redskins who have started a season with at least one full sack in each of their first four games (sack data dating back to 1982).

Smith also scored another QB hit and recorded an assisted tackle that stuffed Kareem Hunt at the line of scrimmage.

After that it was all yellow laundry for Smith. He was flagged a whopping three times for either a neutral zone infraction or an offsides penalty. None of Smith's penalties gave the Chiefs a first down, but they did score 17 combined points over the course of the 3 drives that he was flagged on.

Ryan "Iron Man" Kerrigan- Ryan Kerrigan made his 100th straight start for the Redskins on Monday night. He is the first Washington player since the merger to begin his career with 100 consecutive starts.

He is tied with Connor Barwin for the longest active streak of starts by a linebacker. The only defensive players who have started in more consecutive games are: Domata Peko (159 starts), Brandon Carr (148 starts) and Glover Quinn (120 starts). Carr is the only one of this trio that has started in every game of his career. Ryan Kerrigan is truly an iron man.

Ryan Kerrigan- If only Kerrigan had risen to the occasion and had a good game, then perhaps the outcome of this game could've been different; alas, he did not.

There is a good argument to be made that Smith's sack should've been credited to Kerrigan instead, so at the very least he should be recognized for setting Smith up on the play; we didn't hear much from Kerrigan on his other 56 snaps though.

Other than the sack, he assisted on one tackle that went for no gain and pressured Alex Smith on a couple more dropbacks. Kerrigan set a high bar for himself in Weeks 1-3, but, all in all, this was easily his worst showing of the season.

Junior Galette- Galette's playing time spiked back up this week, as he took a season-most 26 snaps with the defense. However, he was held in check relative to most of his other performances this year.

He made a tackle on a 5-yard run by Hunt and tallied a hit on Alex Smith, but his biggest impact on the game was a roughing the passer infraction on a Chiefs' touchdown scoring drive to start the second half.

Ryan Anderson- After seeing season highs in snaps (24) and snap percentage (47%) last week against the Raiders, Anderson played on a season-low 8 snaps (11%) on Monday against the Chiefs. He did not record any traditional stats, but he did hurry Smith on one play, his first pressure of any kind this season.

Chris Carter- Chris Carter took 1 defensive snap for the second time in 2017 (Week 1). He played exclusively on special teams in Weeks 2 and 3. Carter did not record any stats on his lone defensive play.

INSIDE LINEBACKERS

Inside Linebackers (5 Players)
Player	Snaps	Snap %
Zach Brown *	74	97%
Martrell Spaight *	43	57%
Mason Foster	32	42%
Will Compton	2	3%
Josh Harvey-Clemons	Inactive	N/A

Zach Brown- Zach Brown only missed 2 of the 76 defensive snaps and led the team in tackles for the fourth straight game (5 solo and 4 assisted). Unfortunately, for Brown and the Redskins, most of those tackles came on successful plays by the Chiefs.

This was the first time since Week 16 of last season that Brown has not posted a double-digit tackle total.

Despite the end to his streak, Brown's 42 tackles on the year rank 1st in the entire NFL.

Martrell Spaight- The young linebacker got his second career start and played on over 50% of the defensive snaps for just the third time in his career.

Spaight tied for the team lead in solo tackles (6) and trailed only Brown in total tackles (8). Seven of his eight tackles came within 4 yards of the line of scrimmage. He was also the only Redskins player with a non-sack TFL.

Spaight did some nice things in Kansas City, but he made his fair share of mistakes too. He allowed Travis Kelce to catch multiple first down passes and missed several tackles, one of which allowed Alex Smith to run for an additional 15 to 20 yards on a scramble at the end of the first half.

Mason Foster- Mason Foster returned from injury, but only did so as a backup to Spaight. He tied for a team-high 6 solo tackles (1 assist and 7 total), with all 7 tackles coming within 5 yards of the LOS. The Chiefs only gained 1 first down on those plays.

Will Compton- After being stuck in a purely special teams role in Weeks 1 and 2, Compton appeared on defense in the second straight contest. That doesn't count for a whole lot though, considering he has only played on a combined 7 defensive snaps in those games. Unlike last week, Compton was not able to record a stat in his part-time role.

CORNERBACKS

Cornerbacks (6 Players)
Player	Snaps	Snap %
Bashaud Breeland *	76	100%
Kendall Fuller *	42	55%
Quinton Dunbar	37	49%
Josh Norman *	26	34%
Fabian Moreau	13	17%
Joshua Holsey	Inactive	N/A

Bashaud Breeland- Breeland got 100% of the snaps for the second time this season and led all Skins' DBs with 6 total and solo tackles. He also recorded one of the team's two pass defenses in the game.

That's where the good times stopped for Breeland. He gave up a 17-yard touchdown to Kelce (the first TD he's allowed this season) and committed three costly penalties (horse collar, illegal contact and illegal use of hands). All three of those infractions gave the Chiefs first downs and they would go on to score on two of three drives (10 points) in which Breeland committed a penalty.

Josh Norman- Norman was having another stellar outing he was forced from the game with an injury. He laid out Travis Kelce in the process of defending a pass and made 2 tackles. He only allowed 1 reception for 21 yards, but that play moved the Chiefs into the red zone and set them up for a touchdown on the following play.

Unfortunately, that catch proved to be even more costly for the Redskins, as Norman broke a rib when he tackled Chris Conley on the play.

Quinton Dunbar- The former wide receiver out of Florida had a terrific game in relief of the injured Josh Norman. He played on his highest number of snaps since Week 14 of last season and only allowed 3 receptions for 14 yards on the 5 targets thrown in his direction. He also made a season-most 4 solo tackles in the game, which is a number that quadrupled his season total prior to Monday. Dunbar earned a PFF grade of 86.4 for his efforts, which was the highest rating by any Washington defender in the game.

Josh Norman could miss multiple games because of his broken rib, so the Redskins will need to rely on more performances like this from Dunbar.

Kendall Fuller- Kendall Fuller also suffered an injury in the game and as a result he was only out there a season-low 55% of the defensive snaps. He finished the game with two solo tackles, with one of them coming on a 32-yard reception he gave up to Travis Kelce. That was the second longest play of the game for the Chiefs and it really helped them to both flip the field position and to start building some positive momentum.

Fabian Moreau- Moreau was pressed into action after both Norman and Fuller were injured. He played on a season-high 13 snaps. His defensive snap count and percentage have risen in each successive game this year.

Moreau made one solo tackle and assisted on another, but he had a tough time in coverage late in the game. He was picked on by the Chiefs on the final drive of the game.

SAFETIES

Safeties (4 Players)
Player	Snaps	Snap %
D.J. Swearinger *	76	100%
Montae Nicholson *	46	61%
Deshazor Everett	18	24%
Stefan McClure	12	16%

D.J. Swearinger- Swearinger played on 100% of the defensive snaps for the third straight game after missing just one play in the team's opener against the Eagles. He led the safety corps with 5 solo tackles and recorded a sack for the first time as a Redskin (4th career sack).

Montae Nicholson- Nicholson started for the second time this season and played on over 50% of the snaps for the third straight game. His 46 snaps in the contest where a new career high, and he likely would have seen if even more playing time if his shoulder injury had not acted up.

He made a career high 3 tackles in the game, but his lack of experience did show, however, when he and Moreau were beat by Albert Wilson for a critical 37-yard reception on the Chiefs' game-winning drive.

Deshazor Everett- Deshazor Everett saw an uptick in snaps this week, and he might've played even more if he too did not suffer an injury (hamstring). He made 3 solo tackles over the course of his 18 snaps, with all three of them coming on Kansas City first downs.

Stefan McClure- The injuries of Nicholson and Everett forced Stefan McClure into action for the first time in his career. He took 12 snaps with the defense and made a solo tackle on an 8-yard Kareem Hunt run.

ALL DEFENSIVE SNAPS

Defense (26 Players)				Defense (continued)
Player	Snaps	Snap %		Player	Snaps	Snap %
Bashaud Breeland *	76	100%		Mason Foster	32	42%
D.J. Swearinger *	76	100%		Stacy McGee	32	42%
Zach Brown *	74	97%		Junior Galette	26	34%
Preston Smith *	61	80%		Josh Norman *	26	34%
Ryan Kerrigan *	57	75%		Deshazor Everett	18	24%
Montae Nicholson *	46	61%		Fabian Moreau	13	17%
Ziggy Hood	44	58%		Stefan McClure	12	16%
Martrell Spaight *	43	57%		Ryan Anderson	8	11%
Kendall Fuller *	42	55%		Will Compton	2	3%
Matt Ioannidis *	40	53%		Chris Carter	1	1%
Jonathan Allen *	37	49%		Josh Harvey-Clemons	Inactive	N/A
Quinton Dunbar	37	49%		Joshua Holsey	Inactive	N/A
Terrell McClain	33	43%		Anthony Lanier	Inactive	N/A

SPECIAL TEAMS

Special Teams (35 Players)				Special Teams (continued)
Player	Snaps	Snap %		Player	Snaps	Snap %
Chris Carter	24	86%		Ryan Kerrigan	6	21%
Fabian Moreau	24	86%		Terrell McClain	6	21%
Stefan McClure	21	75%		Samaje Perine	6	21%
Will Compton	18	64%		Preston Smith	6	21%
Matt Ioannidis	17	61%		D.J. Swearinger	6	21%
Bashaud Breeland	15	54%		Chris Thompson	6	21%
Niles Paul	14	50%		Ryan Grant	5	18%
Deshazor Everett	13	46%		T.J. Clemmings	4	14%
Quinton Dunbar	12	43%		Mason Foster	4	14%
Dustin Hopkins	9	32%		Kendall Fuller	4	14%
Chase Roullier	9	32%		Ziggy Hood	4	14%
Martrell Spaight	9	32%		Shawn Lauvao	4	14%
Jonathan Allen	8	29%		Spencer Long	4	14%
Ryan Anderson	8	29%		Morgan Moses	4	14%
Nick Sundberg	8	29%		Brandon Scherff	4	14%
Tress Way	8	29%		Jamison Crowder	3	11%
Montae Nicholson	7	25%		Jeremy Sprinkle	2	7%
Zach Brown	6	21%

Snaps- Of the team's 46 active player, 35 of them saw action on Ben Kotwica's unit over the course of 29 special teams snaps. The group was made up of 20 defenders, 12 offensive players and 3 specialists. Chase Roullier was the only player that played exclusively on special teams.

Carter led or tied for the lead in specials snaps for the fourth straight game, but this time it was Fabian Moreau who matched him. Fellow rookie Stefan McClure was right behind Carter and Moreau with 21 snaps.

The myriad of injuries sustained by the Skins' DBs again pressed Bashaud Breeland to earn his money, as he tied a season-high with 15 special teams snaps in the game. Breeland was on the field in some capacity for a whopping 91 total snaps on Monday night.

Kick Coverage- McClure, Carter and Deshazor Everett each made 1 solo teams tackle in the game. McClure and Carter's tackles came on kickoffs which were returned to the 17 and 21-yard lines, respectively. Everett touched Tyreek Hill down at the 27 after Hill recovered his muffed fumble there. That tackle allowed Everett to reclaim his spot at the top of the team's 2017 special teams tackle rankings (4 solo and total ST tackles).

Dustin Hopkins- Dustin Hopkins connected on field goals of 19 and 40 yards and nailed both of his extra points. He is now 7-of-9 on the year, with his only misses coming from 51 and 52 yards out.

Three of Hopkins' five kickoffs went for touchbacks and the two Kansas City returns gained 18 and 25 yards (43 yards total). However, neither return was taken out past the 21-yard line.

Tress Way- Only one of Way's four punts was returned, the aforementioned muffed fumble and recovery by Hill for no gain. Two of his other three punts pinned the Chiefs inside their own 20-yard line (at the 17 and 14-yard lines). His fourth and final punt of the night went for a touchback.

Tress Way ranks 4th in the league in inside-the-20 percentage (53%) behind only Johnny Hecker (62%), Matt Bosher (58%) and Chris Jones (58%).

Punt & Kickoff Returns- The Redskins did not return a single punt or kickoff for the first time since Week 13 of last season. I looked all the way back to 1981 to see how many other games in which the Skins had no returns, and I was unable locate any other occurrences. That makes this just the second time since at least 1980 that the team did return either a kickoff or punt.

Jamison Crowder fair caught the only punt that he fielded and all 6 kickoffs went for touchback. This was the second straight game without a kickoff return for the Redskins.

*All statistics are courtesy of CSN Mid Atlantic, ESPN, Football Outsiders, NFL.com, NFL Gamebooks, Pro Football Focus, Pro Football Reference, Redskins.com and Sharp Football Stats*

Skins Stats & Snaps: Redskins @ Chiefs (Offense)