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Snaps- Jay Gruden used 18 of his 25 offensive players and Ryan Anderson over the course of a season-high 75 offensive snaps. The 7 that did not see action on offense included 5 inactives (Brian Quick, Jordan Reed, Niles Paul, Tony Bergstrom and Arie Kouandijo), 1 player who worked exclusively as a special teamer (T.J. Clemmings) and a player who did not take a snap of any kind (Colt McCoy).
Points- The offense scored a season-high 30 points in the loss to Minnesota. That is the most points the Redskins have scored and the most points the Vikings have allowed since Week 16 of last season.
Of the team’s 17 first-half points, 7 of them were scored on the opening drive of the game. This was the seventh time this season and in their last eight games that the Redskins have scored on their first possession of the game.
Opening Drive Points- The 7-2 Rams are the only other team that has scored on their opening drive seven times this season. The Redskins and Rams are two of only eight teams since 1999 that have scored on 77.8% or more of their opening possessions. Washington and four of those other eight teams did not commit a turnover on these drives.
3rd Down- The team’s offensive futility on third down continued against the Vikings. The Skins’ were only able to move the sticks on 5 of their 14 third downs (35.7%).
What’s worse is they only faced an average of 5.9 yards to go on these plays and they only converted on distances of 5 or fewer yards (1, 1, 2, 4, 5). Two of the third downs they failed to pick up only needed 1 and 3 yards. They needed to gain 8 or more yards on their seven other third downs. Better execution on first and second down prevent them from facing such tough odds on the money down.
4th Down- Washington went 3 for 5 on 4th down in the game. This was the first time since 1991, the team converted on and went for it that many times on fourth down.
Red Zone- The offense only found the end zone on two of their four trips inside of the Vikings’ 20-yard line. The 50% success rate in the red zone was the team’s lowest mark in this statistic since Week 4 against the Chiefs.
Yardage- The 394 yards of total offense gained by the Redskins was their third highest total of the year and the most yards allowed by the Vikings since Week 15 of 2016. The next highest total Minnesota allowed in that span was 348 yards, 46 fewer than they gave up on Sunday.
Going into Sunday, Washington was 12-3-1 in their last 16 games with 394 or more yards of offense.
Rushing- The Redskins gained just 81 rushing yards on their 27 attempts. This was the first time they’ve topped 23 carries since Week 6 (49ers), but the third consecutive game that they failed to average more than 3.5 YPC (3.3).
Yet, they moved the chains seven times with rushes, their second highest rushing first down total of the year, because they were only faced with a yard to go on eight plays.
The Redskins rank 23rd in rushing yards per game (96.7), 25th in rushing yards per carry (3.75) and 29th in rushing first down percentage (18.9%).
QUARTERBACKS
Kirk Cousins (Passing)- On a season-most 45 pass attempts, Kirk Cousins completed 26 of his passes for 327 yards, 16 first downs, 1 touchdown and 1 interception.
The interception was particularly costly for the Redskins. Cousins’ egregiously high throw on the play gave the Vikings the easy pick and set them up to score their second touchdown in just over a minute-and-a-half and take an 11-point lead going into the second half.
Cousins posted a passer rating of 78.7 and a completion percentage of 57.8%, which are his worst numbers in either statistic this season outside of Week 1 (Eagles). The 57.8% completion rate actually represented the tenth worst showing of his entire career in that metric. This was the fourth time this year and the second time in the last three weeks his yards per attempt average has been below 7.5.
He also misplaced at least two throws to open receivers that should’ve gone for touchdowns (Doctson, Thompson).
Kirk Cousins (Rushing)- Kirk Cousins only gained 5 yards between his 3 rushes and his kneel down to end the first, but he scored touchdowns on two of those plays. Both scores came from within two yards of the end zone. This was the second time that Captain Kirk has recorded 2 touchdowns on the ground in his last 11 games.
Cousins’ 3 rushing TDs on the year ties him for fourth in the league among QBs in this regard. His 12 rushing scores since 2015 are tied for second in the NFL in that span (Tyrod Taylor also has 12); only Cam Newton has put up more rushing touchdowns from the quarterback position in this time frame (19). Only Jordan Reed has scored more non-passing TDs (19) than Cousins since 2015.
The two scores by KC moved into sole possession of the second most rushing TDs by a Redskins QB. He now only trails Joe Theismann in this department (17 touchdowns).
Kirk Cousins (Advanced Stats)- Of Cousins 327 passing yards, 47% of them came via receiver YAC, with the other 53% going through the air.
His 77.5 QBR score ranked 7th among 28 qualifying signal callers in Week 10.
Kirk Cousins (Records)- This was Cousins’ 22nd career 300-yard passing game. He already held the all-time franchise record in this department, but Sunday’s performance moved him into a tie for the 12th most such games by a QB under the age of 30 in league history. Three more 300-yard performances this season will move him into a tie for 7th on this list.
He made his 41st straight start for the Redskins, which ties Mark Rypien for the second most consecutive starts by a Washington QB in team history. If, and this is a big if, he starts every game for the team both this year and next, he will break Joe Theismann’s team record of 60 straight starts by a quarterback.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Josh Doctson- For the third time in the last four weeks, Josh Doctson set career highs in snaps (69) and snap percentage (92%). He also set new career marks in targets (7) and receptions (4).
It’s really encouraging to see Doctson’s playing time and receiving totals continue to rise; but at the same time, it’s frustrating to watch him and Cousins fail to execute and miss opportunities the way they did on a couple plays against the Vikings.
On one such play, Doctson slipped in the end zone on what would have been an easy 3-yard touchdown and the Redskins had to settle for a field goal on the drive. Then, on the next offensive drive, Cousins missed an open Doctson on what would’ve been a 35-yard score. The offense would turn the ball over on downs two plays later.
By my count, Cousins and Doctson should have hooked up for about 7 touchdowns so far this year instead of 3.
Jamison Crowder- Crowder’s 11 targets and 76 receiving yards were both tied for the most on the team and his receptions of 36 and 32 yards were the Redskins’ second and third longest plays on Sunday. That makes it two straight contests with a catch of 30 or more yards for the third-year receiver.
The problem was he only caught 4 of his 11 targets (36% catch rate) and all but 8 of his yards came on the two aforementioned receptions of 30-plus yards. The only other game in his career that he had a lower catch percentage in was three weeks ago against the Eagles when he caught 2 of 6 targets (33%). Crowder was only officially credited with 2 drops against the Vikings, but there were also two or three other catchable balls he couldn’t haul in.
The worst part about this was two of these plays took place on back-to-back snaps inside Minnesota’s 3-yard line. A Crowder touchdown on one of those throws would’ve made it an 11-point game midway through the third quarter. The Redskins, instead, settled for a field goal that cut the deficit to 15.
He took his only rush of the day for a 5-yard gain on a first-down play.
Jamison Crowder’s touch numbers have been way up in his last two games, and in turn so have his yardage totals. He’s put up a combined 216 yards from scrimmage in his last two outings, after gaining just 163 yards in the team’s first five games.
Maurice Harris- Maurice Harris was signed from the practice to the active roster on Saturday (his 25th birthday) and proceeded to go out on Sunday and have the best game of his career.
Here are all of the personal records Harris set in the game followed by the total for this game and his previous career high in parenthesis: snaps (41, 21), snap percentage (55%, 31%), targets (3, 2), receptions (3, 2), receiving yards (50, 28), first downs (2, 1), touchdowns (1, 0), yards per reception (25, 15) and yards per target (16.7, 14).
On Harris’ very first target of the season, he dived to make a spectacular, one-handed 36-yard touchdown grab. Not only was that his first target and reception of the year, it was both the first touchdown and the longest play of his entire career.
It’s absurd that it took the Redskins this long to figure out Harris should be on the active roster, and they lose points here because Brian Quick’s absence essentially forced them do so.
They should consider themselves lucky he wasn’t picked up by another team the way that Mack Brown was. Look for Harris to continue to get his fair share of snaps going forward. His ascendance may effectively be the proverbial final nail in the coffin for our next player.
Terrelle Pryor- Terrelle Pryor’s utter disappointment of a season continued on Sunday. His 28 snaps and 37.3% snap share represented his second lowest playing time of the year.
In terms of production, this was a new low for Pryor. He did not receive a single target for the first time this season. This was the second time this season and in the last three games that he was held without a catch.
Since his “breakout game” in Week 3 against the Chiefs, Pryor has only caught 7 balls for 54 yards on 13 targets (54% catch percentage, 7.7 yards per reception, 4.2 yards per target).
I don’t think just saying Pryor has been one of the biggest disappointments on this team does his season justice; he has been one of the biggest disappointments in the entire NFL in 2017.
Ryan Grant- Grant caught all 3 of his targets for 25 yards and a first down, despite only playing on a season-low 9 snaps. Grant was forced from the game with a concussion that he sustained on his third and final catch of the day.
Last week he broke his record of 23 receptions in a season; on Sunday, Grant set a new single-season career high in receiving yards (279 yards). This has easily been Grant’s best season in the pros.
Brian Quick- After setting new personal season highs in virtually every receiving statistic last week, Quick missed this week’s game with lingering concussion symptoms.
TIGHT ENDS
Vernon Davis- The Redskins’ #1 tight end started in his 23rd straight game for the Redskins on Sunday. Jordan Reed, who did not play this week, has never started in more than five straight games (5 consecutive starts between 2015 and 2016). Davis set new season-highs in snaps (64) and snap percentage (85.3%).
He led the team or was tied for the team lead in targets (11), receptions (7), first downs (5), receiving yards (76) and yards from scrimmage (76). This was the second week in a row that Davis led the team in virtually every major measure of receiving and overall offensive production.
The target and reception totals were both season highs for him. This was Davis’ first 11-target game since Week 6 of the 2013 season and his first 7-catch game since Week 14 of 2015. He has only been targeted more three times in his 173-game career and has only caught more passes on five occasions.
VD had another solid outing, but I need to keep things objective here and tell you where he messed up, too. He dropped a pass, committed a holding penalty and 45% of his targets, 43% of his receptions, 40% of his first downs and 62% of his yards all came on the Redskins’ final offensive drive.
Jeremy Sprinkle- The rookie tight end out of Arkansas started for the third time this season and for the first time since Week 4. He played on 23 snaps after setting a career-high with 24 snaps last week. He was not targeted in the game.
Other Tight Ends- Jordan Reed and Niles Paul both missed their second straight game. Since Reed entered the league in 2013, he and Paul have combined to miss 48 man-games out of 146 combined possible man-games between them (33%).
RUNNING BACKS
Chris Thompson (Playing Time)- CT led all Skins’ runners with 45 snaps and played on 60% or more of the snaps for the third time this year. Thompson has been in on the majority of the offensive snaps in 11 of the team’s last 19 games. Just in case you hadn’t already figured it out, I will tell you that he is the Redskins’ RB1.
Chris Thompson (Rushing)- Thompson took his 9 runs for 26 yards and a team-best 3 first downs on the ground.
His 9 rushes in the game represent his second highest total of the season; however, his 2.89 YPC was his third lowest average of the year.
Thompson gained 6 or more yards on a third of his rushes, but also lost yardage on two of them. He was stuffed for no gain and a loss of 4 yards on crucial 3rd-and-1 and 4th-and-1 plays late in the fourth quarter.
Chris Thompson (Receiving)- CT caught 3 of his 7 targets for 41 yards and 2 first downs. His biggest play of the game was a 27-yard catch down the sideline on a 4th-and-2 play in the first quarter.
His 81.6 PFF grade ranked 3rd on the offense.
Thompson still leads the team in receptions, receiving yards, rushing yards, first downs, yards from scrimmage and touchdowns.
Robert Kelley- In typical Fat Rob fashion, Kelley started but only played on 10 snaps before suffering yet another injury. This was the fourth time in his seven games this season that he has had a snap share of less than 25%.
His line of 10 yards for 0 first downs and a 2.5-yard average are also pretty typical numbers for Kelley. He lost yardage on one run and gained 7 yards on another, but his two other rushes only went for 2 and 3 yards. He did, however, add two receptions for 5 yards and a first down.
Kelley suffered a high ankle sprain and an MCL sprain in the game. He will be out for an extended period and per Jay Gruden the team may even put him on injured reserve.
Samaje Perine- Samaje Perine took his 9 rushes for 35 yards and 2 first downs. His 3.89 YPC average was a career high for a game in which he had over 6 runs. He posted a success rate of 56%, gained 5 or more yards on a third of his runs and didn’t lose yardage on any of them.
Perine caught his only target for a gain of 25 yards, the longest play of his career. The 25 receiving yards was also a career high for him.
With Kelley out for the foreseeable future, Perine will get all the opportunities he can handle.
Ryan Anderson- With Paul on the shelf again, Anderson operated as the team’s short-yardage fullback and played on 3 snaps in that role for the second straight week.
Other Running Backs- The Skins’ brass must be kicking themselves for cutting Brown for Orlando Franklin, who played on 0 offensive snaps and just 4 special teams snaps in his only game with the team.
OFFENSIVE LINE
Offensive Line (Passing Blocking)- Five of the team’s top six linemen returned from injury and you could see the difference in pass protection. After allowing 14 sacks between Weeks 7 and 9, the line only gave up 1 sack on Cousins’ 40 dropbacks, and that sack came on the team’s final offensive play of the day.
Cousins only took 5 hits in the game; opposing defenders combined for 10 hits per game over the course of the last 3 contests.
Offensive Line (Run Blocking)- Not much changed here, though. The Redskins only averaged 3 yards per rush and 0.41 offensive line yards per contact.
On the Skins’ four rushes on third or fourth down with 1 yard to go the team picked up 2 first downs and only gained a combined 2 yards. They picked up 1 first down and gained 5 total yards and on their three 2nd-and-1 rushes.
Trent Williams- Trent Williams returned after missing the last two games with a nagging knee injury. He played on every offensive snap and earned the second best PFF grade by a Redskins’ offensive player in the game (86.1).
Chase Roullier- Chase Roullier got the start at center for the third consecutive game and took a season-high 65 snaps.
Rouillier’s 2017 PFF grade of 45.7 ranks 29th out of 37 qualifying centers.
Shawn Lauvao- Lauvo’s season-long grade is even worse: 40.2 (59th out of 79 guards). He played on 100% of the snaps for the sixth time this season.
Spencer Long- Long gave it a go a few drives into the game, but the same injury that sidelined him for the last two weeks limited him to just 12 snaps on Sunday.
Brandon Scherff- Brandon Scherff returned from injury and only missed two snaps because he lost his shoe. If I recall correctly, a loose shoe is also what caused Scherff to miss his only offensive snap of the 2015 season. The third-year guard should consider investing in some better footwear.
On the team’s final offensive play of the contest, Scherff allowed the only sack of the game when Danielle Hunter ran a stunt and beat him inside for a takedown of Cousins that cost the offense 14 yards and forced a much longer field goal.
Morgan Moses- Morgan, the iron man, Moses was in on 100% of the snaps for the third straight week, despite his pair of sprained ankles.
His PFF grade of 87.2 ranked first on the offense and second on the team.
Ty Nsekhe- Nsekhe suited up for the first time in nearly two months and saw 3 snaps with the offense. He had been recovering from core muscle surgery.
It was good to see Nsekhe and the rest of the team’s key offensive linemen back on Sunday. Unfortunately, their return didn’t really have the desired effect on the outcome of the game.
ALL OFFENSIVE SNAPS
*All statistics are courtesy of Air Yards, CSN Mid Atlantic, ESPN, Football Perspective, NFL.com, NFL Gamebooks, Player Profiler, Pro Football Focus, Pro Football Reference, Redskins.com, Sharp Football Stats, Team Rankings and The Washington Post*
Poll
Which of these wide receivers should the Redskins prioritize signing to a long-term deal?
This poll is closed
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23%
Ryan Grant
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71%
Maurice Harris
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0%
Terrelle Pryor
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5%
Brian Quick