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

Snaps- The defense was only on the field for 50 snaps, which is the lowest total for this group since at least 2015.

Of the team's 26 defenders, 20 of them received defensive snaps. The 6 players that did not get any reps on defense were comprised of 3 inactives (Anthony Lanier, Josh Harvey-Clemons and Joshua Holsey) and 3 players that worked only as special teamers (Will Compton, Chris Carter and Stefan McClure).

Ryan Anderson, Martrell Spaight, Quinton Dunbar and Fabian Moreau only received a combined 17 snaps, while every other defender played on at least 18 snaps.

Quarterback Pressure- The Redskins sacked Jared Goff twice, but only hit him on two other dropbacks. That's an excellent sack total (7.4% sack percentage) and a decent QB hit percentage (14.8%) when you consider that Goff only dropped back 27 times in the game.

Third-Down Defense- The Redskins tend to win games if they can just hold their opponents to a third-down conversion clip under 50%, which is exactly what they did on Sunday.

The defense gave up first downs on 5 of the Ram's 13 third-down plays (42%). I mean, that's still bad, but it's actually a definite improvement for this defense.

Tight End Defense- Does it surprise you that the Ram's tight ends combined for 4 receptions for 104 yards and 3 first downs on only 5 targets, because it shouldn't. The Redskins rank 30th in receptions allowed to tight ends (13) and dead last in yards allowed (208) to the position.

Rushing Defense- A big reason the Redskins were so successful against the run last week is that the Eagle's don't have much of, if any, truly talented pure running backs. Todd Gurley might have his flaws, but he is definitely a top talent at the position. Gurley and the Rams ran the ball 21 times for 91 yards, 5 first downs, a touchdown and a 4.4-yard average.

In 12 of their last 18 games (66%), this defense has allowed the opposition to hit at least two of the following marks in the same contest: rush for 100 yards or more, average at least 4.0 yards per carry and/or score at least one rushing touchdown.

Turnovers- Greg Manusky's bunch forced two fumbles, recovered one of them and picked off a pass to seal the game. This is the second consecutive week that the defense has forced two turnovers, and the first time they have done so since Weeks 3 and 4 of 2016.

DEFENSIVE LINE

Defensive Linemen (6 Players)
Player	Snaps	Snap %
Jonathan Allen *	29	58%
Matt Ioannidis *	28	56%
Ziggy Hood	19	38%
Stacy McGee	19	38%
Terrell McClain	18	36%
Anthony Lanier	Inactive	N/A

Jonathan Allen- Jon Allen led all Skins D-linemen in snaps again. It's certainly nice to see that the coaching staff is not starting the first-rounder out with training wheels on. He finished the game with one assisted tackle and a QB hit.

Matt Ioannidis- Ioannidis started for the first time in his career and did not disappoint. He made a solo tackle on the first play of the game and registered 4 pressures on Jared Goff on just 19 pass rushes. His PFF grade of 81.5 was the highest by any defender in the game.

Through 2 games, he has recorded a sack, a hit, and 3 hurries; last year he only had 3 total pressures (all hurries) in 9 games played. Ioannidis is the Redskins highest graded D-lineman thus far this season (76.1).

The 2016 zero has turned into a 2017 hero. Ioannidis looks like he might be yet another late-round Scot McCloughan gem.

Stacy McGee- McGee played well against the Eagles in the last game, but didn't contribute much in Week 2. He was able to get a pressure on Goff, but failed to record any other stats.

Ziggy Hood- Hood was unable to register a tackle or any of your other garden-variety statistics for the second time in as many weeks. He was, however, able to get pressure on the QB for the second straight week.

Terrell McClain- The former Dallas Cowboy chipped in with a solo tackle and a fumble recovery that would eventually lead to a Washington field goal. He was not able to generate any pressures as a pass rusher though.

OUTSIDE LINEBACKERS

Outside Linebackers (5 Players)
Player	Snaps	Snap %
Ryan Kerrigan *	37	74%
Preston Smith *	33	66%
Junior Galette	19	38%
Ryan Anderson	12	24%
Chris Carter	ST Only	0%

Ryan Kerrigan- The great Ryan Kerrigan struck again. He recorded a sack fumble on Goff and recorded a pressure on over 20% of his rushes.

The sack brought Kerrigan's career total up to 60, moving him ahead of Dave Butz on the team's unofficial career list (because sacks were not an official stat prior to 1982). He now only trails Dexter Manley (97.5 sacks) and Charles Mann (82 sacks) for most sacks in franchise history.

Kerrigan is also the owner of a gaudy forced fumble total. Since Kerrigan entered the league in 2011, only Cliff Avril (22 FFs) has more forced fumbles than Kerrigan's 20. Von Miller has also forced 22 fumbles in that span.

I'll conclude this long list of statistical accolades by telling you that because Lawrence Timmons went AWOL for the Dolphins on Sunday, Kerrigan now has the longest active streak of consecutive games started (98) by any linebacker playing in the NFL today.

Preston Smith- Smith made 3 tackles, including a stop for no gain on Tavon Austin and a sack of Jared Goff. He also hit Goff on another dropback.

This was probably the first time that Smith has strung together back-to-back plus outings in a year-and-a-half. The only other time he had sacks in consecutive games came in a 4-game sack streak between Week 15 of the 2015 season and the wild card loss against the Packers.

Smith is not even 25 years old yet, so there is more than enough time for him to develop into a top-tier pass rusher.

Junior Galette- Junior Galette got more snaps (16 to 19) and played on a higher percentage of the defensive snaps (24% to 38%) against the Rams. Galette made two solo tackles against Los Angeles; one of the tackles came on a one-yard gain on second-and-nine and the other occurred when he touched Jared Goff down after the quarterback had recovered the fumble caused by Ryan Kerrigan.

Galette was able to generate more pressure as a pass rusher again, but not nearly as frequently. His pressure rate fell from last week's insane 40% to 7% in this contest.

Reserve OLB- Ryan Anderson also saw a small increase in play time this week (10 to 12 snaps/15% to 24% snap share). However, he was still unable to record a stat or a pressure for the second consecutive contest. Chris Carter did not get a token defensive snap this time around.

INSIDE LINEBACKERS

Inside Linebackers (5 Players)
Player	Snaps	Snap %
Mason Foster *	50	100%
Zach Brown *	49	98%
Martrell Spaight	1	2%
Will Compton	ST Only	0%
Josh Harvey-Clemons	Inactive	N/A

Mason Foster- Don't ask me how, but Mason Foster suffered a dislocated shoulder in the game, did not miss a single snap and went out and proceeded to seal the win with an interception.

The pick was the sixth of Foster's career, and it marks the second game in a row that he has scored a takeaway for the Redskins. Through his 7 years as a pro, he had never forced a turnover in consecutive games until Sunday.

Foster also recorded 3 solo and 3 assisted tackles in the game. The Rams did not get a first down on any of Foster's 6 total tackles and only gained an average of 3.3 yards on those plays.

Zach Brown- Brown led the team in solo and total tackles for the second straight game (8 solo and 10 total tackles). He has posted double-digit tackle numbers for the second week in a row (3rd game in a row dating back to 2016) and is tied for 3rd in the league in both solo (15) and total tackles (22).

Brown is on pace to record 176 tackles this season; the 2016 leader in tackles (Bobby Wagner) finished the year with 167 of them. Who was second in place in tackles last season, you ask? Why, that was Zach Brown with 149.

Reserve ILB- Martrell Spaight came in for one play to relieve an injured Zach Brown. Will Compton only played on special teams for the second straight week.

CORNERBACKS

Cornerbacks (6 Players)
Player	Snaps	Snap %
Bashaud Breeland *	50	100%
Josh Norman *	47	94%
Kendall Fuller *	36	72%
Quinton Dunbar	3	6%
Fabian Moreau	1	2%
Joshua Holsey	Inactive	N/A

Josh Norman- Josh Norman had an excellent game on Sunday. He led all Washington defensive backs with 5 solo and 6 total tackles and forced a career-high 2 fumbles, both of which were fumbled by Todd Gurley. This was the first game that a Redskin had forced 2 fumbles since Chris Baker did it in 2015.

No DB is better than Josh Norman when it comes to forcing fumbles. Norman leads all NFL defensive backs with 7 forced fumbles since 2015, the same year that he was joined in Carolina by his by forced-fumble mentor, Charles "Peanut" Tillman. He is tied for 6th in the league, regardless of position, in that same time frame.

Here are the players ahead of him on this list: Vic Beasley, Chandler Jones, Cameron Wake and Jamie Collins and Melvin Ingram. He is tied with Von Miller and Khalil Mack among others. Remember, Josh Norman is not an edge rusher.

He played so well against the run that PFF gave him a near perfect run defense grade of 99.9. His overall run defense grade for 2017 currently sits at 93.4. That is the highest run defense rating the site has handed out to any player in the NFL. The guy with the next best grade is J.J. Watt!

Oh yeah, Norman is still really good at actually covering people too. He only allowed 2 receptions against the Rams, which amounts to one reception allowed for every 13 coverage snaps that he took (that's a great ratio, in case you were wondering).

Bashaud Breeland- Breeland played on every snap, in what was a down performance for him relative to Week 1 and the end of 2016. He did make a solo stop on a third down short of the sticks, but he also missed multiple tackles in the game.

Kendall Fuller- Fuller was in for about three quarters of the defense's plays and played well for the second straight game, which is something I'm not sure he could claim at any time in 2016.

He made 4 solo tackles, 3 of which were made before the Rams could reach the line-to-gain. His play came on an third-down L.A. screen in the red zone. Fuller quickly diagnosed the play and swooped in to make a TFL for a loss of 4 yards, which forced the Rams to settle for a field goal.

The growth between his first and second year in the league is apparent for the 22-year old.

Reserve CB- Quinton Dunbar and Fabian Moreau combined for just 4 snaps on defense. Neither player recorded a stat.

SAFETIES

Safeties (4 Players)
Player	Snaps	Snap %
D.J. Swearinger *	50	100%
Montae Nicholson *	26	52%
Deshazor Everett	23	46%
Stefan McClure	ST Only	0%

D.J. Swearinger- Swearinger played on all 50 snaps and made 4 solo tackles, 3 of which came on plays that the Rams failed to pick up first downs on.

Montae Nicholson- The 21-year old 4th-round pick out of Michigan State got his first career start and out-snapped presumed starter, Deshazor Everett, by 3. Nicholson made two solo tackles and worked primarily in the nickel package.

Deshazor Everett- Deshazor Everett was essentially demoted. He did not start, saw his snap count and share cut in half and virtually only saw the field when the team was operating out of its 3-4 front. Everett didn't do much to prove the coaches wrong either. He did not record a defensive stat in the game.

ALL DEFENSIVE SNAPS

Defense (26 Players)				Defense (continued)
Player	Snaps	Snap %		Player	Snaps	Snap %
Bashaud Breeland *	50	100%		Junior Galette	19	38%
Mason Foster *	50	100%		Stacy McGee	19	38%
D.J. Swearinger	50	100%		Terrell McClain	18	36%
Zach Brown *	49	98%		Ryan Anderson	12	24%
Josh Norman *	47	94%		Quinton Dunbar	3	6%
Ryan Kerrigan *	37	74%		Fabian Moreau	1	2%
Kendall Fuller *	36	72%		Martrell Spaight	1	2%
Preston Smith *	33	66%		Chris Carter	ST Only	0%
Jonathan Allen *	29	58%		Will Compton	ST Only	0%
Matt Ioannidis *	28	56%		Stefan McClure	ST Only	0%
Montae Nicholson *	26	52%		Josh Harvey-Clemons	Inactive	N/A
Deshazor Everett *	23	46%		Joshua Holsey	Inactive	N/A
Ziggy Hood	19	38%		Anthony Lanier	Inactive	N/A

SPECIAL TEAMS

Special Teams (36 Players)				Special Teams (continued)
Player	Snaps	Snap %		Player	Snaps	Snap %
Chris Carter	25	81%		Ziggy Hood	6	19%
Will Compton	22	71%		Shawn Lauvao	6	19%
Fabian Moreau	21	68%		Spencer Long	6	19%
Niles Paul	19	61%		Morgan Moses	6	19%
Quinton Dunbar	17	55%		Ty Nsekhe	6	19%
Martrell Spaight	17	55%		Brandon Scherff	6	19%
Stefan McClure	16	52%		Chase Roullier	6	19%
Matt Ioannidis	15	48%		Ryan Anderson	5	16%
Montae Nicholson	15	48%		Jamison Crowder	5	16%
Bashaud Breeland	12	39%		Jonathan Allen	4	13%
Deshazor Everett	12	39%		Ryan Kerrigan	4	13%
Dustin Hopkins	12	39%		Terrell McClain	4	13%
Nick Sundberg	11	35%		Josh Norman	4	13%
Tress Way	11	35%		Preston Smith	4	13%
Samaje Perine	10	32%		Chris Thompson	4	13%
D.J. Swearinger	10	32%		Zach Brown	2	6%
Kendall Fuller	9	29%		Brian Quick	2	6%
Mason Foster	6	19%		Ryan Grant	1	3%

Snaps- Of the team's 46 active players, 36 of them participated over the course of 31 special teams snaps. That group was made up of 21 defenders, 12 offensive players and 3 specialists. Brian Quick, Chase Roullier, Will Compton, Stefan McClure and Chris Carter were the only non-specialists who played exclusively on Ben Kotwica's unit.

Carter led all Redskins in special teams snaps for the second week in a row, and was again followed by Will Compton, Fabian Moreau and Niles Paul in that department. Montae Nicholson likely got less playing time here because of his increased workload on defense.

Kick Coverage- Deshazor Everett has had a rough go of it on defense, so he may have been trying to make up for it by stepping up on special teams. Everett made 3 solo specials tackles, which is the most by a Redskins player since 2014. Bashaud Breeland, Will Compton, Nick Sundberg and Fabian Moreau also got in on the action and recorded solo teams tackles of their own.

Unfortunately, Moreau wasn't prepared for a Rams' fake-punt pass and he got beat by Josh Reynolds for a gain of 28 on fourth down. Jamison Crowder made the tackle on the play. The Rams would go on to score a game-tying field goal on that drive.

Dustin Hopkins- Hopkins connected on field goals of 22 and 41 yards, but his 51-yarder hit off the right upright and was no good. We can't really hate on Hop for the miss though, because 51 yards is really right about where where his accuracy falls off a cliff, at least that's where his cutoff point is.

For his career, Hopkins has gone 59-for-64 inside 51 yards (92%) and 3-for-10 from 51 yards out and beyond (30%).

Three of his six kickoffs went for touchbacks. The other three were returned for 59 yards (19.7 average), two of which saw the Rams start with field position out past their 25-yard line.

Tress Way- Way booted the ball four times for 204 yards, an average of 51 yards and a net average of 45 yards. Two of his four punts pinned L.A. inside their own 10, and the other two returns only got them out to the 25 and 32-yard lines. The Rams had 24 punt return yards on four total returns (6.0 average).

Kickoff Returns- Four of L.A.'s kickoffs went for touchbacks in the game. Chris Thompson fielded the Skins' only return at the goal line and returned it for 16 yards.

Punt Returns- Jamison Crowder returned two of the Ram's four punts for 13 yards (6.5 average). Only one of those punts pinned the offense inside the 20-yard line.

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

Skins Stats & Snaps: Redskins @ Rams (Offense)

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Special Teams (30 Players)
Player	Snaps	Snap %		Player	Snaps	Snap %
Jehu Chesson	23	85%		Tress Way	9	33%
Deshazor Everett	23	85%		Dustin Hopkins	8	30%
Danny Johnson	23	85%		Jonathan Allen	7	26%
Ryan Anderson	16	59%		Ryan Kerrigan	7	26%
Josh Harvey-Clemons	16	59%		Daron Payne	7	26%
Jeremy Sprinkle	16	59%		Kapri Bibbs	6	22%
Zach Vigil	15	56%		Tony Bergstrom	4	15%
Shaun Dion Hamilton	13	48%		Ha Ha Clinton-Dix	4	15%
Byron Marshall	12	44%		Jonathan Cooper	4	15%
Montae Nicholson	12	44%		Austin Howard	4	15%
Adonis Alexander	11	41%		Ty Nsekhe	4	15%
Matt Ioannidis	11	41%		Chase Roullier	4	15%
Casanova McKinzy	11	41%		Trey Quinn	4	15%
Tim Settle	11	41%		Michael Floyd	2	7%
Nick Sundberg	9	33%		Greg Stroman	1	4%

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