Snaps- Jay Gruden used 17 of his 25 offensive players over the course of 68 snaps in Sunday’s game versus the New York Giants.
Of the eight players that did not play on offense, five were inactive (Jamison Crowder, Brian Quick, Samaje Perine, Geron Christian and Casey Dunn), two played exclusively on special teams (Jehu Chesson and Tony Bergstrom) and one was active, but did not take a snap of any kind (Colt McCoy).
Front-Running Football- Amazingly, there has not been a single lead change in any of the Redskins’ seven games this year. So obviously, it has been imperative for them to score first, and they have done just that.
Washington has scored a touchdown on the first or second drive in all five of the games they’ve won this season. Their 35.7% TD scoring rate on these drives is tied for fourth in the NFL. They have not turned the ball over on any of their first two drives, either.
Time of Possession- Once they take the early lead, they like to hold the ball and keep it away from the opposing offense. Their third place rankings in both time of possession per game (32:28) and time of possession per drive (3:02) show they have been very successful in this regard. The Saints, Eagles and Bears are the only teams with better averages in either statistic.
Turnovers- You can’t hold the ball if you give it away to the other team. Luckily for the Redskins, their offense has done an excellent job of not committing turnovers so far this season.
Their single turnover against the Giants was just their sixth giveaway of the year. The Skins committed 13 turnovers through seven games and eight weeks in 2017, so they definitely looked to have improved in this department.
The only team in the league that has turned the ball over fewer times this season is the Redskins’ next opponent, the Atlanta Falcons (4 turnovers).
3rd & 4th Down- After going 3-for-12 (25%) on the money down last week, the Redskins were able to convert on 6 of their 15 (40%) third downs this past Sunday. Half of their conversions came on plays with three or fewer yards to go.
Their 37.9% conversion rate on third down ranks 22nd on the year.
For only the second time this season (week 4 vs. Green Bay), the Skins did not go for it once on fourth down.
Red Zone- The offense made three trips to the red zone, but only took a total of four snaps inside the New York 20-yard line. They scored two plays into their first red-zone possession, but proceeded to immediately lose a fumble and commit a false start that ended their two other trips to the red area after just one play.
In all, they scored a touchdown on one of their three RZ possessions. They have only scored on 10 of their 21 trips inside the 20 this season, and their 47.6% success rate there ranks 25h in the NFL.
I’m not sure the Redskins can keep up their winning ways if they continue to rank in the bottom third of the league in both red-zone and third-down conversion rate.
QUARTERBACKS
Quarterbacks (2 Players) | ||
Player (* - starter) | Snaps | Snap % |
Alex Smith * | 68 | 100% |
Colt McCoy | 0 | 0% |
Alex Smith (Traditional Stats)- Alex Smith completed 20 of his 32 passes (62.5%) for 178 yards, 10 first downs, a touchdown and no interceptions. He was not sacked for the second time this year, after only being sacked once last week against the Cowboys.
This was the third straight game in which Smith failed to throw for more than 180 yards. He has now failed to top 180 yards in 57 career regular season games (minimum 10 attempts), which is 12 more than the number of games in which he passed for 250 or more yards (45).
It was the fourth game this season that he tossed one or zero touchdowns in. He has thrown multiple scores in 57 of his games as a pro, while throwing for one or less TDs in his other 106 games.
Smith’s 5.56 YPA average and his 87.8 passer rating were his second lowest marks in both categories this season.
He has done well to avoid throwing costly interceptions this season, and his 0.88% interception rate ranks fourth in the NFL. However, his TD rate of 3.51% has him at 27th among 34 qualifying quarterbacks. Alex Smith ranks in the bottom ten in that statistic and in completion percentage (63.2%), yards per attempt (6.8), yards per completion (10.8) and yards per game (223).
On the bright side, Smith made a touchdown-saving tackle on the Giants’ 43-yard fumble return. New York turned the ball over on downs four plays later. This was his first tackle since 2014.
Alex Smith (Rushing)- On his two runs against the Giants (non-kneel downs), Smith gained 14 yards. He picked up his only first down with an 11-yard scamper on a 1st-and-10 play. He sits at 18th among all quarterbacks in rushing yards per game (13.9).
Alex Smith (Advanced Stats)- Smith’s 64.1 QBR ranked 13th among all QBs in Week 8, and was his best showing in this advanced metric since Week 3 (vs. Packers). His 60.7 PFF grade, on the other hand, ranked 19th at the position this week, and is right in line with his ratings in each of the past five games (all between 60.1 and 61.3).
None of his production came via the deep passing game. He attempted just two throws that traveled 20 or more yards in the air and both passes fell incomplete. His average depth of target of 6.9 yards was the third lowest average by a QB this week. This was his lowest aDOT since Week 1, when he did not attempt a single deep pass.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Wide Receivers (7 Players) | ||
Player (* - starter) | Snaps | Snap % |
Josh Doctson * | 56 | 82% |
Maurice Harris | 56 | 82% |
Paul Richardson * | 46 | 68% |
Michael Floyd | 9 | 13% |
Jehu Chesson | ST Only | 0% |
Jamison Crowder | Inactive | N/A |
Brian Quick | Inactive | N/A |
Josh Doctson- Josh Doctson led all Redskins receivers in playing time (56 snaps) and routes run (31) for the sixth time this year.
He caught all five of his targets and finished the game with 49 yards and 3 first downs, with two of those first downs coming on third down.
The 5 receptions were a new career high for Doctson and his 49 yards represented his sixth best receiving yardage total as a pro. This was the second game in a row in which he topped 40 yards and it was the first instance in which he has ever hit that mark in back-to-back games.
This was also the first time Doctson has ever caught more than two-thirds of his passes in a contest where he received multiple targets. The only other time he bested a 66.7% catch rate was in his first career game, when he caught his lone target for a 9-yard gain.
Maurice Harris- Mo Harris hit new career highs in both snaps (56) and snap rate (82.4%) in Sunday’s game. Harris actually tied Doctson for the most snaps on the team by a WR, which marks the first time in his career that he led the group in snaps played. He ran 20 of his 24 routes from the slot.
Harris hauled in both targets thrown his way, gained 20 yards on those catches and moved the chains on a third down with one of them.
Harris has caught multiple passes and picked up at least one first down in each of the last four games; he had never had multiple receptions in back-to-back games or caught a first-down pass in more than two straight contests coming into this season.
Paul Richardson- Richardson returned after sitting out last week with shoulder and knee injuries, but only played on a season-low 68% of the snaps.
P-Rich caught 2-of-5 targets for 34 yards and one first down. His first down went for 25 yards on 3rd-and-6 and was the Redskins’ second longest play of the game. Richardson was also responsible for the team’s second longest gain of the day, as he drew a 40-yard DPI against B.W. Webb. Richardson leads the team with 62 pass-interference yards this season.
He got a carry in the running game for just the third time in his career. Richardson ran the ball 7 yards on the play, which doubled his rushing total as a pro coming into the day (7 yards).
Michael Floyd- After setting new seasons highs last week in snaps (30), routes run (13), targets (3), receptions (1) and receiving yards (20), Michael Floyd only took 9 snaps with the offense against the Giants and ran a route on just three of those plays. This was the second game he was not targeted in this year.
Jehu Chesson- For the second time in his three 2018 games, Jehu Chesson solely played on special teams. Chesson took 83 snaps with the Chiefs’ offense last year, but has only been on the field for one offensive snap this season with the Redskins.
Brian Quick- Brian Quick, who was signed in Week 2, was on the inactive list for the first time this season. He averaged 18 snaps played, 1 target, 1 reception and 6 yards in the team’s last three games.
Jamison Crowder- Crowder, who had missed one game in his career prior to this season, was held out for the third consecutive week (ankle).
The walk-year slot receiver was averaging career lows in receptions per game (3.3), receiving yards per game (33.5), yards per target (6.7) and yards per route run (1.0) even before the injury. His 2018 yards-per-reception average of 10.31 is just 0.07 higher than his career low of 10.24 (rookie season).
Wide Receiver Woes: Part Whatever- The Washington wideout corps gained a total of 103 receiving yards against the Giants, which is their highest such total in a win this season. The team’s wide receivers averaged 74.5 yards in their four other wins and had not topped 85 yards in any of those contests.
TIGHT ENDS
Tight Ends (3 Players) | ||
Player (* - starter) | Snaps | Snap % |
Jordan Reed * | 53 | 78% |
Vernon Davis * | 33 | 49% |
Jeremy Sprinkle | 19 | 28% |
Jordan Reed- Finally, in the eighth game of the season, the Redskins decided to make a concerted effort to get Jordan Reed involved early and often.
Reed was thrown at on three of the first five offensive plays of the game, including on the very first play, and racked up 6 targets in the first half alone. This was quite a departure from what we’ve seen so far this year, as he received a combined 2 first-half targets between the Colts, Saints and Cowboys games.
In all, Reed set new season-highs in offensive snaps (53), snap percentage (78%), targets (12) and receptions (7), with the target and reception totals being team highs, as well. He also tied a season and team high with 3 first downs in the game, with one of those chain movers coming on third down. He was targeted on 6 of Alex Smith’s third-down passes.
The problem was that Reed gained just 38 yards on his 12 targets and 7 receptions. As a result he posted the fifth and third lowest YPR (5.43) and YPT (3.17) averages of his career, respectively.
Overall, this was a solid performance for Reed, whose 72.7 PFF grade ranked second on the offense.
Jordan Reed (Records)- On what was his third catch in Sunday’s game, Jordan Reed hauled in the 300th regular-season reception of his career. Reed accomplished this feat in just 59 games, which is the second fewest number of games needed to hit this mark by a tight end in NFL history (Kellen Winslow did it in 57 games) and the fewest number of games needed to do so by any player in Redskins history (Gary Clark did it in 66 games).
Those numbers don’t even do Reed justice, though. Only 12 players since 1950 have reached the 300-catch milestone in fewer games. I’ll let you check out the list for yourself, but I’ll add that at least half of those 12 players will probably end up in the Hall of Fame when all is said and done.
Vernon Davis- This was not a particularly good game for Vernon Davis.
This was the second game in a row he played on less than half the snaps, which marks the first time he’s been under the 50% mark in back-to-back games within a single season since Weeks 2 and 3 of 2016, his second and third career games with the team.
His offensive pass interference penalty on the first drive of the game negated a Jordan Reed first down and stalled the drive. This was Davis’ fourth accepted penalty of the year, which is tied (with 3 other players) for the second most penalties committed by a tight end this season.
Davis caught one of his three targets and took that catch for a 21-yard first down, with 20 of those yards coming after the catch, on a fourth-quarter field-goal drive. It was the Redskins’ third longest play of the game.
On the offense’s next drive, Davis dropped his first pass of the season on a 2nd-and-10 play. The Skins likely would’ve been looking at a 3rd-and-short had he been able to haul in the pass, but instead they gained just 1 yard on a Chris Thompson 3rd-and-10 run.
He earned a lowly 46.1 rating from PFF for the performance, which was the second lowest grade on the team and his lowest grade of the season.
Perhaps, Father Time is finally catching up to Davis (34-270d), who was born 97 days before the second oldest player on the team was (Alex Smith).
Jeremy Sprinkle- Sprinkle was on the field for 28% of the offensive snaps, which is a new season low for him in a Redskins’ win. He spent 14 of his 18 snaps working as a run blocker.
He was flagged for a false start for the first time in his career. Last week, Sprinkle committed the first penalty of his entire career, when his holding infraction negated a 21-yard Adrian Peterson run.
Sprinkle’s 42.8 PFF rating for the game ranked dead last on the team. His 45.3 grade on the year ranks 114th out of the 118 tight ends who have played on offense this season.
RUNNING BACKS
Running Backs (4 Players) | ||
Player (* - starter) | Snaps | Snap % |
Adrian Peterson * | 41 | 60% |
Chris Thompson | 26 | 38% |
Kapri Bibbs | 1 | 1% |
Samaje Perine | Inactive | N/A |
Adrian Peterson (Rushing)- Redskins fans were treated to yet another classic Adrian Peterson performance this past Sunday.
Peterson played on 60% of the snaps and rushed for 149 yards, 4 first downs and a touchdown on his 26 attempts. His snap rate and rushing yardage total were new season highs and his 26 attempts tied his 2018 high.
His 149 yards were the third most ever by a player who was at least 33 years old (5th most including postseason). Only John Henry Harrison (165 yards at the age of 34.321d) and John Riggins (200 yards at the age 35-071d) accomplished this feat at an older age. Riggins is the only player who ever hit that mark at such an advanced age in the postseason (185 yards at the age of 33.164d and 166 yards at the age of 33.179d).
All Day failed to gain any yardage on six of his carries against the Giants, but made up for it by running for at least 5 yards on nine of his totes. He posted a 5.73 YPC average, which was his second-best average of the year.
Todd Gurley is the only player in the league who has averaged at least 5.70 yards per carry on 17-plus attempts in more games than Peterson has (7 to 5). Peterson, however, leads the NFL in number of games with 95 or more rushing yards (5). Gurley and James Conner are the only players within a game of him in the latter category (4 each).
AP broke four tackles in the running game en route to a season-best 88 yards after contact and a 3.38 yards-after-contact average.
His lone major mistake on Sunday was a lost fumble inside the Giants’ red zone. Luckily, for Peterson, the Giants were unable to score on the ensuing drive after their 43-yard return.
He currently ranks in the top five in rushing attempts (127-4th), yards (587-5th), missed tackles forced (24-3rd) and yards after contact (393-3rd).
Adrian Peterson (Receiving)- The former Viking also caught a 7-yard touchdown on his only target of the game. The TD catch was just the sixth of his career and his first score in the passing game since Week 1 of the 2013 season.
With this performance, Peterson became the oldest player in league history (33.221d) to gain 100 or more rushing yards and score both a rushing and receiving touchdown. Ricky Williams (32-182d) and Walter Payton (32-044d) were the only other players who have done this after turning 32-years old.
Adrian Peterson (Rushing Records)- Peterson, who now sits at 12,863 rushing yards for his career, passed Tony Dorsett (no relation) on the all-time rushing yardage list and moved into 9th place all-time. All Day is on pace to pass Eric Dickerson for 8th place (396 yards away) and to fall just short of passing Jerome Bettis (799 yards away) for 7th place all-time.
Peterson scored his 103rd career rushing touchdown in Sunday’s game. He is now just two and four rushing scores away from passing John Riggins (104) and Jim Brown (106) for 6th and 5th place on the all-time list, respectively.
Adrian Peterson (Touchdown)- That touchdown came on a 64-yard, game-sealing run. Peterson hit a top speed of 20.37 miles per hour on the play, which is the ninth fastest speed reached by a ball carrier on a rushing touchdown all season.
Not only was this Peterson’s longest run since Week 10 of the 2015 season (80-yard rush vs. the Raiders), it was the Redskins’ longest play of the season and their longest touchdown rush since Robert Griffin’s 76-yard score against the Vikings in 2012. It tied the length of Clinton Portis’ 64-yard TD on his first carry with the team in 2004. The only other Redskin with a longer rushing touchdown in the last 25 years was Stephen Davis, who scored on a 76-yard run almost exactly 20 years ago.
The TD was Peterson’s 15th career rushing score of 50 or more yards, which ties him with Barry Sanders for the most such touchdowns in NFL history (including postseason).
AP scored this touchdown at the age of 33 years and 221 days old, which makes him the oldest player to score a 60-plus yard rushing touchdown since the legendary Jim Thorpe scored on an 80-yard run in 1921 at the age of 34.38 years old. Take note of the fact that 1920 is considered the first year of NFL football.
The only other players who were at least 33 and scored touchdowns of 60 or more yards were quarterback Steve Bono (76 yards at the age of 33-143d) and Rocky Bleier (70 yards at the age of 33-216d).
Chris Thompson- Chris Thompson returned from a two-game absence, but positive game flow and yet another rib injury limited him to new season lows in snaps played (26) and snap percentage (38%).
CT hauled in 2 receptions for 9 yards on his 3 targets and 20 routes run. All of those numbers were his second lowest totals of the year (vs. Packers).
Thompson also set a new 2018-low with 3 carries in the game. He gained 13 yards on those runs, 10 of which were picked up on a first-down rush that came on the Redskins’ first touchdown drive of the game. The 13 yards on the ground gave him his second lowest rushing yardage figure since Week 2 of last season.
He was only used as a pass blocker on two snaps against the Giants, but somehow gave up QB hurries on both plays.
PFF gave Chris Thompson a 55.2 grade for the game, his lowest rating since the 2016 Week 17 contest against these same New York Giants (51.9).
Injuries, second-half leads and Adrian Peterson have caused Chris Thompson to have a severely diminished role on the Redskins’ offense so far this year.
Kapri Bibbs- Kapri Bibbs didn’t see the field with the offense until the final play of the game, an Alex Smith kneel-down snap.
This new season low in playing time was likely a combination of Thompson’s return to the lineup and Bibbs’ shoulder injury. I lean towards the latter, because he had played at least 6 offensive snaps in all seven of his previous career games with the team.
Bibbs led the team in receptions (4), receiving first downs (2), receiving yards (43) and touchdowns (1) in last week’s win over the Cowboys.
Samaje Perine- Thompson’s return kept Samaje Perine off the game-day roster for the first time since Week 5.
Perine only played on 10 offensive snaps between his two appearances this season. He gained a total of just 2 yards from scrimmage on his four touches in those games.
Redskins Rushing- Washington’s offense tied a season high with 182 rushing yards in Sunday’s game. This is the team’s highest total since Week 2 of last year (229 yards at Rams). The Skins hit that number on 33 carries, which gave them a 2018-high 5.52 YPC average, also their best showing since the aforementioned 2017 game against L.A. (5.87).
The team failed to gain any yardage on 6-of-32 non-kneel down runs, but they picked up 6 first downs, gained 5-plus yards 12 times and posted an impressive 52% success rate on those plays.
This was the Redskins’ third straight 100-yard performance and their fifth of the year. They currently rank 4th and 8th in rushing attempts (30.0) and yards (128.0) per game.
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN
Offensive Linemen (9 players) | ||
Player (* - starter) | Snaps | Snap % |
Shawn Lauvao * | 68 | 100% |
Morgan Moses * | 68 | 100% |
Chase Roullier * | 68 | 100% |
Brandon Scherff * | 68 | 100% |
Trent Williams * | 45 | 66% |
Ty Nsekhe | 23 | 34% |
Tony Bergstrom | ST Only | 0% |
Geron Christian | Inactive | N/A |
Casey Dunn | Inactive | N/A |
Offensive Line (Team)- The O-line was instrumental in the success of the Redskins’ running game. They paved the way for the team to average 2.06 yards before contact and to pick up first downs on both rushes with one or two yards left to go. Several linemen made vital blocks on Adrian Peterson’s 64-yard touchdown run, which was the Redskins’ fifth longest run in the last 20 years.
Alex Smith was not sacked for the second time this season (vs. Packers) and the O-line was not responsible for allowing a sack for the second consecutive week. Smith only faced pressure on 9 of his 33 dropbacks in the game. That equates to a 27.3% pressure rate, which was the team’s second-lowest percentage allowed in 2018 (19.6% vs. the Colts).
Trent Williams- A dislocated thumb on the Redskins’ second drive of the game limited Trent Williams to a season-low 66% snap rate. Williams missed 23 snaps in the game after having to sit for just 2 total snaps in Weeks 1-7.
It seems as if the injury may have affected his play, as he gave up 3 total pressures, which included 2 QB hits by Olivier Vernon. The last time Williams allowed multiple hits in a game was in Week 1 of the 2014 season (at Texans).
This was also just the second regular-season contest since the 2014 season in which he has allowed his QB to be hit more than once in any capacity (hits and sacks combined). The only other time this happened in that span was against the Saints 3 weeks ago (1 hit and 1 sack).
He posted a season-low 47.7 pass-blocking grade against the Giants, but made up for it by earning a 2018-best 83.0 rating as a run blocker.
Hopefully, Williams will be able to suit up and not be too hindered by his injury next week against the Falcons.
Ty Nsekhe- Ty Nsekhe replaced Williams at left tackle for 23 of the Redskins’ offensive snaps. He did not allow a single pressure in the game, but that probably had something to do with him only pass blocking on 6 of his snaps.
Nsekhe had the second highest grade on the team in both pass (78.6) and run (80.8) blocking, and ranked first on the offense with an overall rating of 80.6
Shawn Lauvao- Just as he did in his three other games this season, Shawn Lauvao led or was tied for the lead among all Washington O-lineman in pressures allowed (3 hurries).
However, he did bounce back from last week’s season-low 47.7 PFF rating, by earning a 2018-best 65.0 rating from the site for his performance in this game.
Chase Roullier- Chase Roullier allowed just one pressure (a hurry) against the Giants. He’s the lone starting lineman on the team who has yet to give up a sack this season and he hasn’t surrendered a QB hit or committed a penalty since Week 1.
Roullier did some nice things in the running game, too. For instance, he made a key block on Adrian Peterson’s 64-yard touchdown run.
Roullier and Alex Smith are the only offensive players on the team who have not missed a single snap this season.
Brandon Scherff- Scherff did commit a penalty for the first time since Week 6 of last year (holding), but like Roullier he allowed one hurry in pass protection and made critical block on Adrian Peterson’s TD. This is the second week in a row that Scherff has made what was probably the most important block on the Redskins’ longest touchdown of the game.
Morgan Moses- Morgan Moses also only gave up one pressure (a hurry) in Sunday’s game, which is a step forward for him, considering he allowed either a hit or a sack in each of the last three weeks.
He was flagged for the third time this year though, when his false start on a 3rd-and-1 at the New York 19-yard line moved the offense out of the red zone and set them up with a 3rd-and-6 that they were unable to convert on.
Tony Bergstrom- All of Tony Bergstrom’s PT came on special teams for the second week in a row.
Casey Dunn- Dunn was inactive for the second consecutive week. He will probably only dress when one of the Redskins’ interior O-lineman is unable to play.
Geron Christian- Christian was inactive for the seventh straight game to start his career. I guess I wouldn’t trust Christian to play either, considering no other player allowed more QB pressures in the preseason than he did (15).
ALL OFFENSIVE PLAYERS
Offense (25 Players) | ||||||
Player (* - starter) | Snaps | Snap % | Player (* - starter) | Snaps | Snap % | |
Shawn Lauvao * | 68 | 100% | Ty Nsekhe | 23 | 34% | |
Morgan Moses * | 68 | 100% | Jeremy Sprinkle | 19 | 28% | |
Chase Roullier * | 68 | 100% | Michael Floyd | 9 | 13% | |
Brandon Scherff * | 68 | 100% | Kapri Bibbs | 1 | 1% | |
Alex Smith * | 68 | 100% | Colt McCoy | 0 | 0% | |
Josh Doctson * | 56 | 82% | Tony Bergstrom | ST Only | 0% | |
Maurice Harris | 56 | 82% | Jehu Chesson | ST Only | 0% | |
Jordan Reed * | 53 | 78% | Geron Christian | Inactive | N/A | |
Paul Richardson * | 46 | 68% | Jamison Crowder | Inactive | N/A | |
Trent Williams * | 45 | 66% | Casey Dunn | Inactive | N/A | |
Adrian Peterson * | 41 | 60% | Samaje Perine | Inactive | N/A | |
Vernon Davis * | 33 | 49% | Brian Quick | Inactive | N/A | |
Chris Thompson | 26 | 38% |
*All statistics are courtesy of Air Yards, ESPN, NBC Sports, NFL.com, NFL Gamebooks, Pro Football Focus, Pro Football Reference, Redskins.com, Sharp Football Stats and The Washington Post*
Poll
How many of the following seven accolades will Adrian Peterson earn this season: Pro Bowl, All Pro, 1,000 rushing yards, rushing title, Offensive Player of the Year, Comeback Player of the Year, MVP?
This poll is closed
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2%
None
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9%
1
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35%
2
-
47%
3
-
5%
4 or More