Game Preview, Week 9: Redskins at Seahawks
by Steve Thomas and Sean Conte
The Redskins just can’t have nice things. In this instance, what I’m talking about is the absolute assault of the injury gods on the Redskins’ roster, coming off of some guarded optimism to start the season about some areas of the team, at least, most notably the defensive line. Now, of course, head coach Jay Gruden made note early in the week that he didn’t have enough offensive lineman to conduct practice, which doesn’t bode well for a Sunday which features a matchup against the Seattle Seahawks up in the pacific northwest. I can’t lie to you with a bunch of phony optimism here: this game would be a tall order even in the healthiest of times, much less when the Redskins are doing their best to imitate a M.A.S.H. unit (you young ‘uns: Google it). Seattle features a defense that is worthy of the “Seahawk” name, even if it isn’t the most outstanding unit the team has ever featured, and a pass-centric offense comprised primarily of quarterback Russell Wilson doing just about everything. Can the Redskins pull out a win in a stadium that is one of the noisiest and biggest home field advantages in the NFL? Sure, they could. Is it likely? Not hardly. Let’s proceed on with the preview anyway.
Game time & location: Sunday, November 5, 2017, 4:05 p.m. ET, CenturyLink Field, Seattle, WA; Gates open 11:05 a.m. PT
Television: Fox
Television announcers: Kevin Burkhardt, Charles Davis, Pam Oliver
DC-area radio: ESPN 980
Redskins radio network: http://www.redskins.com/media-gallery/radio-network.html
Seattle radio network: http://www.seahawks.com/gameday/broadcasting/radio
Satellite radio: XM: 83 (Seattle broad.) Sirius: 93 (Redskins broad.); internet: 831 (Redskins broad.)
Redskins roster: http://www.redskins.com/team/roster.hml
Redskins depth chart: http://www.redskins.com/team/depth-chart.html
Seahawks roster: http://www.seahawks.com/team/roster
Seahawks depth chart: http://www.seahawks.com/team/depth-chart
All-time head-to-head record vs Seahawks: 11 – 5 – 0 (last 10: 6 – 4)
Last meeting: L, October 6, 2014, 17 – 27
Early odds: Seattle, -7
SEAN’S 5 KEYS TO THE GAME
Exploit a Weak Rushing Attack
Seattle’s not great on the ground this year. They’re currently ranked 26th in the league. If there’s one thing that bodes well for us defensively, it’s probably that. We shouldn’t have to key in on the RB as much as we have in past weeks, and Seattle’s ranked much better through the air, so at least we know the recipe for success this week. Contain Wilson (yikes, mobile QBs are our weakness) and lock down their receivers and we’ll give Seattle nowhere to go.
Wake up the Run Game
I don’t need to tell you that Washington’s run game is non-existent, our receivers MIA, and our play calling at times suspect. You already know that part. Still, what was once the league’s strongest defense a few years back has regressed precipitously. They’re below-average against the run, so feed Thompson his requisite screens and backfield catches and hope for more magic. Tough to say at this point whether you can expect more from the other backs on the roster.
Be Aware of all the Weapons
Doug Baldwin. Jimmy Graham. Tyler Lockett. Paul Richardson. Russell Wilson. These are the names announcers will be screaming on Sunday if we don’t do something about it. This is a solid receiving corps, and while Graham, Baldwin, and Lockett are the names you know, it’s actually Paul Richardson that leads the team in touchdown receptions and YAC. There’s also Wilson, who’s perfectly content to do himself what his teammates can’t help him accomplish.
Attack Wilson
Kerrigan’s been heating up. That’s good. We’re going to need to generate pressure against Wilson to keep him frazzled and prevent him from making all his reads. It’s going to be up to the defensive line and linebackers to play aggressive while also taking care not to over-pursue and provide a big space for Wilson to dart through. Not an easy job, but necessary. The Redskins are actually on a streak for consecutive games with at least one sack, so hopefully we can continue that trend.
Get the New Lineman on the Same Page
TJ Clemmings, Tyler Catalina, and Chase Roullier will play together for the first time on Sunday. This team is crazy-depleted. Jay has about one week to get them into fighting shape against the Seahawks, but something tells me they’re going to struggle protecting Kirk and executing the Redskins’ gap and power schemes. Not much we can say about this, since these guys don’t have much professional tape out there between all of them. Just hope.
SEAN’S 3 KEY MATCHUPS
Kerrigan and Brown vs. Seahawks O-Line
These are the guys that we can depend on to create pressure and make key stops. Let’s hope Brown stays in top form and Kerrigan finds paydirt.
??? vs. Seattle’s Secondary
I really don’t know. Terelle Pryor shows no signs of life at this point in the season. Josh Doctson can do good things, but it’s typically too little and/or too late. Crowder teases us with the occasional 100 yard game before retreating back into obscurity. Vernon Davis, Reed, and the rest can’t do it all. Someone needs to flash this week, just don’t ask me who.
Kirk Cousins vs. Russell Wilson
Both quarterbacks are going to have opportunities here. Both teams’ offensive lines are suspect. Neither has a dependable running back. Let’s see who can outduel whom, although the odds are stacked against Kirk and our essentially receiver-less offense.
SEAN CUTS TO THE CHASE
The Redskins play this one tight as they always do, but it won’t be enough. Wilson is too elusive and connects on too many late-developing plays – especially on 3rd down – for the Redskins to keep up. Seattle 28, Redskins 17.
OFFICIAL INJURY REPORT (as of Friday (active roster only)) (starters in bold)
LP – limited practice FP – full practice DNP – did not practice
NIR – not injury related Q – questionable O – out
D – Doubtful
| Redskins | Seahawks |
| LB Z. Brown, back; Wed: DNP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP | DE M. Bennett, heel; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP |
| WR J. Crowder, hamstring; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: Q | C J. Britt, ankle; Wed: DNP; Thurs: FP |
| DE M. Ioannidis, hand; Wed: DN; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: O | S K. Chancellor, ankle; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP |
| G S. Lauvao, stinger; Wed: DN; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: O | DE D. Freeney, NIR; Wed: DNP; Thurs: FP |
| C S. Long, knee/knee; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: D | TE J. Graham, ankle; Wed: DNP; Thurs: FP |
| T T. Nsekhe, core muscle; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: D | G L. Joeckel, knee; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP |
| TE N. Paul, concussion; Wed: DN; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: O | CB J. Lane, NIR; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP |
| TE J. Reed, hamstring; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: O | DT J. Reed, concussion; Wed: DN; Thurs: FP |
| G B. Scherff, knee; Wed: DNP; Thurs: LP; Fri: LP; game: Q | S E. Thomas, hamstring; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP |
| T T. Williams, knee; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: D | LB B. Wagner, hamstring; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP |
| CB B. Breeland, knee/groin; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP; Fri: LP; game: Q | WR T. McEvoy, hamstring; Wed: LP; Thurs: DNP |
| RB R. Kelley, ankle; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP; Fri: LP; game: Q | RB C.J. Prosise, ankle; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP |
| S M. Nicholson, shoulder/shoulder; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP; Fri: LP; game: Q | CB R. Sherman, achilles; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP |
| LB M. Spaight, shoulder: LP; Wed: LP; ; Thurs: LP; Fri: LP; game: Q | DT S. Richardson, oblique; Wed: not listed; Thurs: DNP |
| T T.J. Clemmings, ankle/thigh; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP | DE M. Smith, ankle; Wed: not listed; Thurs: DNP |
| LB W. Compton, elbow; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP | |
| S D. Everett, hamstring; Wed: F; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP | |
| LB R. Kerrigan, groin/hand; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP | |
| T M. Moses, ankle/ankle; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP | |
| CB J. Norman, rib; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP | |
| WR T. Pryor, Sr., ankle; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP |
TEAM STATISTICS
Redskins:
Glancing through the Redskins’ offensive stats, you might – having watched the games this year – be surprised that Washington is ranked as high as 22 in rushing yards considering how spectacularly bad the team has been in that particular area. The reason for the non-bottom feeding ranking is Chris Thompson, who leads the team in carries and rushing yards, as well as receptions and receiving yards. Also notable is the fact that, despite amazingly little wide receiver production outside of Jamison Crowder’s week 8 performance against Dallas, quarterback Kirk Cousins is nonetheless ranked 9th in passing yards, and in fact is 4th among quarterbacks who’ve only played 9 games. In the most important stat, points, the Redskins are right in the middle of the pack in 16th place, although, again, many teams ahead of them have not yet had their bye week. The bottom line is, when viewing the offensive statistics on season as a whole, they don’t look nearly as awful as fans feel right now, but this is one of those circumstances in which the numbers are most certainly deceiving. Statistically, this offense is (a) not as prolific as the 2016 team, and (b) on a downward trend due to injuries, the anemic rushing attack outside of Thompson, and poor wide receiver performance. The fact that a running back continues to be the team’s leading receiver does say something about the outstanding season Thompson is having, but isn’t necessarily a good thing.
Defensively, the team has mediocre statistics across the board, although, again, the fact that only half of the NFL teams have had their bye week still skews the data. Washington hasn’t excelled in any one particular area this year, but that’s an improvement over the 2016 team that ranked near the bottom of the NFL in many, if not most, categories. Essentially, injury crisis aside, this defense has risen from statistically “terrible” to “average”, which is a clear improvement. The Redskins are facing a very pass-heavy team this week in the Seattle Seahawks, so look for their total passing yards surrendered and passing yards per attempt to most likely plummet next week, win or lose.
Record 3 – 4 (3rd) (Away: 1 – 2; NFC: 2 – 3)
All-time franchise record: 589 – 576 – 28
Offense
| Offensive rankings | 16 (points) (trend even) / 16 (total yards) (trend +1) / 14 (yards per game) (trend -6) / 7 (yards per play) (trend -1) / 12 (passing yards) (trend +1) / 4 (passing yards per att.) (trend -1) / 22 (rushing yards) (trend -4) / 16 (rushing yards per att.) (trend +1) |
| Points for | 160 |
| Yards per game | 357.1 |
| Passing
|
237 att (23rd); 161 comp; 67.9% comp per. (4th); 8.0 Y/A; 1762 net yds; 13 TD; 4 Int |
| Passing leader | Cousins (237 att, 1900 yds (9th) (4th among QBs with 7 gms), 67.9% comp perc., 13 TDs / 4 Int (35th), 103.3 QB rating (3rd) |
| Receiving leader | Thompson (442 yds (20th), 40 targets (67th), 31 rec (37th), 3 TDs, 14.3 Y/C) |
| Rushing | 182 att (21st); 738 yds; 4.1 Y/A; 105.4 Y/G; 4 TD |
| Rushing leader | Thompson (47 att (48th), 231 yds (41st), 2 TDs, 4.9 Y/A, long 61) |
| Sacks surrendered / rank | 16 / 12 |
| Ave time of possession / rank | 30:58/ 10 |
| 3rd down conversion rate / rank | 38.2% / 16 |
| TD percentage in red zone / rank | 54.55% / 13 |
Defense
| Defensive rankings | 24 (points) (trend -8) / 8 (total yards) (trend even) / 12 (yards per game surrendered) (trend even) / 15 (yards per play) (trend +2) / 10 (passing yards) (trend +4) / 22 (passing yards per att.) (trend +1) / 12 (rushing yards) (trend -5) / 16 (rushing yards per att.) (trend -2) |
| Points against | 180 |
| Yards per game surrendered | 322.6 |
| Opponent’s passing | 226 att (3rd); 141 comp; 62.4% comp perc. (14th); 7.3 Y/A; 1522 net yds; 10 TDs; QB Rating 88.3 (15th) |
| Opponent’s rushing | 182 att (12th); 736 yds; 4.0 Y/A; 6 TD; 105.1 Y/G (13th) |
| Sacks / rank / Sack leader | 20/ 11 / Kerrigan (6.0) |
| Tackles leader | Brown (49) |
| Int / rank / Int leader | 6 / 17 / Fuller (2) |
| Opponent 3rd down conv rate / rank | 40.86% / 23 |
| Opponent TD percentage in red zone / rank | 59.09% / 26 |
Special Teams
| Kick returns | 19.1 Y/R (27th), 9 returns, long 24 yards, 0 TDs |
| Punt returns | 5.2 Y/R (27th), 13 returns, long 18 yards (24th), 0 TD |
| Kick return defense | 18.3 Y/R (_4th), 9 returns, 0 TD |
| Punt return defense | 9.0 Y/R (20th), 12 returns, 0 TD |
| Punting | 45.4 Y/P (17th) |
Turnovers (lost by O / recv’d by D / net / rank): 13 / 10 / -3 / 22
Penalties (total accepted # / rank): 38 / 2
Seahawks:
The thing that you should glean from the numbers below is that this year, more than other years, the Seahawks are a passing team. Their leading rusher, Chris Carson, is now on IR, and their two other big-name running backs, Eddie Lacy and Thomas Rawls, are averaging 2.6 and 2.0 yards per carry respectively. Russell Wilson has been putting up video game-like numbers in recent weeks to compensate for the loss of their running game. Make note of the fact that while Wilson is only 6th in the NFL in passing yards this week, he’s ranked 1st among quarterbacks who’ve only play six games. The Redskins pass defense is going to be challenged in every area. Oh yeah, and they feature a quality tight end in Jimmy Graham, and the Redskins are infamously bad at covering tight ends.
Defensively, Seattle is ranked 4th in points surrendered (again, with only 7 games on the books) and 13th in total yards. The reason for the middling total yards ranking is because the Seahawks actually have not been great against the rush, being currently ranked 26th in rushing yards per carry, but 9th in passing yards and 8th in passing yards per attempt. Unfortunately, as you know, the Redskins running game is in shambles right now, so this matchup may not play into the Redskins’ strengths. The Seahawks have been outstanding in red zone defense, with opponents converting only 35.29% of red zone trips into touchdowns, a figure which is third best in the NFL.
Record: 5 – 2 (1st) (Home: 3 – 0; NFC: 3 – 1)
Offense
| Offensive rankings | 11 (points) / 10 (total yards) / 7 (yards per game) / 9 (yards per play) / 7 (passing yards) (2nd among tms with 7 games) / 8 (passing yards per att.) / 26 (rushing yards) / 24 (rushing yards per att.) |
| Points for | 170 |
| Yards per game | 370.3 |
| Passing | 259 att (15th) (4th among tms with 7 games); 164 comp; 63.3% comp per. (11th); 7.8 Y/A; 1909 net yds; 15 TDs; 5 Int |
| Passing leader | Wilson (258 att, 2008 yds (6th) (1st among QBs with 7 gms), 63.6% comp per., 15 TDs / 4 Int, 100.4 QB rating (8th)) |
| Reception leader | Baldwin (430 yds, 61 targets, 42 rec (11th), 2 TDs, 10.2 Y/C) |
| Rushing | 187 att (19th); 683 yds; 3.7 Y/A; 97.6 Y/G (20th); 2 TDs |
| Rushing leader | Carson (49 att (44th), 208 yds (44th), 0 TDs, 4.2 Y/A (21st), long 30 yds) |
| Sacks surrendered / rank | 16 / 12 |
| Ave time of possession / rank | 30:30/ 15 |
| 3rd down conversion rate / rank | 43.1% / 6 |
| TD percentage in red zone / rank | 50.0% / 17 |
Defense
| Defensive rankings | 4 (points) / 13 (total yards) / 17 (yards per game surrendered) / 15 (yards per play) / 9 (passing yards) / 8 (passing yards per att.) / 17 (rushing yards) / 26 (rushing yards per att.) |
| Points against | 132 |
| Yards per game surrendered | 333.7 |
| Opponent’s passing | 246 att (12th); 139 comp; 56.5% comp per. (3rd); 6.6 Y/A; 1512 net yds; 9 TD; QB Rating 75.2 (5th) |
| Opponent’s rushing | 180 att (9th); 824 yds; 4.6 Y/A; 5 TD |
| Sacks / rank / Sack leader | 17/ 15 / Bennett (5.5) |
| Tackles leader | Wagner (44) |
| Int / rank / Int leader | 8 / 9 / Sherman/Thomas (2) |
| Opponent 3rd down conv rate / rank | 35.48% / 9 |
| Opponent TD percentage in red zone / rank | 35.29% / 3 |
Special Teams
| Kick returns | 22.1 Y/R (13th), 11 returns, long 43 yards, 0 TDs |
| Punt returns | 6.3 Y/R (23rd), 15 returns, long 14 yards (29th), 0 TDs |
| Kick return defense | 19.2 Y/R (6th), 17 returns, 0 TDs |
| Punt return defense | 6.9 Y/R (15th), 17 returns, 0 TDs |
| Punting | 43.9 Y/P (27th) |
Turnovers (lost by O / recv’d by D / net / rank): 7 / 13 / +6 / 5
Penalties (total accepted # / rank): 66/ 32
* Statistics courtesy of www.pro-football-reference.com, www.nflpenalties.com, www.nfl.com, www.teamrankings.com, www.espn.com, www.sportingcharts.com