A Wild Win in Seattle
by Sean Conte
Well, the Redskins did what no one thought they’d do: they beat the Seahawks as underdogs with Kirk Cousins leading a successful game-sealing drive late in the 4th quarter.
Not to be a cynic, but it’s worth noting that Seattle had blown 3 easy field goals by then that would have put the game out of reach, and racked up nearly 20 penalties that repeatedly backed them up or pushed Washington forward. This isn’t to downplay the importance of this win; it was a season-saver, at least for now, and that counts for something. But we saw the same problems this week that we’ve seen in the previous 7, and that’s obviously a point of concern.
In terms of receivers, Washington no-showed again this week outside of Doctson and Davis. The former continues to surge with a steadily increasing stat line, and we can thank him for that final drive; Doctson made a highlight-worthy diving catch that nearly resulted in a touchdown when Seattle’s DBs forgot to down him by contact. The latter is still sailing on his career’s second-wind, moving past the 9th all-time yardage total with his 72 yards on Sunday.
The running game was the same as it ever was, with no single back topping the 20 yard total. This is not a recipe for success, but at this point in the season we all know that. Rob Kelly managed two short TD runs, but outside of those red-zone power runs Washington just isn’t effective on the ground.
Defensively, things were much better. Wilson, dealing with a line almost as inconsistent as ours, was routinely pressured and sacked. Zach Brown, the best (some would say only) tackler on this team, spied Wilson throughout the game to take away his running lanes. Combined with some great plays by Terell McClain, Ryan Kerrigan, and others, Washington was able to do enough to stop the bleeding and keep this game close.
The worst moment on defense came late in the game when Josh Norman whiffed on a block against Doug Baldwin, who shot past him to catch a TD in the front-right corner of the end-zone. Norman threw his hands up and looked questioningly at his teammates, but it sure looked like he got beat.
Long story short: both teams were poor on offense, but Washington managed to out-defend Seattle. This, combined with numerous mistakes and penalties by the Seahawks, was enough to put this one away.
Anyone confused about how to put this victory into context should look to the final few minutes of the game. With an opportunity to take the lead, Washington marched convincingly down the field for the score. The entire drive took 4 plays and included a pair of deep balls to Quick and Doctson. It was over quickly. Then it was time for double P’s: Pray and Prevent. Seattle had time. Wilson tossed a few sideline throws that went for first downs and stopped the clock. For a minute, it looked like they were going to do it.
That’s the problem with Washington’s offense; when you have no receivers or running backs, you can’t control the pace. Washington has no two-minute offense; no series of plays that are designed to keep the clock stopped and move pragmatically down the field. If we score, it’ll be on a flashy play that’ll be over just as quickly as it began.
Other teams can do this. Against Philadelphia, Washington’s offense was off the field for nearly a full uninterrupted hour. That’s hell on a defense, even one playing as good as ours, and this problem is compounded when your offense scores immediately afterwards — or gets a quick three-and-out.
Next week brings Minnesota and all the stink of a trap game. Let’s not fall in.