The 2019 Redskins at the Quarter Pole
October 1, 2019
by Steve Thomas
It’s not news for me to suggest that the 2019 season hasn’t exactly started out on a positive note for our beloved Redskins. The team is 0 – 4, which isn’t all that surprising in and of itself, because most fans and analysts predicted the Redskins would have a losing record at this point in the season. The reason for the consternation is really the way that the team has gone about earning their 4 loses – sloppy player execution, seemingly disinterested, unmotivated, unprepared play, and yet another neverending tidal wave of injuries, resulting in a somewhat extreme number of fans calling for multiple coaches to be fired. I therefore won’t spend thousands of words painstakingly analyzing every aspect of the Redskins’ performance thusfar, but instead I thought I’d compare Washington to some other teams in order to give a good sense of just how far down the totem poll Washington really has fallen this season.
First of all, five other teams beyond the Redskins are also winless. The Dolphins, Bengals, and Broncos are also 0 – 4. The Jets had their bye week this past weekend but are 0 – 3. The Cardinals tied the Lions back in week 1 and are 0 – 3 – 1.
Of those teams, the Dolphins have by far the worst point differential in the NFL by a very wide margin at -137. The Bengals are next to last at -53 (i.e., 31st), followed by the Redskins at -52 (30th) The Cardinals are at -41, the Jets (who, again, have played one fewer game) are at -37, and the Broncos are at -23. This means that the Dolphins have been the least competitive team in the league by a wide margin, whereas the Broncos have been in every game, but just haven’t pulled out a victory. The Redskins, at -52, and the Bengals, at -53 are pretty clearly head and shoulders below the rest except for Miami by this basic measure.
On offense, the Dolphins have gained a total of just 900 yards, 30th overall and by far the worst in the NFL for teams which have played 4 games. The Bengals are next with just 1051 yards (29th), followed by Washington with 1185 (27th). The Broncos and Cardinals have both gained significantly more yards, 1397 and 1305, respectively. In three games, the Jets have been pathetic, with only 590 total yards (32nd) in their three contests, but without the fourth game, it’s not an equitable comparison.
On defense, the Dolphins have surrendered a mind-boggling 1888 yards (32nd) so far this season, followed by the Cardinals with 1670 yards (31st), and the Redskins with 1597 (28th). The Bengals and the Broncos are significantly better, at 1219 and 1397 yards, respectively.
Finally, each of these teams’ current turnover ratios also tell a stark tale about these teams’ fortunes. In what should be a surprise to no one, Miami is the worst team in the league by this measure, at -7. The Broncos and Bengals are tied at -5 each. Our beloved Redskins have a -3 turnover ratio. The Cardinals are at -1, and the Jets, in three games, have actually done very well and have a +4 turnover ratio.
By these rough measures, there’s no doubt that the Miami Dolphins are the worst team in the NFL, and it isn’t close. They are the lowest ranked team in every category. They are terrible and an embarrassment to competitive sports. At the other end of the spectrum, the Broncos are pretty clearly head and shoulders above the other “defeated teams”. Our Redskins, on the other hand, are ranked third-worst amongst this group in all of these categories, and bottom 5 in the NFL overall, so it’s fair to say that, at the end of the first quarter of the 2019 season, the Redskins and the Bengals, in some order, are probably the second and third worst teams in the NFL.
Will this performance continue? The second quarter brings the Super Bowl champs to Fed Ex this week and the undefeated 49ers in week 7. The week 6 contest against the Dolphins is a game that, at least based on these numbers, the Redskins should win. The first half of the season wraps up in Minnesota on Thursday Night Football, when Washington faces down its old quarterback, Kirk Cousins, who, to put it mildly, has been struggling this season. On the other hand, the Redskins historically play terrible football in prime time, so it doesn’t look good in week 8 either, folks. The Redskins could be staring at 1 – 7 and competing with the Bengals for the #2 pick in the draft.
Cheers, everyone.