A Reason to be Optimistic About the Washington Redskins Defense

After the Washington Redskins’ loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 3, I provided some statistics that suggested the Redskins defense was on pace to make NFL history for futility in yards and points allowed. This defense raised their level of play against Tampa Bay, but was still not great in allowing the Buccaneers to come back from a 21-3 deficit in the second half.  Everyone that watches this team can see that the defense is struggling.  There are big holes in the secondary, struggles in getting to the passer without Brian Orakpo, and questionable gameplans and playcalls to compound the issues with the entire unit. There is no question; this defense needs to be better.

However, despite the poor yardage and point totals this defense has given up, there are a few bright spots:

• Third down conversions allowed:  15-44, 34.1% (10th in the NFL)

• Interceptions: 5 (tied for 9th in the NFL)

• Fumbles recovered: 4 (tied for 5th in the NFL)

• Total turnovers: 9 (tied for 5th in the NFL)

• Defensive touchdowns: 2 (tied for 2nd in the NFL)

While you never want to give up the yardage and points that the Redskins have allowed, the statistics above are not negligible.  They signify a staple goal of any defense: the ability to get the ball back to the offense (or to score on their own).

If there is one thing that this defense does solidly, it is putting the ball back into Robert Griffin III’s hands.  In fact, if any one set of statistics can give a Redskins fan hope for the rest of the season, it is the following:

*A successful stop is one in which the defense forces a turnover or a punt (i.e. does not allow any points).  This statistic does not take into account field position.

The fact that this defense has had a successful stop on 55.1% of its drives suggests that there is hope.  The Redskins are currently ranked 16th in the NFL in successful stop percentage (just below the Arizona Cardinals and just above the New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers), which is well above their 29th ranking in yards per game and 27th ranking in points per game. Above all else, what this statistic means is that opposing teams are having trouble consistently sustaining drives, which makes it difficult for opponents to keep Robert Griffin III and this explosive offense off the field.  This is a part of the reason why the Redskins have won the time of possession battle in three out of the four games in 2012.  The more time Griffin has with the ball, the greater chance this team is going to put big points on the board.

The issue with this defense is in allowing big plays (which should come as no surprise).  The Redskins allowed a 33-yard TD pass to Lance Moore against New Orleans.  They allowed a 34-yard TD reception to Brandon Gibson, a 56-yard reception to Danny Amendola, and a 53-yard rush to Daryl Richardson against St. Louis.  They allowed a 73-yard TD reception to AJ Green, a 59-yard TD reception to Andrew Hawkins, and a 48-yard TD reception to Armon Binns against Cincinnati.  And this past week, they allowed a 65-yard reception to Mike Williams and a 54-yard reception to Vincent Jackson.  Teams are killing the Redskins with chunk plays; they are not picking apart this defense and moving the ball methodically down the field.  As counter-intuitive as it seems, the struggles with big plays as opposed to sustained drives can be taken as a positive when looking at the future.

It’s easier said than done, but if the Redskins are able to limit the big plays against them, they can make a big difference in their defensive production.  I say “limit” because the aggressive philosophy that Haslett employs comes with inherent risks.  Big plays going to happen; they just shouldn’t be happening at the rate we are currently seeing.  However, little (and more importantly correctable) things are contributing to the number of these plays.  A missed tackle (actually, three missed tackles) turned a 7-yard run into a 53-yard run for Daryl Richardson.  An uncharacteristic stumble by Josh Wilson turned a 10-yard gain into a 48-yard touchdown for Binns.  A proper match-up on AJ Green and Andy Dalton in a wildcat formation could have turned a 78-yard touchdown reception into just a 10-20 yard reception (or maybe even have turned that read into a run for Cincinnati).  It’s simple execution by the players and basic preparation by the coaches that can eliminate just one or two of those big plays per game.  That’s 50-100 fewer yards and up to 7 fewer points allowed per game.  With the way the Redskins’ offense is playing, that would be good enough for a lot of wins this season.

The 2009 New Orleans Saints were built with a powerful offense and a super-aggressive and opportunistic defense.  That Saints team was defensively ranked 25th in the NFL for yards allowed and 20th in the NFL for points allowed.  They were also ranked 14th in the NFL with 38.0% third down conversions and 2nd in the NFL with 39 turnovers forced.  Those Saints allowed big plays and gave up points, but they were great at forcing the ball back into Drew Brees’ hands.  It was a recipe for a 13-3 record, a division title, and, ultimately, a Super Bowl ring.

Personally, I think the Redskins are knocking on the door of defensive respectability.  This team is more talented than they’ve shown themselves to be through four weeks, and the statistics above suggest they are not far off from returning to their 2011 status.  The performance against Tampa Bay (22 points and 16 first downs allowed) was a step in the right direction.  If the Redskins are going to beat the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday, they will need to continue with that progress.

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