Brian Nemhauser·
Tale of the Tape
··4 min read

Tale of the Tape — Battered Redskins Remain a Worthy Opponent

These are the weeks when the relentless march forward of the NFL schedule feels almost cruel. The Seahawks win over the Texans felt like that perfect cozy warmth you achieve while nestled between flannel sheets on a cool northwest morning. This Redskins game is that gnawing voice in the back of your head telling you it’s time to get up and go back to work. Unlikely to recreate the magic from this Sunday, the Seahawks set out to see if they can sustain their offensive explosion against a Redskins team that will limp into CenturyLink Field. Armed with a quarterback playing great football and an opportunistic defense, Washington can make a game of this if the Seahawks get caught basking in the glow of their recent victory.

The way this works: Each offense will be pitted against the opposing defense and compared on an array of key statistical attributes based on their respective rank in the NFL. The tables that follow show the rank of each unit for each of these categories. 

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Seahawks Offense vs Redskins Defense

 

Since week three of this season, only one team has gained more yards than this Seahawks offense, and just two teams have scored more points. The only Seahawks team to ever gain more yards through its first seven games was the 2005 Super Bowl squad that featured multiple hall of fame offensive linemen and an MVP at running back who broke the NFL record for touchdowns in a season. Oh, and they just replaced their worst player, with one of the better left tackles in football.
Just one week ago, it was the Seahawks defense earning the praise as they ascended to the top NFL scoring defense again. Now, the Seahawks offense is taking center stage. Washington has some real quality on the defensive side of the ball, but lost a key pass rusher this week when DE Matthew Ioannidis broke his hand.

Redskins key advantages on defense

DE Ryan Kerrigan is a playmaking pass rusher who has 6.0 sacks on the year, a pick-six, and two forced fumbles. He will be lining up over Germain Ifedi most of the day. Ifedi has yet to surrender a sack this season, but has given up a bushel of hurries. This is the first game the Seahawks can reasonably consider providing Ifedi with more help since Duane Brown will not require it on the left side. Preseton Smith and Junior Galette are both productive pass rushers, and will keep the Seahawks on their toes all afternoon. Even without Ioannidis, this is one of the better pass rush teams in football.

 

 

Seahawks key advantages on offense

The Seahawks are 10th in the NFL in opponent sack rate over their last three games, and that includes the game against the Rams. They are becoming one of the better pass blocking teams in the league this year. Yes, I really just wrote that. And that was before adding Brown at left tackle.

Russell Wilson is playing at an MVP level the past two weeks, and has a full compliment of weapons to attack the Redskins with. Look for the Seahawks to continue gaining yards through the air, but I have a sneaking suspicion they are going to try and catch the Redskins over-committing and find some open lanes in the run game.

 

 

Redskins Offense vs Seahawks Defense

 

Redskins key advantages on offense

Jamison Crowder is a really nice slot receiver who will challenge Justin Coleman. He will be an even more important target for the Redskins without tight ends Jordan Reed and Niles Paul available. Vernon Davis will become a key for Kirk Cousins, who loves to hit his tight ends.

Chris Thompson is a versatile runner who is best used as a receiver out of the back field. He runs tough and can be explosive.

Earl Thomas may not play, and that will make passing against this secondary more appealing. Cousins has been terrific this season, and will be salivating after reviewing the bevy of big plays Houston managed against the Seahawks.

 

Seahawks key advantages on defense

 

Injuries have ravaged the Redskins offensive line. It is unclear who, if any, of the injured linemen will return this week. The Redskins managed just 285 yards and a season-low 49 rushing yards last week against the Cowboys. They also committed three turnovers.

The Seahawks pass rush has been getting warmed up of late, and their five sacks against the Texans were an under-appreciated key to that victory. Frank Clark just recorded the single best pass rushing performance of any player in the NFL this season against Houston, per ProFootballFocus. Having Dwight Freeney in tow has allowed Clark to slide back to the left end position in nickel.

Seattle should be able to control the line of scrimmage, and has a real chance to completely overwhelm the Washington line in pass rush, which usually leads to game-changing turnovers.

Special Teams

Seahawks kicking vs Redskins returning

 

 

Redskins kicking vs Seahawks returning

Washington is among the worst return teams in the NFL.

 

 

 

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Brian Nemhauser
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6 Comments

  1. More carries for Lacy is the plan. My guess is this is a poor attempt at motivation for eddie. He does not deserve it and is hurting the always compete motto. So it must have sounded like this”how do we stop scoring so many points? More Eddie? Yes. It’s settled then.” Bizarre . What ever we do get the ball out of Russell’s hands. Definition of crazy. Why not just sign Lacy to a long term deal. Who is telling Pete we don’t need to make changes at rb. Maybe bring in guys like we constantly do on the d line. What are they seeing with Eddie. No burst. No cutting ability. low energy . Never pushes pile. No emotion . Complains about being called fat when he is very fat for a nfl rb. Must be some debate on staff had him inactive once and now he is winner of more work . I’m hopeful this is a last chance move. Here is a idea call Arian Foster up. We have most of his old line. Go hawks

  2. The game against the Texans has really pumped up the fan base as well as the usual suspects in the vast media commentariat. It was a terrific and entertaining game for sure. Adding Duane Brown has all the silver bullet believers jazzed even more. Washington is injury riddled across the team roster. All this sets up for a neat little trap game………..don’t succumb Seahawks, be very ready. “On any given Sunday…” has become a cliché for a reason….

    The Seahawk injury report has more players on it than we would have guessed Sunday evening. Of course the most hand wringing is about ET, but McDougald should be a respectable fill in. Reed with a concussion hurts a bit more. Hopefully the rest are “normal” dings that can be played through.

    Chris Thompson may be their “secret weapon”…..his pass catching ability is the kind that can exploit what seems a schematic flaw in the Hawks defensive deployment. And, despite some significant offensive performances from the Hawks this past weekend, there still is that red zone weakness, and excessive penalty habits. Chunk plays against the defense aren’t just based on Watkins/Fuller being on the field.

    I share Wigman’s skepticism about Lacy. My take is that PC or TC feels they’ve made quite a commitment to Lacy that needs to be given some form of further validation before giving up on him, especially as we’re just now hitting mid season. They often talk about running back rhythm so probably want to live up to that. Maybe even hopeful that Brown will be a magic elixir for the O-line. Mix that in with what they think they see in scouting the Redskins, and a short turn around to the Arizona game next week, and beating up only one running back might make sense. Maybe the Cardinal game will be Rawls “rhythm” opportunity.

    If out guys want to show they’re serious about another SB shot, they should walk all over the Redskins…………..show no mercy!

    1. Duh………shoulda been Hopkins/Fuller…………I’m old, that’s my excuse an I’m stickin’ with it.

  3. I agree with both you guys. I bet most Hawk fans do.

    Lacy went from inactive at the start of the season to getting the starting nod this Sunday when Lacy’s done nothing on the playing field to deserve a start. So, yeah, is Tom Cable whispering in Pete’s ear? Or is it a commitment to Eddie’s 4 million dollar salary? (It’s getting harder and harder to always believe in Always Compete).

    And, yes, Washington is shaping up as the perfect storm of a trap game. Obviously, I hope that’s not how it plays out. Better to kick butt and have fun. (Where’s my beer)?

    1. I think we are down 17-13 at halftime, looking sluggish and vanilla. We will make some adjustments and will probably have to outscore them.

      Our middle-aged defense really struggles in these midseason games off a high.

      If Sherman doesn’t get his hands on you, he looks like a whirling dervish out there, trying to use his football brain to make up for his body slowing down, while their rookies get picked on incessantly. Houston put some good tape out on the LOB.

      Problem for Washington is that Cousins puts the ball in danger especially late.

      Game is way closer than 37-27 final with late pick six.

  4. Kirk Cousins may like to hit tight ends, but so does Chancellor, and no one knows that as well as Davis. I know TEs have tortured the Seahawks on and off for years but I have a hard time seeing Davis doing much. The loss of ET and the potential miscommunications in cover that may result in are always terrifying.

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