Redskins suffer numerous injuries in Monday night loss to Chiefs

The Washington Redskins were able to stay competitive with the Kansas City Chiefs for most of Sunday’s game. But injuries derailed them as they tried to notch their third victory.

The Washington Redskins had a chance to win this game. Trailing 20-17, the team was driving down the field thanks to the efforts of Kirk Cousins. Cousins was scrambling for a great deal of yardage and got the team into field goal range. On a third and short, Cousins lofted a ball into the end zone to Josh Doctson. The receiver dropped the catchable pass that could have won the game.

Instead, the Redskins settled for a field goal. Because of this, the Chiefs were able to hit on a play in the scramble drill that got them into field goal range. Harrison Butker hit the winning field goal to give the Chiefs the 29-20 win (after a meaningless defensive touchdown for the Chiefs at the very end).

The Redskins lost numerous players throughout the course of the contest to the point where it was borderline ridiculous. The first of the injuries started innocently enough. Rob Kelley left the game in the first half and didn’t return. Deshazor Everett suffered an injury. But at halftime, Josh Norman suffered a rib injury that will reportedly keep him out for a couple of weeks at the least. That was things went off the rails for the team.

Throughout the third and fourth quarters, the Redskins consistently lost players for a handful of plays at a time. Among those who missed time were Zach Brown, Montae Nicholson, and Kendall Fuller. As a result, the defense became thin and exhausted. They were unable to keep pace with the Chiefs offense and allowed them to score. That is really how the game was won by the Chiefs.

The bright side for the Redskins? Though their defense bent, they, for the most part, didn’t break. They were able to allow the offense to keep them in the game until they became just too exhausted late in the contest. The team definitely has solid depth, but they just suffered too many injuries to keep pace.

On the offensive side of the ball, the Redskins ran a balanced attack in the first half, but the second half saw them utilize the passing game a bit more. Part of the reason was that Kelley was out. Another was that they were trailing. Regardless, the offense wasn’t quite good enough for the Redskins to outscore the Chiefs.

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Cousins had a pretty good game, but he wasn’t as great as he was against the Raiders. Cousins started well in the first half, throwing a perfect ball to Terrelle Pryor on a 44-yard touchdown catch. However, towards the end of the half, Cousins’ accuracy became shakier and he never fully regained his rhythm. He too often misfired on key plays, and that cost the Redskins. However, he was great on the final offensive drive of regulation, so he was not remotely the problem.

The run game worked decently for the Redskins, but it faltered down the stretch when it mattered. Without Kelley, Samaje Perine carried the load and showed flashes of brilliance and also showed that he is still a rookie. He nearly lost a fumble on a dropped pitch and that will certainly anger Jay Gruden. Perine was never seen again after that. He will need to clean that up in the future if he wants a bigger role.

Meanwhile, Chris Thompson had a quiet game and slotted in more as a passing back. The Redskins probably should have used him more after Kelley’s injury and they will have to rethink the ways in which they can get him more involved in the offense.

The final telling stat of this game: the Chiefs won the time of possession battle by a large margin. They held the ball for over 37 minutes during the contest and that is how they were able to tire out their opponent’s defense. This is an area of improvement for the Redskins.

Next: How Chris Thompson fits with the Redskins

Overall, this was not an encouraging performance for the Redskins, but there were a good amount of positives. They had a chance to beat one of the tougher teams in the NFL on the road in one of the toughest stadiums in the league. They may not have won, but they got some invaluable experience without a doubt.

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