The Redskins played valiantly against the best team in the nation. But when it was all said and done, they couldn’t get the win, despite leading for more than half the game.
The score reads 29-20, but eight seconds before the final whistle, and before the Chiefs’ game winning field goal, the score was 20-20. Nearly a minute earlier, the Redskins were down 17-20 in enemy territory, and Kirk Cousins lofted a beautiful throw to Josh Doctson in the end zone. But the second year pro couldn’t make the catch.
The defense played well in the first quarter, but after that, they seemed to falter. Injuries and long Kansas City drives were their undoing, By the end of the game, three active cornerbacks had, at one point or another, left with injuries. And the Chiefs consequently moved the ball at will against the worn out unit.
It was a loss that won’t soon leave our minds as one of the more disappointing ones in some time. Not simply because the Redskins lost, but because they had a true chance to win this game. They ended the first quarter with a 10-0 lead, and they never fell behind by more than one possession until the final play.
There’s a lot to take away from this loss, both good and bad. Luckily, it’s early, and the Redskins are right there in the thick of the NFC East. With their toughest test now behind them, they can rest during the bye week and prepare themselves for the San Francisco 49ers in Week 6. But for now, let’s break down the team’s close loss on the road. Who played well? What led to their downfall? What does this mean for the future? Turn the page, and find out.
Yes, the Redskins lost. But don’t go blaming Kirk Cousins.
The Redskins 29-year old quarterback put on a show on Monday Night Football, and while his stat line (14-24, 220 yards, 2 TD) doesn’t suggest a monster game, Cousins played one of his best games as a Redskin against the Chiefs.
What we saw from Cousins last night is something we haven’t seen from him since the midway point of 2016. We’ve seen flashes of it this year, but yesterday evening, Cousins broke out and showed us why he’s being paid $24 million. He was incredibly poised in the pocket, stepping up calmly when the rush beat the man on the edge. He was decisive, but not panicky, and when there was nothing there, he extended the play on the ground. In the end, Cousins led the team with 38 rushing yards on seven attempts, two of which went for first downs on the team’s final drive.
Cousins didn’t make mistakes. Rather, he watched helplessly as his own receivers did. His receiving core is proving to be a bit of an issue, and during the bye week, they need to focus on converting in clutch situations. Terrelle Pryor dropped a couple easy first down passes in the game, killing Redskins momentum. And Josh Doctson failed to haul in what could’ve been the game winning score on a beautiful pass from Cousins. With those completions on the board, Cousins’ stat line looks a whole lot better, and so does the Redskins’ chances at a win.
Redskins WR Josh Doctson drops potential go-ahead TD. #WASvsKC https://t.co/kadiVKEEJL
— NFL (@NFL) October 3, 2017
Coming out of Sunday’s game, Kirk Cousins is 80 for 121 for 1,004 yards, 7 touchdowns, and 1 interception in 2017. The quarterback has shown steady improvement each week, and the hope is that it will only continue. The sixth-year pro has some time to prepare for the 49ers over the bye week.
The Redskins have a lot of injuries to worry about, and a lot of issues to focus on fixing. They can be glad that Kirk Cousins isn’t one of them. Cousins gave the team every chance to win on Monday.
Chris Thompson, the Redskins’ leading yardage gainer heading into last night’s ordeal, was anything but against the Chiefs.
The Redskins offense didn’t play badly. Kirk Cousins, as mentioned earlier, had a stellar game. His receivers, for all their drops, made plenty of good catches as well, and Jordan Reed and Vernon Davis helped out at tight end. The offensive line was solid in both run blocking and pass protection. But one key player was missing from all this action: Chris Thompson.
The Florida State product came into the game with 384 yards from scrimmage, second to only Kareem Hunt’s 538. Now, with that prime time matchup in the rear view mirror, Thompson has 411, and Hunt has 659. Thompson was invisible on Monday night, in game where he could have made a difference.
It’s unclear who’s to blame for Thompson’s down game. Yes, the Redskins did underutilize him, to some extent, but when he was in, the Chiefs locked him down fairly well. In the passing game, Thompson had one catch for four yards, and it came on a third down that he failed to convert. In the running game, Thompson was used exclusively on outside runs meant to change the pace of the game. He broke free on none of them, gaining a mere 23 yards on 6 touches.
Analysis: How Chris Thompson became the most important piece of the Redskins' offense
The Redskins came into Monday’s game with a clear goal in mind. Feed Chris Thompson, and fence off Kareem Hunt. In the end, the opposite happened. Thompson can’t disappear if the Redskins wish to win close games like this. As evidenced through the final three quarters of the game, the Redskins can’t yet rely on their receivers, or their bigger running backs to take the game on their shoulders. Kirk Cousins did all he could, but he can’t do it alone. Next time, Chris Thompson has to show up.
This week, the injury bug bit the Redskins again. And it took plenty of victims.
The Redskins gave a good effort for all four quarters, but the amount of injuries the team suffered drastically hindered their chances at a win. Players were going down left and right, and that lack of sturdiness cost them in the long run.
The biggest injury, by far, is that of Josh Norman. The All-Pro cornerback reportedly fractured his ribs late in the first half, and he has been ruled out for at least a week or two. Norman’s absence was felt in the worst way for the the rest of the game, and more injuries at that position soon followed, as Kendall Fuller and Quinton Dunbar both hit the turf on separate occasions.
Elsewhere on the defense, Zach Brown and Montae Nicholson both missed time with minor physical ailments, but their losses each made the Redskins thinner, and the team could keep up only for so long against the electric Chiefs’ offense. Injuries may have cost this team the win, and while no one likes to lose, it’s good to know that, if healthy, the Redskins can compete with the best of them.
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Most of the injuries seen this week should be resolved by the time the Redskins square off against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 5. Josh Norman’s is the only report to draw concern, although Robert Kelley was also unable to return to the game after tweaking his ankle. Trent Williams returned to the game on the next drive after suffering a minor non-contact injury. He remained for the rest of the game, and he’ll have plenty of time to get back to one hundred percent as the bye week moves along.
The bye week comes at an opportune time for the Redskins. Hampered by injuries in Week 4, the team can focus on slowly and safely recovering, while also having plenty of time to prepare for the 0-4 San Francisco 49ers. When healthy, this team can be one of the best. And even when injured, their depth players showed they will fight to the bitter end.
At least we learned something about our new and improved defense: They are here to stay.
The Redskins’ battle against the Chiefs was a barometer of how far the defense has come since an ill-fated 2016 campaign. And based on the evidence that has accumulated over the past few weeks, it’s growing more and more apparent that the Redskins defense will remain one of the youngest and most exciting units in the league.
Injuries understandably sapped the Redskins of some of their energy late in the game, but in the early goings, they were buzzing around like bees, making life miserable for Alex Smith and the Chiefs. They forced punts on the Chiefs’ first three possessions. The interior line looked aggressive. The edge rushers were ferocious. And in coverage, the secondary let no one by.
The play of the defense grew less refined as the game went on, but they never lost the attitude they had to start. Greg Manusky’s influence has already made a noticeable change in the defense, and players like D.J. Swearinger, Josh Norman, and Mason Foster only add to the intensity.
Editorials: Greg Manusky is the catalyst for a much-improved defense
Even soft-spoken players like Jonathan Allen could be seen having a blast on Monday night, getting excited and playing with chips on their shoulders. The attitude attained by the new promotions and acquisitions doesn’t seem to be going away. And as long as the Redskins keep winning, their tenacious defense will be here to stay.
A win was well within the Redskins’ grasp on Monday. With a little more consistency on both sides of the ball, they could’ve pulled it off.
The Redskins started out strong against the Chiefs. But they soon stalled after the first quarter, and although they hung in bitterly as the game wound to a close, they couldn’t come away with the win in the final moments. The sad part is that they could have taken the lead with authority early, and controlled the game, had they been more consistent.
On offense, short runs and dropped passes killed momentum with the swift strokes of disappointment. There were passes Kirk Cousins threw that hit his receivers square in the hands, and yet, the catch wasn’t made. Many of these were in key situations, on third down, and the worst of all was late in the game when the perceived playmaker Josh Doctson couldn’t corral a flawless pass by Cousins in the end zone.
What could have been the game winner ended up sapping the last of the Redskins’ hopes at a regulation win, and with a minute to work with, the Chiefs easily drove by the depleted Redskins’ defense, and Harrison Butker, a name that will forever be infamous in Ashburn, hit the game winning field goal from 43 yards out.
The defense was tired in the latter parts of the game, surrendering long drive after long drive at the hands of the masterful Kansas City offense. Too often, they let the Chiefs chip away at their reserves, and by the final drive, the defense had nothing left. Their energy is contagious, but long drives can drain it without relent.
Next: Redskins Recap: Injuries place team's efforts in vain
Need a silver lining following the Monday night loss? Here’s one. The Redskins remain in second place in the NFC East at 2-2, just one game behind the Eagles. And in three weeks, they travel to Philadelphia, with a chance to enact vengeance on an Eagles team that beat them 30-17 in Week 1. The Eagles are no pushover, but the Redskins have undergone massive improvement since their opening game. For now, we can be happy with how far they’ve come. And in the future, we can expect better. Better times are coming. With any luck, they’re almost here.