Redskins vs. Vikings Week 10 Live Drive-by-Drive Analysis

Once again sitting at .500, the Redskins need to buck the back-and-forth trend, and start stringing together wins. They have a good chance to do that today.

The Vikings are a strong team. Sitting at 6-2, they lead the NFC North, and they’re at the place in the playoff race where the Redskins want to be. Case Keenum has had a surprisingly good year, and the offense, despite multiple losses, has remained afloat, primarily due to the incredible play of the team’s defense. The Vikings are not a team that loses easily. The Redskins will have their work cut out for them in this one.

Still, there’s a chance that they can get another convincing win this week. Kirk Cousins is starting to build more chemistry with his receivers, and the Redskins’ entire starting offensive line is healthy for the game. The offense has been the team’s Achilles heel for the past few weeks, but now, with improved play in the trenches, they could be due for a better performance.

Nevertheless, this game, like last week’s, looks like a defensive battle at first glance. The Vikings have a stout defense, and their offense is good enough to get by. The Redskins, meanwhile, have a tough, stingy defensive unit, and their offense has been underachieving almost all season.

This week, on their own turf, the Redskins will have a chance to put together another solid effort. So far, however, it hasn’t seemed as if home field advantage has made much of a difference for the burgundy and gold. They’re 2-2 at home, and 2-2 on the road so far this season. They are the epitome of a borderline playoff contender. All it takes is a spark for them to break free.

Can the Redskins capitalize on their spark in Seattle last week and beat the Vikings, vaulting themselves into the NFC playoff conversation? Down a game against the Cowboys and four games against the Eagles, they certainly need to put together a chain of victories. They have a chance to do that today. But every drive counts. Be sure to follow along here for our drive-by-drive analysis and score updates!

1:03: Minnesota has won the toss and deferred. The Redskins will start out the game with the ball.

1:07 – Redskins Drive No. 1: The Redskins started at their own 25, and they got off to a quick start. A nice run by Robert Kelley set up a play action and bootleg. The Redskins like that combination, and with a healthy offensive line, they can use it much more effectively. They kept moving forward with a nice mix of runs and passes, and they were able to move to the Vikings 36-yard line. Kirk Cousins would then take a shot toward the end zone, and Maurice Harris, who was signed just yesterday to the active roster, made an amazing one-handed catch. This may have been the Redskins’ best opening drive of the season. They were able to use the run effectively, and that set up key passes by Cousins, and an incredible catch by Harris.

Score Update: WAS 7, MIN 0

1:20 – Vikings Drive No. 1: The Vikings started on their own 25 as well, and they drove the ball at will, going 75 yards in five plays for a score. The Redskins defense looked bad on this drive, as if they were a little hung over from their last performance. Hopefully, they’ll pick it up as the game moves along. But allowing Case Keenum and Latavius Murray to drive like that doesn’t bode well for the rest of the game.

Score Update: WAS 7, MIN 7

1:27 – Redskins Drive No. 2: Starting from their own 30, the Redskins tried to start out with a run again. That play was swallowed up, and Kirk Cousins fired two short passes, one of which came up a yard short of the first on third down. Cousins has to be more aware of the sticks. With a healthy line, he should be more confident in the pocket. More willing to take some shots. On third and long, he needed to, and he didn’t. They got to switch something up on the next drive. They could be down by a score.

1:32 – Vikings Drive No. 2: The Vikings kicked off their second drive from their own 18-yard line after a nice punt by Tress Way. The defense stepped up when they needed to, and the Vikings went three and out. The play in the trenches was solid, and they imposed themselves on the Vikings’ hurting offensive line. On third down, Preston Smith hit Keenum, forcing an incomplete pass. Games like this are won in the trenches, and the Redskins, so far, are winning in that department.

1:42 – Redskins Drive No. 3: The Redskins began this drive with great field position, at their own 38-yard line. They actually didn’t start with a run this time, using a play-action pass to gain a little momentum. On third down, threatening to go three and out, the Redskins were saved by a rushing the passer penalty. However, they’re being too conservative with their play calling, using a lot of outside runs that keep getting cut off early. They made a few gutsy calls that kept the drive alive, and in the end, they got to the goal line, but Kirk Cousins had a frustrating sequence that ended the drive. Nick Rose converted the field goal from 28 yards.

Score Update: WAS 10, MIN 7

1:54 – Vikings Drive No. 3: The Redskins defense hasn’t done a good job of stopping the Vikings, despite opportunities to do so. Josh Norman dropped an interception early in the drive, and a couple big plays led the Vikings to the goal line, where they would get six points, something the Redskins were unable to do on their third drive. The defense looks like a far cry from what they were against the Seahawks. They need to do better in the secondary. Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs are owning the corners.

Score Update: WAS 10, MIN 14

2:14 – Redskins Drive No. 4: After a nice return by Maurice Harris, the Redskins had the ball around their own 40-yard line to start. With Robert Kelley injured, Samaje Perine was the one to get the carries, and he started out nicely, firing off several good, yard-churning dashes. The rookie looks a little better each day, and he’s getting a lot of help from the revamped offensive line. They used a couple pass and runs to get into enemy territory, and when they got to the goal line, Kirk Cousins took matters into his own hands, pounding it in on a quarterback sneak.

Score Update: WAS 17, MIN 14

2:23 – Vikings Drive No. 4: The Vikings have been toying with Bashaud Breeland today. He’s surrendered well over 50 yards and a touchdown in just the first half. On this drive, it was almost solely the subpar play of Breeland that led to the Vikings getting six. Perhaps they should sub in Quinton Dunbar for Breeland. The Redskins’ former 4th-round pick isn’t doing anything to help the team.

Score Update: WAS 17, MIN 21

2:31 – Redskins Drive No. 5: The Redskins’ drive ended after one play. Kirk Cousins threw a bad pass that was intercepted. Vikings now have the ball with good field position.

2:33 – Vikings Drive No. 5: The Vikings started the drive with great field position, and the defense failed to lock them up, once again. They drove quickly to the one-yard line and got the score. They’re now up by 11, and they start the second half with the ball.

Halftime Score: WAS 17, MIN 28

2:54 – Vikings Drive No. 6: The Vikings got off to a quick start to their second half, going with the hot combo of Case Keenum and Adam Thielen. The defense did not look any better than they did in the first half, and the Vikings tacked on yet another score. This defense can not stop Case Keenum. And that is a big problem. Injuries may be playing a factor, yes, but they look far, far worse than they did last week. Make that 21 straight points for the Vikings.

Score Update: WAS 17, MIN 35

3:01 – Redskins Drive No. 6: The Redskins started near their own 25 yard line, needing  touchdown to at least try and keep pace with the Redskins. They used a timeout that could be crucial down the road, but they managed to get down the field a little bit. However, the drive stalled at the goal line, courtesy of some solid play by Anderson Sendejo, and the Redskins were forced to settle for a field goal. Still a long way to go.

Score Update: WAS 20, MIN 35

3:18 – Vikings Drive No. 7: Same old, same old for the Vikings. Case Keenum converted on a couple big plays, helped out by solid running by Jerick McKinnon. Josh Norman has gotten beat by both Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs countless times today. He was a top cornerback coming into this game, but his performance has bene so bad, that might change. Luckily, D.J. Swearinger bailed the defense out with an interception on third and long. But now the offense needs to get touchdowns, not field goals.

3:23 – Redskins Drive No. 7: The offense was a little more creative, a little more willing to burst out and go for big plays on this drive. They still have room to improve, however. They got conservative with a screen on third down, and on fourth down, the pass was tipped, and fell incomplete. The Redskins wasted a gift from their defense, and we should start to see this team unravel. The Vikings’ defense can’t be stopped two times in a row.

3:34 – Vikings Drive No. 8: D.J. Swearinger picked off Case Keenum again! He jumped the route perfectly and returned it to the two-yard line. Big opportunity for the Redskins’ offense here!

3:35 – Redskins Drive No. 8: The Redskins kind of had to convert this one, because they started on the two-yard line. Kirk Cousins ran it in after a quick incompletion! That’s Cousins’ second rushing touchdown of the game, and the PAT is good. Down by eight. We have a ballgame, courtesy of D.J. Swearinger.

Score Update: WAS 27, MIN 35

3:46 – Vikings Drive No. 9: There’s still plenty of time left, but the Redskins’ defense has to keep getting stops, and avoid giving the Vikings any momentum. They failed to do that on this drive. Case Keenum made a few good plays, and the Redskins failed to get any third down stops, despite multiple opportunities. They lost Adam Thielen to a minor injury, but they kept churning yards, and in the end, they were able to get a 53-yard field goal (Kai Forbath, former Redskin). 7:45 to go.

Score Update: WAS 27, MIN 38

3:56 – Redskins Drive No. 9: In a must-score situation, the Redskins had to get out to a quick start on their ninth drive. But instead, they got run happy, and on third and FOURTH and short, they decided to run it to Chris Thompson, because he’s a guy who can break through the trenches, right? Needless to say, they didn’t convert, and they threw away the game.

4:00 – Vikings Drive No. 10: The Redskins’ defense got the three and out they needed, but the team has no timeouts remaining, down by 11 with 3:43 to go. The best they can do is make it close, but the offense has missed too many opportunities to win today.

4:05 – Redskins Drive No. 10: The Redskins needed to move the ball quickly, and instead, they tried to drive the usual way, and it didn’t work. On fourth down and 10, they managed to convert to Vernon Davis, but the drive didn’t go as planned. The Redskins stalled, and Nick Rose hit a very nice 56-yard field goal. Still down. Still looks like a loss.

Final Score: WAS 30, MIN 38

That’s it from us! Be sure to check out our Redskins Recap, which will be up shortly.