Redskins Halftime Takeaways: Defense helping team greatly

The Redskins haven’t been perfect so far against the Cardinals, but they are taking a lead into the locker room. They are up 14-9.

So far against the Cardinals, the Redskins have put up a great fight. The team has looked very good in battling against Arizona, and it looked like they could have extended their lead before the half. However, a poorly timed turnover allowed the Cardinals to come back a bit. The team is up 14-9, but the lead is really a function of how well their defense has played.

The Redskins defense found a lot of success early on by rushing the passer. Blaine Gabbert was under heat for most of the first half, and the Redskins were able to sack him three times and hit him seven times.

Notably, Anthony Lanier is in the middle of his best game as a pro. On the first drive of the game, Lanier pushed through the middle of the Arizona line to strip sack Gabbert. The fumble was nearly returned for a touchdown. Later in the half, after the Redskins got outside pressure on Gabbert, Lanier was able to track him down from the middle of the field and put up a second sack. He also batted down a pass to prevetn an easy Cardinals touchdown. He is doing a lot to earn himself a role as a pass rushing specialist, and the team should be excited by his progress.

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In addition to Lanier’s success, both Junior Galette and Preston Smith were able to get heat on Gabbert. Smith appeared to force a fumble of Gabbert when Arizona was in the red zone, but it was ruled an incomplete pass on the field and the challenge saw the ruling on the field stand. He also recovered the Lanier fumble and managed to pick off an errant pass in the red zone. Smith is having a massive half and this may be another game where he flashes his immense potential for the team.

Overall, the defensive pressure has done a lot to rattle Gabbert. The team needed that considering that they have been gashed on some run plays and Josh Norman has been burnt in this game too. The pressure has been what has led their defense and the forced turnovers have definitely contributed to scoring.

On the offensive side of the ball, the biggest story has been the involvement of Kapri Bibbs on offense. Bibbs, a former Denver Bronco, was added from the practice squad earlier this week. On Sunday, he had a 36-yard reception on a screen pass that saw him follow blockers into the end zone for a touchdown. Bibbs looks like an explosive playmaker, and it’s fair to wonder why he was not already on a roster before Week 15.

Elsewhere on offense, Kirk Cousins has been efficient, and he has two touchdowns. However, one came when he started at the five yard line via the Lanier strip sack. He threw a touchdown pass to Jamison Crowder from there on a nice toss. For the most part, Cousins has been efficient and accurate. But he is dealing with quite a bit of pressure due to the absence of Trent Williams. That considered, he is playing well.

Next: Redskins game thread NFL Week 15 vs. Cardinals

Meanwhile, Samaje Perine has been mostly shut out in the first half. The team has to look to get him more involved or utilize Bibbs more to try and generate yardage on the ground.

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