Redskins Ingredients for Improvement: Clean slate needed in Week 3
By Ian Cummings
No. 5 – Redskins defensive front needs to play up to their potential
Throughout most of the offseason, pundits and analysts agreed: The Redskins woeful run defense was no more. With Jonathan Allen, Zach Brown, and Matt Ioannidis coming back from injury, and with stout rookies Daron Payne and Tim Settle joining the fold, it was believed that Washington’s defensive line would not only be competent, but consistently productive, a moniker that it eluded willfully in years past.
In Week 1, the Redskins front lived up to that reputation, but in Week 2, they fell short in unspectacular fashion, having minimal impact on the game throughout. Only one player, Matt Ioannidis, managed to log a sack, and the interior defensive line failed to find a semblance of consistency on running downs.
Additionally, edge rushers Ryan Kerrigan and Preston Smith were rendered inert by the Colts’ backup tackles. I don’t even need to elaborate. That’s bad. Getting pressure off the edge is one of the most important tasks for any defense, and Washington has failed to do so in the first two weeks of the season. The offense didn’t do the defense any favors in Week 2, giving them no time to rest, but the point still stands; Pressure was non-existent.
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Against the Packers next week, it’s hard to expect anything better; The Cardinals and Colts both have subpar offensive lines, and they managed to fend off what was thought to be a much-improved Redskins front. Time is running short for the revamped defensive line to prove itself. Every game counts, and if the Redskins don’t bring it in the trenches, they’ll feel the adverse effects for a long time.