Redskins: 3 duds from Week 9 loss to the Falcons
3. Daron Payne and the defensive line
Some of the Redskins defensive line had a solid day. Matt Ioannidis was particularly good and led the team in tackles while notching another sack. However, the rest of the unit surprisingly struggled against the Falcons.
Coming into the contest, the Redskins had one of the best run defenses in the NFL. They were fresh off limiting Saquon Barkley and Ezekiel Elliott to minimal gains on the ground. However, the Falcons were able to completely dismantle the front, as Tevin Coleman and Ito Smith combined for 148 yards and a score on just 23 carries. It was a very strange outcome, to say the least.
Part of the problem was that the defensive line just didn’t play as well as they have in weeks past. Most notably, Daron Payne didn’t show a lot. He was mostly held in check by the Atlanta interior line, and he had only one tackle on the day. He didn’t wreak havoc as he usually does, and Atlanta deserves credit for being able to close down the gaps that he is so good at shooting through.
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I’ve been one of the staunch defenders of Payne since the Redskins drafted him, but this was not one of his better outings. That said, he will certainly bounce back in the near future. He just ran into a tough matchup — Alex Mack is one of the best centers in the league — so that would explain part of why he was held in check in this contest.
Moving forward, the ‘Skins will look to get more out of their defensive line. They just didn’t do enough early in this game to slow down the Atlanta offense. And once the Falcons realized that they could be two-dimensional because of their ability to run the ball, Washington was in trouble. If they can get back to controlling the line of scrimmage in Week 10, then everyone will forget this mediocre performance from the defensive line.