Game Preview, Week 2: Redskins at Rams
by Steve Thomas and Sean Conte
It’s only week 2 and the sky is already falling amongst the Redskins’ fanbase. Yes, we each took a positive tact on the preview show last week about our predictions for the Eagles game, but is anyone honestly surprised that the Redskins laid an egg in week one? If you are, you shouldn’t be, because this team has an established pattern at this point; in fact, we on the show were probably dumb to ignore that pattern. But time marches on, and we have to leave last week behind and move on to the Los Angeles St. Louis Los Angeles Rams. This is, of course, the team that proudly boasted the most ineffective and incapable offense in the league in 2016, so no problem, right? Well, actually, they just happened to absolutely annihilate the Colts in week one by a score of 46 – 6. And by the way, the Rams just so happened to have hired the Redskins’ resident boy-genius, Sean McVay, as their new and extremely young head coach. In fact, no less than All-Pro Trent Williams spoke up to the media this week about how McVay knows everything about every player who was on the Redskins 2016 roster, and sounded fairly worried about it. Couple that with (1) a cross-country flight to California, and (2) the hangover from the pathetic offensive effort last week, and we have a game that all of a sudden doesn’t look like the automatic “W” that it seemed to be when the schedule came out. What do we think will happen? Our game preview will give you all of the insight we can muster.
Game time & location: Sunday, September 17, 4:25 p.m. ET, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, CA; Gates open 2:25 p.m. PT; parking lots open 12:25 p.m. PT
Television: Fox
Television announcers: Thom Brennaman, Chris Spielman, Peter Schrager
DC-area radio: ESPN 980
Redskins radio network: http://www.redskins.com/media-gallery/radio-network.html
Rams radio network: http://www.therams.com/news-and-events/Rams-Radio.html
Satellite radio: XM: 229 (Redskins broad.); Sirius: 132 (Redskins broad.); internet: 831 (Redskins broad.)
Redskins roster: http://www.redskins.com/team/roster.hml
Redskins depth chart: http://www.redskins.com/team/depth-chart.html
Rams roster: http://www.therams.com/team/roster.html
Rams depth chart: http://www.therams.com/team/depth-chart.html
All-time head-to-head record vs Rams: 23 – 11 – 1 (last 10: 5 – 5)
Last meeting: W, Sept 20, 2015, 24 – 10
Early odds: Rams, -2.5
SEAN’S 5 KEYS TO THE VICTORY
Welp, after predicting a week one win against Philly, the team went ahead and lost handily at home. Next week brings with it a bout against the Sean McVay-led Rams, and I’m running on only the fumes of confidence. Let’s see what’s in store.
Play Smart
McVay knows Kirk – the strengths, the limitations, the tendencies…all of it. And the Ram’s defensive coordinator is Wade Phillips (who also knows the Redskins well thanks to Wade’s son being on Jay Gruden’s staff in 2016). You better believe they’re working on an appropriate game plan to stifle this Redskins offense, and unfortunately as we saw last week, that’s not a difficult task. Time to pull out the stops.
Run
As always, the Redskins found themselves in an early hole last week, and, whether it was related or not, abandoned the run. Someone besides Kirk is going to have to run with heart this week. Tough to say how that’s going to shake out; the Rams’ defense let up a moderate amount of yards last week against an iffy Colts rushing attack. Fingers crossed we fare well. Passing 72% of the time – as we did last week – is a recipe for disaster.
Eliminate Turnovers
The turnovers were the ugliest part of Washington’s offense last week. Never again, fellas. Please. Points need to be scored early in this game. Beware of the Rams defensive backs – they snagged a couple pick six’s last week. Plus, if we can avoid interceptions and fumbles, we’ll get a chance to actually see what our defense can do. The score last week was far uglier than the game actually was for them.
Spread the Ball Around
One thing we all wanted to see leading into the Philly game was plenty of deep balls to Terrelle Pryor. The Redskins came right out and launched one on their first play, though it fell incomplete. That’s okay. The rhythm between Pryor and Kirk is critical this year – they need to keep building that chemistry. In the meantime, Kirk needs to keep spreading the ball around to the entire corps. Grant, Reed, Crowder, and Thompson can all catch the ball. It’s possible that Doctson can too, though who knows?
Take Advantage of a Weak Rushing Attack
Todd Gurley caught some balls last week and managed a TD, but couldn’t quite do much on the ground. Neither could anyone else – the Ram’s RB by committee only mustered about 60 yards total, despite over 30 rushing attempts and 4 different people taking snaps. Focus more on the Rams receivers like Cooper Kupp. Our front 7 should be able to handle this.
SEAN’S 3 KEY MATCHUPS
Norman, Breeland, and Swearinger vs. Rams Receivers
The Rams know how to spread the ball. Eight separate players had receptions last week, with Kupp, Watkins, Gurley, and Woods all logging over fifty yards on at least three targets. Norman and Swearinger are going to have to be everywhere.
Redskins Front 7 Vs. Jared Goff
No one’s flocking to take Goff in fantasy this week — he’s got plenty to improve on as a starting quarterback in the NFL — but he played well against a weak team on Sunday He made the plays he needed to. That said, the Rams defense played so well he wasn’t needed for much. Let’s hit him hard, right in the mouth, and keep him off balance this week.
Beware the Blitz
The Rams are aggressive up front, and Kirk saw his fair share of pressure last week against Philly. That’s not a good combination. The Washington Post pointed out that the Rams blitz more than the average team on 3rd down, and about 1 in 3 times on 1st and 2nd down. Expect pressure early and often. Avoid it.
SEAN CUTS TO THE CHASE
I could see this one going either way. That said, the Redskins looked awful last week and the Rams looked dominant on every level, regardless if it was against the Colts. I’m giving LA the the edge on this one – Rams 24 – 14.
OFFICIAL INJURY REPORT (as of Friday (active roster only)) (starters in bold)
LP – limited practice FP – full practice DNP – did not practice
NIR – not injury related Q – questionable O – out
| Redskins | Rams |
| WR J. Doctson, hamstring; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP; Fri: LP; game: Q | S M. Alexander, shoulder; Wed: DNP; Thurs: FP |
| S D.J. Swearinger, back; Wed: LP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP | LB C. Barwin, NIR (rest); Wed: DNP; Thurs: FP |
| CB B. Breeland, elbow; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP | CB K. Webster, shoulder; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP |
| WR J. Crowder, hip; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP | T A. Whitworth, NIR (rest); Wed: DNP; Thurs: FP |
| LB J. Galette, hamstring; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP | |
| C S. Long, knee; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP | |
| T M. Moses, ankle; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP | |
| RB C. Thompson, back; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP |
TEAM STATISTICS
Redskins:
We did not list the statistical rankings in the charts below since they would not have much relevance after only one game; however, we can discuss the level of production the Redskins achieved against the Eagles in week 1. Kirk Cousins was 23 of 40 for 240 yards, with 1 touchdown, 1 interception, and 2 fumbles, for a 57.5% completion rate, which is well below both his 2016 and career averages. He posted a quarterback rating of 72.9, which is almost exactly the same is his 72.7 rating from the 2016 week 1 game against the Steelers. As a team, the Redskins rushed 17 times for a total of 64 yards, which becomes even worse by the fact that 30 of those rushing yards were from Cousins. It’s difficult to imagine an overall rushing effort worse than the one acomplished by the Redskins in week 1. From a receiving perspetive, Terrelle Pryor led all receivers with 6 catches for 66 yards on 11 targets, which includes two key drops. Not surprisingly, 6 receptions on 11 targets matches Pryor’s 2016 catch percentage. Jordan Reed had an off day with only 5 receptions for 36 yards. Ryan Grant played well in his 37 snaps, with 4 receptions for 61 yards. 2016 first round pick Josh Doctson only saw the field for 20 of the 63 offensive snaps, and was not targeted.
Defensively, the defense surrendered 30 points to the Eagles, although one touchdown came via a return of Kirk Cousins’ fumble to the endzone. Despite a strong performance from the Redskins corners, Carson Wentz piled up 307 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception, and was sacked once for a 96.8 quarterback rating. The Redskins defense was highly successful against the Eagles’ rushing attack, however, surrendering only 58 yards at a pace of 2.4 yards per attempt.
Record 0 – 1 (NFC: 0 – 1)
All-time franchise record: 586 – 573 – 28
Offense
| Offensive rankings (2016) | 12 (points) / 3 (total yards) / 3 (yards per game) (trend even) / 2 (yards per play) / 2 (passing yards) / 2 (passing yards per att.) / 21 (rushing yards) / 7 (rushing yards per att.) |
| Points for (2016) | 396 |
| Yards per game (2016) | 403.4 |
| Passing (2016)
|
607 att (7th); 407 comp; 67.1% comp per. (5th); 8.2 Y/A; 4758 net yds; 25 TD; 12 Int |
| Passing leader (2016) | Cousins (606 att (6th), 4917 yds (3rd), 67.0% comp perc., 25 TDs / 12 Int (15th-most), 97.2 QB rating (7th)) |
| Receiving leader (2016) | Garcon (1041 yds, 79 rec (22nd), 3 TDs, 31.2 Y/C); Jackson (1005 yds, 56 rec, 4 TDs, 17.9 Y/C (1st)) |
| Rushing (2016) | 379 att (27th); 1658 yds; 4.5 Y/A; 106.0 Y/G; 17 TD |
| Rushing leader (2016) | Kelley (168 att (25th), 704 yds (24th), 6 TD, 4.2 Y/A (19th), long 66) |
| Sacks surrendered / rank (2016) | 23 / 4 |
| Ave time of possession / rank (2016) | 29:32 / 22 |
| 3rd down conversion rate / rank (2016) | 45.2 % / 5 |
| TD percentage in red zone / rank (2016) | 45.9 % / 30 |
Defense
| Defensive rankings (2016) | 19 (points) / 28 (total yards) / 28 (yards per game surrendered) / 24 (yards per play) / 25 (passing yards) / 21 (passing yards per att.) / 24 (rushing yards) / 25 (rushing yards per att.) |
| Points against (2016) | 383 |
| Yards per game surrendered (2016) | 377.9 |
| Opponent’s passing (2016) | 589 att (22nd); 387 comp; 65.7% comp perc. (29th); 7.4 Y/A; 4130 net yds; 22 TD; QB Rating 91.1 (20th) |
| Opponent’s rushing (2016) | 423 att (19th); 1916 yds; 4.5 Y/A; 19 TD; 119.8 Y/G (24th) |
| Sacks / rank / Sack leader (2016) | 38 / 9 / Kerrigan (11.0) |
| Tackles leader (2016) | Foster (88) |
| Int / rank / Int leader (2016) | 13 / 12 / Norman, Breeland (3) |
| Opponent 3rd down conv rate / rank (2016) | 46.63% / 32 |
| Opponent TD percentage in red zone / rank (2016) | 59.26% / 25 |
Special Teams
| Kick returns (2016) | 21.1 Y/R (20th), 27 returns, long 45 yards, 0 TDs |
| Punt returns (2016) | 11.9 Y/R (4th), 29 returns, long 85 yards (2nd), 1 TD |
| Kick return defense (2016) | 21.4 Y/R (14th), 25 returns, 1 TD |
| Punt return defense (2016) | 8.2 Y/R (11th), 27 returns, 0 TD |
| Punting (2016) | 45.1 Y/P (18th) |
Turnovers (lost by O / recv’d by D / net / rank) (2016): 21 / 21 / 0 / 17
Penalties (total accepted # / rank) (2016): 110 / 16
Rams:
From a statistical perspective, the 2016 Rams boasted the worst offense in the NFL by almost every measure – points, total yards, yards per game. This team quite literally did nothing in a manner that was not terrible in 2016 with the exception of time of possession, for which they were ranked just 23rd. Even prized 2015 draft pick Todd Gurley only averaged 3.2 yards per carry rushing in 2016. There are no words to adequately describe just how horrific this team was on offense last season – this team scored 10 of fewer points 9 times, scored fewer than 20 points 11 times. They scored 28 or more points in only two games, one of which they lost. The Los Angeles Rams were simply an abomination. But a strange thing happened – in their 2017 week 1 game against the Colts (who, admittedly, have issues up and down the roster), they decided to look like an NFL team, scoring 30 offensive points in route to a 46-9 victory, running up 373 yards in the process. Last year’s top overall draft pick, quarterback Jared Goff, passed 29 times for 21 completions (72.9 completion percentage) for 306 yards, 1 touchdown, and no interceptions for a 117.9 quarterback rating. Goff was able to spread the ball around to 8 different receivers on the day. The Rams’ running game never got going, however, with Gurley gaining only 40 yards on 19 carries for 2.1 yards per attempt. Understand, of course, that some of this success is due to the fact that the Colts are horrific, but nonetheless, this was an outstanding start for a team that is only in its infancy stage on offense.
The 2016 Rams were known far more for their capable defense, led by All- Pro defensive tackle Aaron Donald. The Rams surrendered a fair amont of points last season (394, ranked 23rd), but were in the top 10 in total yards, yards per game, yards per play, passing yards, yards per attempt, and opponents’ third down conversion rate (ranked 4th). The good news for the Redskins is that the aforementioned Donald was on a contract-related holdout for the entire preseason and only reported to the team late last week. He did not play against the Colts in week 1, and while he may or may not play this week against the Redskins, certainly his fitness and readiness for the season is in question. As a team in week 1, the Rams held the Colts to just 225 yards and 9 points.
Record: 1 – 0 (Home: 1 – 0; 2016: 4 – 12; 3rd)
Offense
| Offensive rankings (2016) | 32 (points) / 32 (total yards) / 32 (yards per game) / 32 (yards per play) / 31 (passing yards) / 30 (passing yards per att.) / 31 (rushing yards) / 31 (rushing yards per att.) |
| Points for (2016) | 224 |
| Yards per game (2016) | 262.7 |
| Passing (2016) | 536 att (27th); 312 comp; 58.2% comp per. (30th); 6.2 Y/A; 2951 net yds; 14 TD; 20 Int |
| Passing leader (2016) | Keenum (322 att (30th), 2201 yds (30th), 60.9% comp per., 9 TDs / 11 Int, 76.4 QB rating (27th)) |
| Reception leader (2016) | Britt (1002 yds (25th), 68 rec (39th), 4 TD, 14.7 Y/C) |
| Rushing (2016) | 375 att (28th); 1252 yds; 3.3 Y/A; 78.3 Y/G (31st); 9 TD |
| Rushing leader (2016) | Gurley (278 att (5th), 885 yds (17th), 6 TDs, 3.2 Y/A (40th), long 24 yds) |
| Sacks surrendered / rank (2016) | 49 / 31 |
| Ave time of possession / rank (2016) | 29:20 / 23 |
| 3rd down conversion rate / rank (2015) | 31.5% / 31 |
| TD percentage in red zone / rank (2016) | 47.06% / 27 |
Defense
| Defensive rankings (2016) | 23 (points) / 9 (total yards) / 9 (yards per game surrendered) / 8 (yards per play) / 10 (passing yards) / 5 (passing yards per att.) / 16 (rushing yards) / 8 (rushing yards per att.) |
| Points against (2016) | 394 |
| Yards per game surrendered (2016) | 337.0 |
| Opponent’s passing (2016) | 582 att (20th); 378 comp; 64.9% comp per. (26th); 6.7 Y/A; 3732 net yds; 32 TD; QB Rating 95.5 (25th) |
| Opponent’s rushing (2016) | 424 att (20th); 1660 yds; 3.9 Y/A; 12 TD |
| Sacks / rank / Sack leader (2016) | 31 / 24 / Donald (8.0) |
| Tackles leader (2016) | Ogletree (98) |
| Int / rank / Int leader (2016) | 10 / 23 / Alexander/Barron/McDonald/Ogletree (2) |
| Opponent 3rd down conv rate / rank (2016) | 36.28%/ 4 |
| Opponent TD percentage in red zone / rank (2016) | 71.15% / 31 |
Special Teams
| Kick returns (2016) | 23.9 Y/R (6th), 47 returns, long 61 yards, 0 TDs |
| Punt returns (2016) | 7.0 (23rd), 49 returns, long 47 yards (10th), 0 TD |
| Kick return defense (2016) | 19.5Y/R (5th), 22 returns, 0 TD |
| Punt return defense (2016) | 4.3 Y/R (1st), 35 returns, 0 TD |
| Punting (2016) | 47.8 Y/P (5th) |
Turnovers (lost by O / recv’d by D / net / rank) (2016): 29 / 18 / -11 /28
Penalties (total accepted # / rank) (2016): 126 / 28
* Statistics courtesy of www.pro-football-reference.com, www.nflpenalties.com, www.nfl.com, www.teamrankings.com, www.espn.com, www.sportingcharts.com