The Takeaways – Week 16, Broncos at Redskins
December 26, 2017
by Steve Thomas
The past two weeks have most certainly gone better than the few weeks prior for our favorite team, haven’t they? The Redskins have actually played themselves back into a realistic shot at finishing the season with a non-losing record. Yes, I freely admit that the Cardinals and the Broncos aren’t exactly the 1985 Bears, but you can only play the teams in front of you. The bottom line is that the Broncos were a team that Washington should have beaten, and they were able to get it done. We’ve all seen the Redskins play down to their competition over the past many years, but for the previos two weeks, at least, they’ve avoided that fate. This also produced another round of positive Takeaways for week 16:
The Redskins were able to take advantage of Bronco mistakes
Given the state of the Broncos offense and the elite-level rankings their defense has produced this season, it was apparent that the Redskins were going to have to take advantage of Denver mistakes by getting a short field through turnovers and then converting those turnovers into points. For the most part, Washington accomplished this goal, turning two of three Denver turnovers into touchdowns. It was a safe bet that the Redskins were most likely not going to be able to put together multiple long touchdown drives against the Broncos, and as it turns out, they didn’t have to.
Kirk Cousins came alive in the second half
Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins had a poor first half, completing only 1 of 8 passes for 6 yards in the first quarter, and had less than 100 yards passing at halftime. Despite the slow start, Cousins finished with 299 yards passing, three touchdowns, and only 1 interception. It was a second half more in line with the numbers he typically posts. The bottom line is that, from an offensive standpoint, this game began with just about the worst-possible results, but thanks to turnovers and improved play by Cousins, improved his play in fairly rapid fashion in the second half. But make no mistake: the lopsided final score does not adequately reflect just how big of a turnaround Cousins and the offense pulled off in this contest.
The Broncos offense is terrible
The Denver Broncos offense is terrible in every way. They do have some talent, primarily in running back C.J. Anderson and wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, but their quarterback situation is one of the worst in the NFL. Brock Osweiller proved this week that he just isn’t a real NFL starter, at least not right now. Still, though, the Redskins’ defense did what they had to do by stopping the team in front of them and keeping Denver out of the end zone until end of game garbage time. After observing Cousins first hand, I certainly expect the Broncos to make a run at signing him this offseason.
Running woes continue, but Kapri Bibbs may have a future
The Redskins’ rushing attack was much the same as it has been throughout most of the year; that is to say, ineffective. By this point, nobody who has watched this team over the previous 15 weeks should have expected anything more. However, the lone bright spot was Kapri Bibbs – he only had 26 yards rushing, but showed some much-needed speed and explosiveness that has been missing since Chris Thompson went to IR. Bibbs earned a shot to stick around this offseason and prove that he belongs on the team in 2018.
Avoiding a losing season remains in play
From my perspective, the Redskins still have quite a bit to play for – avoiding a losing season for the third year in a row is important. No, it isn’t the playoffs, it isn’t a division championship, and it isn’t the Super Bowl, but it is something. Coming back to win three games in a row to salvage a non-losing season despite probably the worst injury situation in the league shows the rest of the NFL that the Washington Redskins are no longer doormats, but rather a franchise that is going to at least be competitive every year. It represents a graduation from being a charter member of the dregs of the league into the ranks of the mediocre. That certainly isn’t what we all hoped for – the next step still needs to be taken – but it is progress and should give all of us hope for 2018. At least that’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.
That’s it for The Takeaways for week 16. I’ll be back next week for the final installment of the 2017 season, as the Redskins travel to The Meadowlands to face their division rival, the struggling New York Giants.