INDIANAPOLIS -- It wasn’t just that Indianapolis was connecting on deep passes. It’s that there was no resistance. Receivers didn’t just beat them as much as the Washington Redskins' defenders just didn’t, well, cover them.
The result is a stinging indictment of the Redskins’ secondary. Yes, it was forced to play two cornerbacks who weren’t on the roster at the start of the season, pressed into action because of injuries. But it’s also true that those who were often making mistakes were the ones with more experience.
The Redskins allowed Colts quarterback Andrew Luck to throw for 379 yards and five touchdowns. The Redskins surrendered touchdown passes of 30, 48, 73 and 79 yards. For good measure, the Colts also ripped off a 49-yard touchdown run when safety Brandon Meriweather took a bad angle to the ball.
"It’s embarrassing," Redskins safety Ryan Clark said. "It’s not frustrating, it’s embarrassing to be part of, embarrassing to be a leader of a group of individuals that plays like that, including myself. You don’t give the rest of the team a chance to play, you don’t give the rest of the team an opportunity to win the game when each and every opportunity is blown coverage.
"It’s not to where you’re getting beat because a guy is better, you’re not doing your job. That’s to a man in the secondary."
Yes, it is.
The secondary did produce a first-quarter turnover when corner Bashaud Breeland tipped a pass by an under-pressure Luck that Clark intercepted. But, mostly, it was about receivers running free.
But the problems began soon thereafter. Tight end Coby Fleener ran uncovered on an out-and-up route. Linebacker Trent Murphy tried to re-route him, then dropped to the flat. David Amerson ran with receiver T.Y. Hilton -- along with Meriweather. That left Fleener wide open. Amerson said it wasn’t his responsibility. Meriweather was lined up 10 yards off the ball across from Fleener at the snap, but when Hilton ran into his area, Meriweather went with him.
When the Redskins climbed back into the game, trailing 21-17 in the third, more problems followed. This time, Donte Moncrief caught a 48-yard scoring pass when Amerson was fooled. He was in a Cover-3 so he was responsible for the deep outside, yet he paid too close attention to another receiver running a hitch on his side.
"It wasn’t no mixup, it was just me," Amerson said. "My eyes were in the wrong place. The natural reaction is for me to come up. That’s all it takes is one second and it’s down the seam."
Next up: Fleener for a 73-yard catch and run for a touchdown. This time, matched against Everette Brown -- who was not on the roster a month ago and is not known for his coverage skills -- Fleener shook him free at the line by faking a block. Brown and Clark missed a tackle attempt around the Colts’ 43 -- and no defensive back was able to chase him down.
And finally: Moncrief again. Amerson was on him at the line, but was supposed to have safety help from Phillip Thomas, on the practice squad last month. However, Amerson again showed bad eyes by taking them off his man. Thomas bit on a small fake to the outside, and that left the seam open for Moncrief; 79 yards, six points. This was not a complicated coverage.
"David is a young kid, but some of these mistakes that we are making as a group back there are unheard of," Redskins coach Jay Gruden said. "We have to get them coached up. There is not a lot of game experience back there. It’s got to be one of the youngest groups in the NFL right now. When you have a group like that and you have different formations and different things, sometimes communication gets mixed up. A lot of times when you blow a coverage like that, quarterbacks can’t find you so you get away with it, but Andrew sees it all."
It’s worth pointing out, too, that Fleener dropped a ball that would have resulted in a 52-yard touchdown. Yes, he was wide open thanks to another blown coverage. Of Luck's 370 passing yards, 230 came on four touchdown passes.
"Everyone has to be accountable," Clark said. "You’re not supposed to sleep Sunday night when it goes like this. But until everybody feels that way, until that’s the way we approach work, it will keep happening. If it keeps happening there will be a new group of guys in here from top down."
Clark, when asked, said he was speaking in general about the approach.
"I love these dudes and I love the way they work and the way they prepare," Clark said. "We need to bring it to the grass as a group. I’m in no way saying people don’t take it as hard as I take it. We should all feel bad now. We should all feel like crap."
