ASHBURN, Va., -- The last group of people who need to be convinced are the Washington Redskins defenders themselves. They know what’s gone wrong. They know it must improve. They know if they don’t fix their tackling and third-down issues, it will be tough to accomplish what they desire.
The Redskins' defense has helped the past two weeks, allowing only a combined nine points after halftime in wins against the New York Giants and Cleveland Browns. Washington has forced five turnovers in those second halves. Without those turnovers, the Redskins probably would not be 2-2.
But that doesn’t obscure the fact that the Redskins have struggled in two key areas: rushing defense and third downs, especially in long-yardage situations.
"We’ve tried everything," Redskins coach Jay Gruden said of third downs. "We’re just going to continue to mix it up and do some things, and hopefully get more pressure on the quarterback and cover better. That’s all we can do."
The Redskins’ defense ranks 31st in yards per play, 29th in total yards and 26th in scoring. But their eight forced turnovers is tied for fifth most. The Redskins killed a Giants' potential game-winning drive with a Su'a Cravens interception, and rallied to beat Cleveland by forcing three turnovers in the second half.
"We’ve got to get stuff corrected, but we won the game and made big plays when we needed to," Redskins linebacker Will Compton said. "But we can’t be in these situations. We have to play better."
Or, as end Ricky Jean Francois said of the run stopping, "We’ve got to do it. If we don’t, this will get irritating. Real irritating."
The blame can be placed all around. The Redskins didn’t make any significant additions to their front seven in the offseason, despite saying upgrading the line was a need. But they also view this as a long-term project and never felt all sins would be corrected in one offseason. In some games, the Pittsburgh loss in particular, defensive coordinator Joe Barry’s game plan was called into question by those who played the game.
But there are also times when players are simply missing tackles or using poor fundamentals -- eyes too long in the wrong place, leading to pivotal completions. In the past two weeks, the Redskins have allowed a combined 248 yards after contact (rushing and receiving). Of Cleveland’s 163 yards rushing, 64 came after contact, according to ESPN Stats & Information. Each of the three safeties who played Sunday -- David Bruton Jr., Duke Ihenacho and Will Blackmon -- missed multiple tackles, with the first two having tough days in particular, even when they were the unblocked defenders near the box.
"I was a little too ball aware," Blackmon said. "I missed a couple tackles trying to get the ball out."
Sometimes, players said, there are communication breakdowns, leading to wrong run fits. That can stem from having new players on the field, from asking too much of players, or from guys just not getting it done. Regardless, it adds up to trouble.
"I’m not sure certain guys are getting the full call as far as when we’re yelling it," Compton said. "We have a lot to see. Sometimes we’ll scrape over and wonder if we should have stayed backside. We have a lot of things that can be corrected."
To stop the run, the Redskins would use a safety in or near the box area. The linemen, aside from end Chris Baker, haven’t been getting off enough blocks to make plays. Other times a linemen would penetrate deep to a side, only to have the run hit the gap they left.
"That’s something we have to clean up," Gruden said. "You’re responsible for a gap and then you’re sitting right there and the guy makes you miss, it’s going to be a long run."
But it’s not just the run. The lack of third-down success is troublesome. The Redskins have allowed a 60 percent success rate when opposing teams are in third-and-7 and longer. They are not applying enough pressure (they are rushing five or more defenders on 12.25 snaps per game compared to 8.3 last season) or they are sloppy in coverage -- from where they drop to how they use their eyes. Two rookie quarterbacks, Dallas' Dak Prescott and Cleveland's Cody Kessler, were a combined 18-of-20 on third downs for 180 yards and 12 first downs.
The Redskins have won two in a row, and it’s not as if the defense can’t improve. But to achieve their goals, they know this current way is a tough one for the long haul.
"We are as talented as we believe, but we need to be more disciplined and more consistent," Blackmon said, "and keep playing fundamental football."
