Rams Opponent Research: Breaking Down the Redskins
Week two is upon us, and with the Redskins coming to town, today we’ll be taking a look at what the Rams can expect from Washington on both sides of the ball. The Redskins fell to the Eagles 30-17 last week, but the game was much closer than the final score indicates, with both teams trading scores most of the way. It was a five point game with less than two minutes left and the Redskins driving when Cousins was sacked and fumbled. The Eagles scooped that fumble and ran it in for the game-sealing touchdown.
Overall, it was a mediocre debut for the Redskins, but they’re certainly better than the Scott Tolzein-led Colts team the Rams beat last Sunday. Quarterback Kirk Cousins was inaccurate at times, overthrowing receivers on several deep balls. He failed to develop much of a rapport with prized free agent acquisition Terrelle Pryor, connecting on just six of 11 targets to his new number one receiver. They tried to get running back Robert Kelley going early, but he managed just 30 yards on ten carries.
As for this week’s game against the Rams, after taking a second look at the film, here’s what Los Angeles can expect this Sunday:
Offense
Sean Mcvay, the Rams new head coach, spent the previous six seasons in Washington. He first took over as tight ends coach and more recently served as offensive coordinator. It adds another interesting storyline to this weekend’s matchup, and McVay is certainly familiar with Redskins head coach Jay Gruden’s offensive philosophy and what we wants to do on that side of the ball. He should be able to provide some tips about Gruden’s tendencies to defensive coordinator Wade Phillips. Intimate knowledge of the opponent’s scheme is always valuable.
The Redskins, like lots of NFL teams, run their own version of the West Coast offense. Gruden’s scheme in particular is known as being very quarterback friendly, emphasizing quick throws over the middle. In last Sunday’s game against the Eagles, it was rare to see Cousins hold the ball in his hands for more than a couple seconds and when he did, it usually didn’t go well. Even on deep balls it’s a standard three step drop and quick release from Cousins nearly every time, so jamming receivers at the line and playing tight-press coverage will be crucial to slowing down the Redskins passing attack.
The Redskins like to mix in those quick throws with a dose of power running led by workhorse back Rob Kelley. Kelley is a prototypical power-back, a north-south style runner who seeks out contact and loves to lower his shoulder. To contain him, the Rams front seven will have to out-physical him and make sure to finish tackles.
The Rams linebackers should be busy all day as Gruden and Cousins love to throw the ball over the middle. Cousins’ most consistent target the past few years has been tight end Jordan Reed who, when healthy, is a force to reckon with. Watch for lots of quick reads over the middle to Reed on Sunday. The Rams linebacker’s ability to cover him over the middle will certainly be one of the keys to the game.
While Phillips’ defense looked great against the Colts in the opener, they’ll face a much stiffer challenge in Cousins and the Redskins this week. If they can force Cousins to scan the field longer and make him throw outside the numbers where he’s less comfortable, it should be another good day for Trumaine Johnson and co.
Defense
The Redskins defense will be replacing their coordinator this year as well. Many people around the league are expecting a down season for the whole unit. After former coordinator Joe Barry was let go at the end of last season, Washington opted to promote from within and tapped linebackers coach Greg Manusky to run their defense.
Manusky, a former coordinator for the 49ers, Chargers, and Colts, made it clear from the moment he took over that he planned to be much more aggressive on defense than his predecessor Barry. Manusky stayed true to his promise against Philadelphia, blitzing extensively. Of quarterback Carson Wentz’s 45 dropbacks in week one, Manusky sent five or six pass rushers on 23 (51 percent) of them.
Likely to be facing many blitzes and heavy pressure this week, it will be up to quarterback Jared Goff to get the ball out of his hands quickly and find the gaps in the coverage that the blitzes present. Goff and McVay did a good job of this against the Colts and if Goff is able to keep his progressions moving quickly, he has a good chance to torch a shaky Redskins pass defense like Wentz did last week.
The Redskins hired former 49ers head coach Jim Tomsula, well respected as defensive line coach, to be their defensive line coach this offseason. The run defense went on to show well against Philadelphia. They managed to limit running back LeGarrette Blount to just 46 yards on 14 carries. While the Redskins secondary is below average, their front seven, bolstered by the acquisition of 2017 first-round pick Jonathan Allen, is still formidable and may pose a problem for running back Todd Gurley. Gurley averaged barely two yards per carry against the Colts despite the Indianapolis only stacking the box (having eight defenders near the line of scrimmage) on two of his 19 carries.
If Gurley can get things going early in the first quarter, it’ll force Washington to stack the box and open things up for Goff in the passing game. Overall, it seems clear that the Redskins defense is worse than last year. Their heavy, blitz-oriented defense should be a good matchup for McVay’s quick release scheme.
Andrew Ortenberg is a Staff Writer for cover32.com/rams and covers the Los Angeles Rams. Like and follow on Follow @all22drew Follow @cover32_LAR
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