Washington Redskins Find Balance When They Really Needed It

The Washington Redskins (3-5) faced a must win game Sunday when they took on the San Diego Chargers (4-4) at FedEx Field. An epic goal line stand by Washington’s defense with seconds left in the fourth quarter helped send the game into overtime where the Redskins ended up winning 30-24.

Rookie cornerback David Amerson had a key touchdown-saving tackle keeping Chargers’ utility back Danny Woodhead just a foot from the endzone. Amerson struggled on the drive up to that point making a few rookie mistakes against San Diego’s rookie receiver Keenan Allen. The two rookies are actually good friends and it showed throughout the game as each made plays.

“I grew up with him [Keenan Allen]… There was a point where we were like, ‘We are finally here. We made it to the NFL now and we are both rookies. We talked about this since we were kids.’ So, you know, it was kind of cool. We were just out there having fun, always competing.”

The Washington Redskins absolutely could not lose this game, and they knew it. “It was definitely a character-building situation,” said DeAngelo Hall. “But to be up 10, you can’t let a team march down the field a couple times and have a chance to win it there. We’ve got a lot of things to correct. Do you like the fight in the guys? Absolutely. Do you wish you weren’t in that situation? Absolutely. There are a lot of things we can learn from that and a lot of things we have to work on, but you can see the resiliency in these guys and get the stop. That’s almost impossible there—when a team has the ball like that with a few seconds left on the clock, that’s a tough situation to be in. These guys just kept fighting.”

Game Notes:

Robert Griffin III — After re-watching the game late last night, it confirmed some of my thoughts watching it live. Griffin played a smart football game Sunday. Probably his smartest of the season. He went through progressions and checked the ball down more times against the Chargers than I’ve seen him do in the past. That’s been one of my biggest issues with him — he didn’t like checking the ball down in the past. Griffin got rid of the football quickly. And although he overthrew a couple balls, Griffin was a lot more accurate Sunday. He threw with anticipation a few times. Not to mention, Kyle Shanahan finally dialed up some high percentage outside the number passes. Those quick outs are something Griffin throws with ease. He’s been asking for more of those outside the number passes all season. And it opened up the middle of the field.

Another thing I liked about Griffin’s game yesterday is his decisions on the read option/triple option. There was three times in that week 8 Denver Broncos game that Griffin made a poor decision in regards to opting not to keep the ball or not pitch the ball. There were plays to be made and I believe Griffin saw that on film. So on Sunday, he took advantage of those opportunities by pitching the ball a few times.

One thing to note: Griffin had several batted passes. I think defense are starting to notice his delivery – it was one of the few consensus negatives scouts wrote prior to last year’s draft: “Will use a side arm and three-quarters delivery with a low release point that leads to batted balls.” This acts as both a positive and negative for Griffin because he does have several release points and can throw the ball with accuracy. However, the ball releases without much elevation on those quick short to intermediate passes. So one thing Griffin has to do is learn to quickly look off the receiver/defender then throw the ball. He actually started to do that a few times after several balls were batted against the Chargers.

Robert Griffin III’s best pass of the day came in overtime. On 1st and 20, Griffin threw a 17 yard dart to Pierre Garcon — possibly one of his best throws of the season. When the Washington Redskins needed Griffin most in this game, he stood all the way up and delivered. In the third quarter, Griffin had one of those runs that people will complain about, saying he put himself in harms way. It was a 3rd and 9 on a drive the Redskins really needed to capitalize on — although it was a tied football game. Griffin scrambled to the left end and dove for the first down marker. He took a lick, but got the first down. It fired up the offense and they ended up scoring on that drive.

“A lot of people criticize me for that type of stuff,” Griffin said of his scramble. “I could have gone out-of-bounds and we could have been short of the first down and I saw an opportunity to fly, so I got my wings and tried to fly. I hit the ground pretty hard, so you know, people, we really can’t fly. No matter how much we dream about it, but I just saw the opportunity and at that point in the game I thought we needed it and that’s why I took it.”

Overall, he had a solid outing. He did not score any touchdowns, but they didn’t need him to. Robert Griffin III simply made the necessary plays, and that’s all you can ask from a QB.

Pierre Garcon — He’s received a lot of flack for speaking his mind after games. But when you make catches like he does and the fact he’s really the only consistent wide receiver, he has a right to voice his opinion.

“I think Pierre just speaks his mind,” said coach Mike Shanahan. “He was a little disappointed after the game [last week in Denver]. He’s a team player, but he’s been like that since he’s been here. I don’t think people realize what a great blocker he is; I think he’s the best blocker in the National Football League. This guy competes every down and you saw he was determined today to make some plays. Regardless of where the ball was, he’s going to find a way to come down with the ball. And what people miss is exactly how hard he blocks, because you don’t have the yards we have in the running game unless your receivers are really committed to making some plays and playing for each other.”

Garcon plays mad and he seemed to play with an extra chip on his shoulder against the Chargers. He helped his QB on a few generally inaccurate balls and he just played mad every single snap — even without the ball in his hands. As mentioned earlier, the Redskins worked the edges a lot more against the Chargers which seemed to open the middle of the field for Garcon.

Washington’s running game was on point against the San Diego Chargers. For the first time this season, Alfred Morris cracked 20 carries. Since 2012, the Redskins are 10-1 when Morris carries the ball 20 or more times. He averaged 4.8 yards a clip and was yet another player who displayed an attitude every time he touched the ball. Because of his success on the ground it opened up opportunities in not only the passing game but the redzone offense. Washington was able to use their FB Darrel Young in perfect situations where the Chargers’ just were not expecting it. Young ended up netting three touchdowns, including the game winner.

“Well, ‘DY’ [Young] does a heck of a job for us – on special teams, as a fullback, he can actually go in there and work as a tight end,” said Mike Shanahan. “And we run so many running plays with a halfback and he’s a blocker – they lose him. And so to put him in that situation says a lot about our running game, our offensive line. And DY does have the skills to make people miss, so that doesn’t happen very often – when you give it to the fullback down there and he finds a way to get it in three different times – but it didn’t surprise me.”