As Washington Redskins fans gathered around the Thanksgiving day table there was much to give thanks for, a real franchise quarterback, a legitimate general manager and an explosive offense. As for the defense, Redskins fans can say “Thanks for nothing.”
The defense was just missing the game changing play, the massive pass rush and the ability to stop Ezekiel Elliot and Dak Prescott. So essentially everything. Prescott kept making plays with his feet and mind. He understood when the Redskins were going to come with a rush and had excellent accuracy in getting out of jams with quick release throws. It made those Redskin fans who ate an early meal reach for the Prilosec OTC.
Prescott will be cause heartburn for the Redskins for years to come and it will take a solid defense with the ability to stop the run, to be able to stop Prescott in the future. Elliot is also perfectly complimentary to the Dallas Cowboys offensive line with his aggressive style of running. They all compliment each other, like some sort of annoyingly happy couple who love each other so much and rub their noses together, giggle at all their inside jokes, and wear matching clothes.
Ugh, barf.
When the Redskins draft or make free agent pickups in the offseason, the main focus will have to certainly be on the defensive line. It has been neglected long enough and if the Redskins are to take that next step into being a dominant team they will have to invest in that defensive line.
One thing they might not have to invest in, is the cornerback position, as Josh Norman has the kind of fight in him that fans love. His anger and blatant disrespect toward Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant, warmed the heart of Redskins fans everywhere. I chuckled with delight when I saw Norman throw his towel at Bryant in the post game altercation, I just wished it was a rock or folding chair instead.
The Redskins offense looks to be expanding its aerial capabilities by finding the deep ball consistently and making big plays. The run game did not get going in this game and was more than likely the right move considering that the Dallas secondary is not very good and their run defense is excellent.
Kirk Cousins threw for 449 yards and 3 touchdowns in this game yet never had a chance to really make it that competitive as they always seemed to be down by 12 or 14 points throughout the game. The redzone is now officially the Deadzone for the Redskins offense. They cannot score consistently in this area and it almost makes more sense to continue to score from outside this area than inside it with long touchdown passes.
In the beginning of the season Dustin Hopkins was the favorite to be the team’s MVP. Recently though, his misses have now placed the upmost confidence in him at a crossroads. Some will say he had what can only be described as the entire sun reflected into his eyeballs before he made that 55 yard attempt. It would of been a tough make anyways, but what about the 43 yarder? I think his inconsistency should be a thing to monitor very carefully.
One week he kicks 4 field goals and he’s awesome. Another week and its like what the hell? Jay Gruden should take time to inspire him, talk to him, maybe even scare him a little and get him focusing on his accuracy and be the kind of kicker everyone thinks he is and capable of being in this league. Because if he continues to struggle with this strange bout of focus than he might be the goat Redskins fans are starting to look for besides the defense.
Today was Black Friday, a day where shoppers go and grab deals by fighting and biting others for the best material goods. I hope that the Redskins defense starts to do the same for field position and stopping the run, otherwise it might be on the high flying offense to keep these games out of reach.
They say, the best defense is a good offense. Redskins fans certainly hope so.
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