ASHBURN — The statistic was staggering. No, not the fact that the Washington Redskins allowed 221 rushing yards on 41 attempts in last Sunday’s 34-20 loss to the New York Jets.
It was the fact that 166 of those yards were gained on just seven carries.
In losses to New York and the Atlanta Falcons a week earlier, the Redskins allowed a combined 397 rushing yards. That came after they held opponents to a total of 312 yards in the first four weeks.
The Redskins’ run defense faces another tough test this Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and running back Doug Martin, who has rushed for 229 yards in the last two games.
The feeling among the defensive unit is that the run defense is not as bad as the numbers indicate. Of course, those seven explosive plays against the Jets can’t be ignored. What those plays do allow, though, is for the Redskins to compartmentalize their mistakes as they prepare to find consistency in their run defense against Tampa Bay.
“You feel a little bit better in the overall picture,” defensive coordinator Joe Barry said on Thursday. “But, bottom line, 41 rushes for 221 yards, that’s not good and we can’t allow that to happen. But, at least you can kind of pinpoint it and look at these specific plays. These five running plays when they’ve turned and handed the ball off to the tailback, we’ve got to be better.”
The problems the Redskins endured against the Jets were not the same as the ones they faced against the Falcons. In Atlanta, offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan’s zone-running scheme neutralized Washington’s interior, and it was never able to adjust. As a result, Devonta Freeman ran for 153 yards on 27 carries.
Against the Jets, there were only a handful of plays that stood out, but they were crushing ones. On Chris Ivory’s 54-yard run in the second quarter, inside linebackers Keenan Robinson and Perry Riley blitzed to the offense’s right side. As Ivory cut the toss inside, Jets left guard James Carpenter stayed with the play and flushed outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan out of the rushing lane. All Ivory had to do was beat free safety Dashon Goldson for the big gain.
“Our backside guy was coming and their lineman made an extra effort play by washing Ryan by,” Robinson said. “It was a great scheme. We could’ve fit the run better, but they got us.”
In the third quarter, Ivory gained 11 yards on a misdirection. Robinson appeared to be in position to make the tackle until quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick threw a block. Fitzpatrick hardly hit Robinson, but he obstructed his path, which was all Ivory needed.
“That’s something we don’t account for but we have to be prepared for that,” Robinson said. “It can’t happen.”
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