The best measure of the Washington Redskins’ offensive efficiency last season was their productivity in the red zone. Quarterback Kirk Cousins was sharp once the team got inside an opponent’s 20-yard line and completed 63 percent of his passes, threw 22 touchdowns and zero interceptions.
As the Redskins have stumbled to an 0-2 start, their inability to be as efficient in that area has been costly. Washington has been in the red zone 10 times this season and scored just three touchdowns. Cousins has completed just 5 of 17 pass attempts for one touchdown and has two interceptions. The most troubling came in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s 27-23 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, when Cousins tried jamming the ball to wide receiver Pierre Garcon in the end zone. Garcon was double covered and safety Barry Church intercepted Cousins’ pass.
The best look came in the third quarter when Cousins connected with wide receiver Jamison Crowder for an 11-yard end zone. Cousins’ displayed great accuracy on the throw, leading the receiver to the back of the end zone and Crowder made a nice catch with a defender draped on him before crashing into the wall behind the end zone.
Aside from that one play, though, Cousins and the offense have struggled in this area. Cousins has been hesitant on some throws and his reads have not been as sharp. At the same time, the coaching staff hasn’t been able to generate the best looks. On Sunday, they attempted three unsuccessful fade passes to rookie wide receiver Josh Doctson and another to tight end Jordan Reed.
What has also stood out is how little the Redskins have gone to Reed in the red zone. After catching 10 red-zone touchdowns last season, he has been targeted just three times this season — the same as Doctson.
Here are two other takeaways from the Redskins’ loss to the Cowboys on Sunday:
** Sticking with the offense, the Redskins again did not show much more commitment to the run than they did in Week 1 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Matt Jones carried the ball just seven times against the Steelers and the Redskins attempted 11 rushes. On Sunday, they called only four more run plays while Cousins attempted 46 passes.
Jones ran well on Sunday and gained 61 yards on 13 attempts, an average of 4.7 yards per carry, including a 14-yard touchdown. Drawing back to the Redskins’ struggles in the red zone, they called just three plays inside the Cowboys 20-yard line compared to Cousins’ 11 pass attempts. On one of the fades to Doctson, the Redskins were in a three-tight end set and Doctson the only wide receiver on the field, but opted for the pass anyways.
** Washington’s struggles on Sunday weren’t solely on the offense. After veteran quarterback Ben Roethlisberger methodically picked apart the Redskins defense in Week 1, rookie quarterback Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys did the same with a heavy dose of play-action and bootlegs. The Redskins’ inability to get off the field on third down was apparent for a second-consecutive week. Twice, the Cowboys converted third-and-11 situations. What stood out on Sunday was the confusion that seemed to sink in during the first half. Twice, the Redskins burned a timeout in order to get the proper alignment and personnel on the field.
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