Redskins vs. Chiefs 3rd quarter review

1st quarter review

2rd quarter review

Redskins first possession

2-9-W30 – Collins drops back and fakes handoffs to both Betts and Devin Thomas on an end-around. The line absorbs the pass pressure with relative ease and Collins has plenty of time to wait for Moss to get open downfield on a deep corner route. Due to the camera angle its impossible to tell if the DBs were frozen by the play action or if Santana just beat them straight up, but by the time the view pans over he has two steps on a CB and a safety is desperately racing down the field trying to catch up. It’s a well placed ball right into Moss’ hands, and if he was a couple of inches taller he may have been able to maintain his footing and take it in for the touchdown.

2-20-K37 – The screen pass, which the offense always executed so crisply in 2008, continues to look sloppy. It looks like Rabach and Will Montgomery were the blockers who were supposed to make it over to the left side and form a wall in front of Betts in the flat. But both of them, once they slip past the linemen, seem to linger in the middle of the field and don’t make it to the outside. Montgomery realizes he’s too late and turns around to block a guy on the backside, which is useful but not what he was supposed to be doing. Rabach still heads up field but due to the angles Betts is still left to pick his way past a tackler on his own and by the time Rabach gets in a good position its too late. To be fair, the timing of this play may have been distrupted by the Chiefs play call. As Betts headed into the flat a safety blitzed right at him, and of course Betts couldn’t pick him up because he had to get out into his route. Maybe the Redskins were expecting Collins to have a couple more seconds before he had to throw so the linemen would have a chance to hustle to the outside.

3-16-K33 – The LDE puts on an outside rush and avoids Mike Williams altogether. Cooley gives him a pretty good bump before releasing into his route. Even though Cooley buys him a couple extra seconds to get into position, Williams is still thoroughly outmaneuvered and never even manages to touch the guy who beats him and puts a hit on Collins. Fortunately, Cooley was open so Collins was able to get the ball out before going down. Cooley catches the ball at the 30, then breaks three tackles to make it down to the 21.

Suisham makes the kick; 3-3.

Chiefs first possession

2-8-K42 – Run is stuffed by penetration all down the line. Kedric Golston lowers his shoulder and blows right through the RG, Haynesworth puts a swim move on the helpless C, and Philip Daniels beats the RT to the outside. All three converge on the ballcarrier in the backfield.

3-8-K42 – Redskins blitz both safeties – Doughty on the outside and Landry up the middle. Haynesworth and Orakpo collapse the offensive left side of the line, and Rocky McIntosh lines up in the middle of the field and blitzes to the offensive right to draw off the interior linemen, opening a hole for Landry. Haynesworth and Landry crush Cassel, but he does an impressive job of standing in the pocket in the face of the oncoming violence and delivers the ball just in time to Bobby Wade, who has takes benefits from Justin Tryon’s size disadvantage.

1-10-W48 – Chiefs run to the left. Lorenzo Alexander, at DT, allows himself to be sealed to the inside. Andre Carter, at RDE, I suspect fails in his gap responsibility as he attacks to the inside and then the RB flies past him to the outside with a lineman blocking Carter’s angle. Rocky McIntosh is there with outside contain, but the fullback takes his legs out and the RB makes it to the open field for a first down run.

3-10-W36 – Haynesworth rushes to the outside while the RDE (couldn’t make out the number) stunts to the inside behind him. The RDE never really gets his momentum going and is easily neutralized by the center. Haynesworth meanwhile drives back the LG-LT double team, but they carry him to the outside and, in the most obvious missed holding call in the history of the NFL, blatantly bear-hug him and attempt to wrestle him to the ground. They don’t succeed at that, but they do take him out of the play. Fortunately Dwayne Bowe, who is wide open on a crossing route, drops a pass that hits him right in the hands.

Redskins second possession

1-10-W12 – Portis runs left. Cooley motions to the left side just before the snap and manages to seal the DE to the outside. Heyer and Dockery first double up on the DT to create the inside seal, then Heyer quickly sheds off and takes out the SLB. Rabach intentionally lets the other DT slip past him (to be taken out by Will Montgomery who comes inside to trap him) so that he can get to the second level and block the MLB. Because the linemen do such a good job on the LBs, Portis gets into the secondary with Sellers, who has not had to block anyone yet, still in front of him. Sellers keeps the safety off Portis down most of the field, then finally trips up and Portis is brought down at the 10.

1-10-K10 – Collins has time in the pocket, but even with 5 guys out in routes no one is able to get open, and after looking around desperately for several second Collins has to throw it out the back of the end zone.

2-10-K10 – With an empty backfield, the line protects Collins well again. He’s trying to get Randle-El on a fade route, but due to ARE’s lack of size he is unable to get a clean release and never gets behind the (larger) DB, so the play never has a chance.

3-10-K10 – Collins has time yet again and seems to see something in the end zone, but a DT who has been hung up on a double team by Rabach and Montgomery get his hand up to bat the ball down at the line. The camera angle doesn’t show if there was an open receiver, but Collins looked confident in his throw. However, you can see two LBs playing deep who were closing in on the apparent passing lane.

Suisham kicks, Redskins take a 6-3 lead.

[at this point CBS loses the signal from FedEx and we’re stuck watching the Ravens until they get back up at the very end of the 3rd quarter. In the interim the Chiefs have mounted a 9 play drive and kicked a field goal to tie the game at 6.]