Washington Redskins: Now Play Must Improve on Road

The Washington Redskins, after defeating the visiting New Orleans Saints, 47-14, are now 4-5 on the year. The big win keeps their season alive and it keeps them in the race for the NFC East title. And while they looked unstoppable against the Saints at home, they’ll have to do a better job of playing on the road for the remainder of the season.

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The reason I say that is because Washington has been atrocious this season when playing outside of FedExField. And when I say atrocious, I really mean atrocious, as all four of the Redskins’ victories this year have come at home and four of their five losses have come on the road.

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The fact that the unit has thrived at home is great, but the fact that they haven’t been able to secure a victory on the road is very concerning. The New York Giants, Atlanta Falcons, New York Jets, and New England Patriots are the teams that Washington has squared off against on the road, and while a loss is never a good addition to the win-loss column, the teams that the Redskins lost to away from home were all strong opponents.

In their game against the Giants, the Redskins were defeated by a score of 32-21. Their next road game came against the Falcons, a contest in which they would lose by six points, as Atlanta won the game, 25-19, in overtime. Washington’s third road loss of the year came at the hands of the Jets in a game in which they were outscored, 34-20. The Redskins’ fourth, and perhaps most predictable road loss came in Week 9 against the Patriots; New England defeated Washington, 27-10, in the contest.

This means that Washington has been outscored, 118-70, in their road losses. That gives the Redskins minus-48 net points in road games this season. In contrast, the Burgundy and Gold have outscored their opponents 135-91 at home this season, which gives them 44 net points in those contests.

Nov 15, 2015; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins head coach Jay Gruden (C) walks on the sidelines against the New Orleans Saints during the first half at FedEx Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Sitting at 4-5, the Redskins remain very much alive in the race for the NFC East title. If they truly want to capture the crown, Jay Gruden and his squad will have to find a way to improve their scoring output on the road.

Washington scores an average of 27 points at home, but, on average, scores only 17.5 points per game on the road. That sort of offensive production simply isn’t good enough. Their road losses can’t be put squarely on the shoulders of their offense, though. I say this because their defense allows an average of 29 points per game on the road, meaning that their 27 points per game at home wouldn’t even be enough to fend off their opponents.

Their offensive production dips from 401.6 yards per game at home to 284.5 yards per game on the road.

If the Washington Redskins are going to go on a playoff run, they will have to find a way to play better on the road. Courtesy of Pro Football Reference, their offensive production dips from 401.6 yards per game at home to 284.5 yards per game on the road.

To make matters worse, the amount of yards that their defense allows fluctuates in a major way when they’re on the road.

Washington has allowed 1,715 yards on defense in four road games, which means that they allow an average of 428.7 yards when visiting opponents. At home, though, the Redskins have allowed a total of 1,618 yards in five contests, which is an average of 323.6 yards per game.

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From points scored and allowed, to the amount of yards gained and let up, the level of play that the Redskins exert at home and on the road have proven to be substantially different. With an opportunity to reach the playoffs in sight, Washington will have to devise a plan to improve their efforts on the road.