Washington Redskins: 3 Takeaways vs. Vikings in Week 10

3. Defense was awful

A theme for the Washington Redskins this season was how the defense fell apart at the end of the first half and how it carried into the second half. That trend continued on Sunday, only the Vikings got started much earlier than just the final two minutes of the first half.

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The Redskins seemingly had no answer for Keenum and wide receivers Thielen and Stefon Diggs. The two receivers combined for 12 catches for 244 yards and two touchdowns. Washington has good cornerbacks, yet Josh Norman and Bashaud Breeland had no answer for Thielen and Diggs.

Another issue for Washington on Sunday was the absence of a pass rush. A good pass rush is not always determined by how many sacks are in the box score, a good example of that was the team’s win at Seattle last week. The Redskins didn’t record many sacks last week, but they continually pressured Russell Wilson from start to finish. Not only was Keenum not sacked, he moved around the pocket all day and easily found open receivers down the field.

Head coach Jay Gruden spoke of his disappointment with the defense after the game, yet admitted the group played much better in the second half. Safety D.J. Swearinger singlehandedly kept the Redskins in the game, picking off two passes and making several big stops. It wasn’t enough to dig the Redskins out of the early hole this group put them in.

Norman summed up in the secondary’s performance after the game perfectly.

Another ugly statistic for the Redskins was third-down defense. Minnesota converted eight of 12 opportunities on the money down. You don’t win games this way.