Washington Redskins: 3 Big takeaways from loss vs. Texans in Week 11

3. Run Defense an Issue

It’s a fair question to ask: What is going on with Washington’s run defense? Lamar Miller and Alfred Blue combined to run the ball 28 times for 132 yards on Sunday for an average of 4.7 yards per attempt. This is after Tampa Bay and its anemic ground game ran against the Redskins and the Falcons and Tevin Coleman had a big day, too.

Houston had several injuries up front and the combo of Miller and Blue isn’t going to remind anyone of Adrian Peterson or Barry Sanders, yet the Texans ran the ball with ease. Perhaps it was the presence of dual-threat quarterback Deshaun Watson. However, that doesn’t excuse why the Buccaneers and Falcons were able to run the ball, too.

One theory is Washington is devoting more resources to stopping the passing game. That takes the Redskins out of their base personnel — a team strength — and into nickel and dime situations where opposing teams are gashing them on the ground. The Redskins have depth issues at corner and opposing teams are smart to force them into sub-packages where their talented, young defensive line is forced off the field.

With Zeke Elliott looming this week, that run defense must get better and fast. Remember, this same unit held Elliott to just 33 yards just last month.