SB Nation DC - Vikings Vs. Redskins: Injury-Riddled Minnesota Comes Away With 33-26 Win

Vikings Vs. Redskins: Joe Webb Becomes Latest Mobile QB To Confound Washington's Defense

2011-12-26T13:41:47Z

LANDOVER, Md. - Early in the third quarter of Saturday's game, Minnesota Vikings backup quarterback Joe Webb showed the Washington Redskins defense that he possessed the one asset that's proven to be their kryptonite all season long.

Much like Michael Vick and Cam Newton before him, Webb was able to navigate his way around Redskins defenders using his legs, breaking tackles and using his shiftiness to make others miss in the open field on his way to a nine-yard touchdown run.

It was a score that set the tone for the rest of the afternoon, as Webb accounted for scores on three straight drives in the second half, helping to lift the Vikings to a 33-26 victory over Washington.

The athletic backup for the Vikings once again highlighted one of Washington's biggest weaknesses on defense: stopping mobile quarterbacks. Signal callers that can hurt you both with their arms and legs are supposed to pose a challenge to any defense. But for whatever reason, the Redskins have had an even tougher time solving them this season.

This season, three of the top five yardage totals allowed have come against the Vikings, Philadelphia Eagles and Carolina Panthers, all of whom have mobile quarterbacks on their rosters. Minnesota and Carolina each put up 33 points against Washington, accounting for two of the four times this season they've yielded 30 points or more.

"It's tough," said nose tackle Barry Cofield. "It provides a different dynamic with the quarterback carrying the ball. In those situations, you may give up a play or two, but you can't give up the big play. You got to make tackles when you get the opportunity."

The problem for the Redskins is that when given the opportunity to make those plays, they've floundered. Much like Panthers did in Week 7 with Newton, the Vikings ran the option with Webb in the game, keeping the Redskins defense on its heels.

"I thought [Joe] Webb came in and did some things well with the football," Mike Shanahan said of Minnesota's altered attack. "[They ran] the counter options and keeping the ball alive, which wasn't what they had been doing [with Ponder in the game]. He made some big time plays, made some big time throws and kept us off balance."

"[The option]'s something we didn't prepare for during the week," linebacker Brian Orakpo added. "Usually when we know what we're going to face during the week, we prepare for it. [Webb] came in and started optioning the ball, running stuff with the quarterback naked [bootleg]."

Webb's appearance came after the Redskins knocked out Vikings starter Christian Ponder, as he left with concussion like symptoms. With star running back Adrian Peterson already out of the game due to a knee injury, Ponder's absence looked to be a boon to the Redskins defense.

But that was far from the case. It was clear the moment Webb came into the game that the Redskins defense was not ready. Every time they thought he'd throw, he would take off for a big run. Each time they thought they had him contained in the pocket, he'd unload a pass downfield to an open receiver.

"It was kinda overwhelming," Orakpo admitted, "and we just couldn't adjust that quickly."

"He's a mobile quarterback, definitely," said rookie linebacker Ryan Kerrigan. "We just didn't play well. We didn't execute. We had guys out of our gaps, and that's why they hit the big plays."

It's pretty clear if the Redskins defense is to take that next step, they must be able to have an answer for the league's dual-threat quarterbacks. Their wins this season have come against the likes of Eli Manning (twice), Kevin Kolb and Sam Bradford. Those aren't exactly guys that scare you with their legs.

"If you're gonna have an athlete back there in certain schemes, they're going to make some plays," Cofield explained. "So when you have an opportunity to make a play, you can't falter, and that's what we did."

Cofield and the rest of the defense will get their chance to atone for Saturday's poor performance, as they'll go against an Eagles team that totaled 422 yards against them in Week 6.

And it'll be Vick -- perhaps the king of all mobile NFL quarterbacks -- that they'll have to do it against.

For more Redskins coverage, please visit Hogs Haven, SB Nation's Redskins blog. For the perspective from the other side, please check out SB Nation Minnesota and Daily Norseman, SB Nation's Vikings blog.

Santana Moss Fantasy Update: Quiet Day For Redskins WR Despite Multiple Targets

2011-12-25T18:53:15Z

The Washington Redskins were unable to defeat the Minnesota Vikings in Week 16, despite Minnesota boasting a porous pass defense that ranked 30th in the NFL entering the game. Fantasy owners who started Rex Grossman and Jabar Gaffney were still rewarded despite the loss, but unfortunately veteran Santana Moss had a quiet afternoon against a Vikings defense that had surrendered 31 touchdown passes entering the Week 16 matchup.

Despite being targeted ten times by Grossman, Moss caught only four passes for 46 yards and no touchdowns. His inability to get in the end zone stopped a modest two-game touchdown streak, as Moss had a receiving touchdown in both Week 14 against the New England Patriots and Week 15 against the New York Giants.

For the season, the Washington wide receiver has caught 43 balls for 539 yards and four touchdowns.

For more fantasy football coverage, advice, and analysis, please visit SB Nation Fantasy, also found on Twitter @SBNationFantasy.

Jabar Gaffney Fantasy Update: Redskins Wideout Sets Career High In Receiving Yards

2011-12-25T18:13:17Z

The Washington Redskins expected to defeat the two-win Minnesota Vikings Saturday, mainly by taking advantage of a Minnesota defense that ranked 30th against the pass. The Redskins were able to exploit the Vikings secondary, but unfortunately Washington fell 33-26 to Minnesota.

Despite the loss, Redskins wide receiver Jabar Gaffney had another solid day, catching six passes for 77 yards, including a spectacular one-handed touchdown grab. Gaffney set a career high in receiving yardage with the 77 yard output, and tied his career high in touchdown receptions.

For the season, the Washington wide receiver has now caught 64 balls for 919 yards and five touchdowns. His previous career yardage high was 875 yards, achieved with Denver a year ago.

For more fantasy football coverage, advice, and analysis, please visit SB Nation Fantasy, also found on Twitter @SBNationFantasy.

Rex Grossman Fantasy Update: Washington QB Has Solid Day in 33-26 Loss To Minnesota

2011-12-25T17:56:36Z

After a pedestrian performance against the New York Giants in Week 15, Rex Grossman was expected to have a bounceback game against the Minnesota Vikings and their 30th-ranked pass defense in Week 16. Grossman was indeed able to deliver fantasy points, but unfortunately his Redskins fell 33-26 to the Vikings, giving Minneosta just their third win of the year and dropping the Redskins to 5-10 on the season.

Grossman was 26 of 41 for 284 yards, two touchdowns and an interception against Minnesota. He also lost a fumble. For the season, the Washington quarterback has completed 58.8 percent of his passes for 2,895 yards, 15 touchdowns and 19 interceptions. He has 24 total turnovers on the year.

For more fantasy football coverage, advice, and analysis, please visit SB Nation Fantasy, also found on Twitter @SBNationFantasy.

Redskins Vs. Vikings: Post Game Quotes After Washington's 33-26 Loss

2011-12-24T23:28:04Z

LANDOVER - After a sloppy 33-26 loss to the two-win Minnesota Vikings, Washington Redskins fullback Darrel Young wasn't even sure if he was willing to speak to the media. In a game that more closely contested than perhaps it should have been, it was his holding penalty on what looked to be the game-tying 59-yard touchdown run by Brandon Banks that he believes is the reason Washington is now 5-10 on the season.

"It's a bad play," he said of the call, "and I cost the team the game. I just got to overcome it."

It was another mistake prone, turnover-laced affair for the home team, one that dropped the Redskins record at FedEx Field to 2-6 for the season.

There were, however, a few bright spots.

For one, rookie sixth round draft pick Evan Royster rushed for 132 yards on 19 carries, nearly a seven-yard average. His game marked the first time two Redskins rookie running backs have rushed for 100 or more yards in a single season.

"I was pretty happy with how I played," he said afterward.

Royster was given the nod over fellow rookie Roy Helu because of injury. "I was excited to finally get my first start and actually get to carry a little bit of a load."

The Redskins offense continued the momentum they've built over the last few weeks, posting a 20-plus point day for the fourth time in the last five weeks. The other offensive star was receiver Jabar Gaffney, who finished the game with 77 receiving yards on six catches, including a one handed grab for a touchdown in the third quarter.

"It was a hell of a catch," Rex Grossman said.

Gaffney has become the team's leading receiver and tied a career high with five touchdown catches for the season. "I tried to put it in a spot where only he could get it, and he was able to do it."

Despite the point total, they were unable to outscore the Vikings, who had to put in their backup running back in Toby Gerhart and quarterback Joe Webb due to injuries sustained to the starters. Instead of thriving in that situation, the Redskins floundered, allowing touchdowns on three straight possessions in the second half.

"You can't look at it like that [taking advantage of backups]," Barry Cofield said. "We've had backups playing all year and we expect those guys to produce."

"Realistically, the dynamic of the game changes when you bring in Webb, [with] the things he can do with running the option and all those things. Obviously that changes things. In reality, it's still nuts and bolts tackling, and fitting in gaps."

Other members of the defense agreed.

"I want to applaud our offense," said Brian Orakpo. "They did a good job keeping us in the game. But defensively it's unacceptable [to allow them] to run the ball on us like that."

The Redskis defense, which was stingy in last week's 23-10 victory over the New York Giants, yielded 241 rushing yards, 109 of them to Gerhart, Adrian Peterson's backup.

"The big runs hurt," Cofield said. "They ruin your season statistically. They ruin the game. They're just a big let down. We felt like we were prepared."

Inconsistency is something the Redskins have had a tough time mastering in 2011. One week they look like they are on the uptick, and the next they go back to being a floundering team. It's a sure sign of a group still learning how to win.

"Guys are fighting hard," Orakpo said. "We don't have any issues. Guys play for each other. We got a great coaching staff. We got an owner that's doing everything possible to win. We just gotta be optimistic."

"Obviously, 5-10 is a terrible season to have. But I'm a very optimistic guy and I just want to keep building and get this organization on top eventually."

Vikings Vs. Redskins Final Score: Washington Falls To 5-10 With 33-26 Loss

2011-12-24T21:09:55Z

The Washington Redskins still have not won consecutive games since September. Despite injuries to Christian Ponder and Adrian Peterson, the Minnesota Vikings were able to come away with their third win of the season, topping the Redskins, 33-26, in Landover. Backup quarterback Joe Webb and backup running back Toby Gerhart spurred the Vikings to victory.

Washington still had a chance to win at the end. The Redskins kicked a field goal to cut Minnesota's lead to 33-26 with 1:25 remaining, and with three timeouts, the Redskins made the surprising decision to kick the ball back to Minnesota. It worked, as the Vikings went three and out, giving the Redskins the ball back with 1:08 remaining. But a costly illegal motion penalty after a Donte Stallworth catch ran 10 seconds off the clock, and Rex Grossman's last-ditch Hail Mary pass was batted down.

The play that ended up costing the Redskins the most was when Grossman threw yet another interception, this one to free safety Mistral Raymond with 7:42 left in the game. The Vikings tacked on a field goal with 4:10 remaining to take a 33-23 lead.

Webb threw for two touchdown passes, while Gerhart ran for 109 yards in the Vikings' win. Evan Royster was impressive for the Redskins, rushing for 133 yards on 19 carries in the absence of Roy Helu due to injury.

The Vikings are now 3-12 on the year, while the Redskins fall to 5-10.

Vikings Vs. Redskins Score Update: Percy Harvin Touchdown Gives Vikings 30-23 Lead

2011-12-24T20:38:52Z

The Minnesota Vikings' offensive surge behind Joe Webb continues. Webb led the Vikings on their third straight scoring drive, this time finding wide receiver Percy Harvin for an eight-yard touchdown pass to give the Vikings a 30-23 lead with 10:06 left in the fourth quarter.

Webb found Harvin for the score, and he also found Harvin for the biggest play on the drive. On third down, Harvin beat the Redskins' cornerback and caught a 36-yard pass to get the ball into Redskins' territory. Webb then found Devin Aromashodu to get the ball inside the 10-yard line. On the touchdown pass, Webb rolled to his right, and the Redskins' defenders were so concerned with Webb's ability to run that they let Harvin get open for the score.

Vikings Vs. Redskins Score Update: Kyle Rudolph Touchdown Gives Vikings 23-20 Lead

2011-12-24T20:17:11Z

For the second straight drive, the Minnesota Vikings moved the ball easily against the Washington Redskins' defense. Minnesota easily moved the ball up the field, eventually cashing in when Joe Webb found tight end Kyle Rudolph for a 17-yard touchdown on a corner route. Ryan Longwell missed the extra point, so Minnesota only leads, 23-20, with 2:41 left in the third quarter.

The two plays before the touchdown were big ones as well. First, Toby Gerhart broke several tackles and ran to midfield on third and inches. On the next play, Percy Harvin took a reverse and raced up the sidelines with blockers in front, finally being pushed out of bounds at the Redskins' 17-yard line. Webb found Rudolph for the touchdown on the very next play.