Redskins look to clean up third down, special teams

ASHBURN — There was a decided measure of relief in Sunday’s Redskins win over the Arizona Cardinals.

It was a win in which the recently hapless Redskins confronted — and corrected — many of the mistakes that plagued them during the previous two-game losing streak.

They made stops at the right times and didn’t break down — despite a defense that played 85 snaps.

The victory also has Jay Gruden’s squad at 6-8, which gives Washington a real possibility of finishing with a .500 record.

Gruden said he wants his team to finish strong over the last two games, starting next Sunday with the Denver Broncos.

They can do that by nailing these areas.

Third-down

Quarterback Kirk Cousins said he was frustrated, again over the Redskins’ recent performance on third down. Washington went just 1-for-9 on third down against the Cardinals — and the Redskins now rank 29th in third-down conversions this season, converting just 33.7 percent of those plays.

“We just haven’t been good enough all year to sustain drives,” Cousins said.

That’s uncharacteristic for a Cousins-led offense. Since taking over full time as the Redskins’ starting quarterback, Washington ranked in the top five of third-down conversions over the last two seasons.

Part of the problem is dealing with manageable situations. In 2016, the Redskins faced scenarios of third-and-7 or longer just 40 percent of the time. That’s up to nearly 47 percent this year, where the Redskins have converted only 24 percent of those plays.

In fact, the Redskins already have faced more third downs from third-and-7+ this year (83) than in 16 games last year (81).

Gruden said his team’s struggles on third down boil down to something different “every time.”

“Sometimes it’s third-and-really-long and hard to get,” he said. “Sometimes we’ve missed the throw, sometimes the protection hasn’t been good enough or what have you, and sometimes the defense made good plays.”

Special teams

Against the Cardinals, the Redskins committed two costly mistakes on special teams.

To open the second half, Cardinals recovered a pooch kick at Washington’s 22-yard line, a play where the Redskins forgot to grab the ball on the return. Later in the game, Redskins defensive lineman A.J. Francis was called for leverage on a field goal attempt, a 15-yard penalty that extended a Cardinals drive.

In both scenarios, the Redskins held Arizona to field goals, but they were lucky it wasn’t worse.

Special teams have been a problem for the Redskins throughout the year — from muffed punts to blocked kicks.

Gruden said he’d like to see “some type of momentum-swinging type plays” for themselves down the stretch.

“It’s just a matter of trying to get some consistency in the guys who we’re playing and making sure we coach them up a little better,” Gruden said.

Continued development

Defensive lineman Anthony Lanier’s performance on Sunday was a welcomed surprise in many ways for the Redskins. Lanier, an undrafted free agent in 2016, had his best game as pro — recording two sacks, a forced-fumble and three passes defended.

The Redskins will need more consistent performances from its younger players like Lanier against the Denver Broncos and the New York Giants. With the playoffs out of reach, these final two games are about evaluation.

Gruden called Lanier “a puppy,” but noted additional playing time has helped his development. Since Week 8, Lanier has played at least 35 percent of the team’s defensive snaps because of injuries to the defensive line.

Gruden said Lanier has done a much better job of using his hands, whether in a rush or trying to deflect to passes.

“I’m feeling pretty good, [but] I’ve got to get better,” Lanier said. “There’s still room to grow.”

On a larger scale, the Redskins need to see if players like wide receiver Josh Doctson and running back Samaje Perine can be No.1 options for the future. Both players have shown flashes, but it will be interesting to see how they finish out the year.

Gruden, meanwhile, said he knows the perception of finishing 8-8 “wasn’t a good enough year for anybody,” but added a caveat.

“To finish strong and get to 8-8 says a lot about the character of these guys and their ability to continue to work hard through tough times,” Gruden said. “That’s our goal right now is to finish strong.”