Which Game Will Be Most Critical In The Second Quarter Of The Redskins Season?

Which Game Will Be Most Critical In The Second Quarter Of The Redskins Season? The Second Quarter OpponentsWeek 6: Carolina PanthersWeek 7: Dallas CowboysWeek 8: @ New York GiantsWeek 9: Atlanta FalconsDespite the poll results the comments in the first of these series of articles let me know that a good number of fans actually think the opener against the Cardinals is the most critical game in the first quarter of the season. Several great reasons were given including Jay Gruden reaching a milestone and actually winning a season opener as a head coach by have the team prepared to rock and roll. In tandem with that is the players ready to roll and executing right off the bat once the season opens. A win in week one ought to give the team momentum during the first quarter of the season to prepare them for the ‘tougher’ matchups against Green Bay (which I still think would be a statement win) and New Orleans. In the second quarter of the season things don’t get any easier for the Redskins. The team will host the Carolina Panthers who they last beat in 2006 (yes Tress Way Jersey , really). It’s no secret that Cam Newton is far from his 2015 form but he is still a QB that can take advantage of a defense through the air and on the ground. Whether the Redskins are 0-4 or 4-0 they can’t afford to lull here either as two divisional matchups await them after. On offense the Panthers will likely try and feature Christian McCaffery more than they did his rookie season. The Panthers also have some threats at WR outside of Funchess and Torrey Smith with rookie D.J. Moore and Curtis Samuel who both may be in the mix in the slot. Not to mention the Panthers still have Greg Olson who is still dangerous when healthy. The Panthers still have a formidable front seven. Thanks in large part to that unit the Panthers defense was tops 1 in rushing defense last season and they ought to provide a tough test to Derrius Guice and company. One of the BTB writers called Redskins fans delusional for the response in the polls in Bill’s ranking the NFCE series. To that I say, “maybe” but it really is no secret that the Dallas offense will really have to make leaps forward to garner the respect and status their fans seem to think they deserve. Maybe that starts with Zeke getting in shape. Jokes aside the Cowboys do have the Redskins number historically with the rivalry standing at 70-44-2 in Dallas’ favor. The last time the Redskins beat Dallas was in 2016 with Alfred Morris rushing for 100 yards and Cousins and McCoy abusing the Dallas defense and going up against Kellen Moore on the other side. Dallas has also been using the draft and other methods to get young talent onto their roster. Take a quick look at their depth chart and you’ll see they have a lot of young players and rookies coming up the pipeline. That being said this is a good year that the Redskins can try to get one back to even the series. The result of the rivalry game against Dallas is easily the most pumped or depressed I get about any sporting event year round. The Redskins have the talent and experience to exploit the Dallas defense specifically the secondary and the defense should be improved enough to contain Elliott and put pressure on Prescott and defend the Dallas receivers. I wouldn’t be surprised if you guys went for this one being the most critical to win in the second quarter of the season. There is no rest for the weary. The Redskins will have back to back divisional matchups in the second quarter of the season. After the Cowboys game the Redskins will travel to New Jersey to take on the Giants. This is a game the Redskins should win but their are so many unknowns with how each unit will matchup with the other that it could be a season defining win or devastating loss. This game is the one that is most critical in my opinion. The Giants have improved their offensive line and gotten rid of a lame duck coach and added a potential star to their backfield but all of that still has to gel right? Health will be key in this game. Odell Beckham will be back and his success against Norman and the other Redskins CBs will likely define the game. Sterling Shepard is still a threat in the slot and while they Giants have Cody Latimer and Amba Etta-Tawo competing for the other outside spot both can stretch the field and will test the Redskins secondary if Eli gets time to throw the ball. I think the Redskins front 7 ought to contain Barkley to respectable but not wild numbers on the ground. That could be completely baseless though considering how the defense handled Orleans Darkwa last season. The Redskins really need to establish the running game in this one and I think a Jordan Reed renaissance/rebirth in this game will also be critical to a win among a lot of other things. Here’s to health! The Redskins will finish the second quarter of the season by hosting Atlanta. I wouldn't count on a win here. Matt Ryan is still in the prime of his career with a top 2 WR that will be a handful for anyone that is covering him. The Falcons also added Calvin Ridley in the slot during the most recent draft. Not to mention the Falcons have one of the best running back duo’s in football. The defense is going to have its hands full during this one trying to contain all their weapons. The Redskins are going to need to keep pace offensively and ultimately outscore the Falcons to pull off the upset. That is going to be a tall order against the Falcon defense which is one of the most athletic in the league. They were the 5th best this season against the pass and 7th against the run. The Redskins can’t afford to shrink in this one and if they can pull off a win here it could be the biggest of the season.Is Ryan Kerrigan “elite”? Three Kerrigan articles today:Redskins Iron Man - Ryan KerriganEvery play by Ryan Kerrigan vs Green BayIs Ryan Kerrigan “elite”?This article was co-written by James Dorsett and Bill-in-Bangkok.James did all the hard work of researching all the statistics that appear in the article, despite having to work against a dual deadline to get out two Snaps & Stats articles this week.I’m afraid that my written analysis of the numbers isn’t to the same standard that you’ve all no doubt become accustomed to in the Snaps & Stats articles, but I prefer for readers and commenters to draw their own conclusions anyway.I hope you enjoy this statistical review of Ryan Kerrigan’s career and comparison to two of his contemporaries who are acknowledged as the best in the game today.I further hope this article opens up some eyes to the incredible talent and salary-cap value that Kerrigan has represented to the Redskins franchise.Khalil Mack overviewKhalil Mack was the 5th overall pick in the 2014 draft; he is 27 years old and has been in the NFL for 4 seasons.Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty ImagesSeptember 1, 2018 Khalil Mack signed a 6 year extension with the Chicago Bears. Based on a report from Profootballtalk. The extension is worth $141 million with $60 million guaranteed at signing with $90 million in total guarantees.That’s an APY of $23.5m.Von Miller overviewVon Miller was drafted #2 overall in 2011; he is 29 years old and has been in the NFL for 7 seasons.Photo by Bart Young/Getty ImagesAccording to OverTheCap,The Broncos and Von Miller agreed to a six year, $114.5 million contract on July 15, 2016. Per Mike Klis, Miller received $70 million in guarantees, $42 million of which is guaranteed upon signing. That is an APY of $19.08m.Ryan Kerrigan overviewRyan Kerrigan was selected 14 picks after Von Miller in 2011, taken #16 overall.He is 30 years old and has been in the NFL for 7 seasons.Photo by Rob Carr/Getty ImagesOverTheCap reports that Ryan Kerrigan signed a five year contract extension worth $57.5 million with the Redskins on July 30, 2015. Kerrigan received a $16 million signing bonus. His 2015 and 2016 salaries are fully guaranteed to bring the full guarantee on the contract to $23.788 million.His APY is $11.5m.Top salaries for 3-4 OLBOverTheCap reports on salaries for all NFL players, including information about the top-paid Outside Linebackers.You can see that Mack and Miller are the two highest paid OLBs in football, with Kerrigan ranking 7th, earning $7.5m per year less than Von Miller.Kerrigan earns less than half of what Khalil Mack earns.Based on the contract numbers, it seems reasonable to conclude that Mack and Miller are clearly among the elite players at the position right now.Kerrigan, who was drafted the same year as Miller, is paid more like a second-tier player.Is there a good reason for that when it comes to production?In other words, if we compare historical production for the three players, what will it show?College productionLet’s start by comparing a few simple indicators of production from their NCAA days:It’s clear that Mack had the most success in the Tackles for Loss category, but had the lowest production of the three when it came to sacks.Kerrigan and Miller were very comparable with respect to sack production, while Miller was the least productive in TFL and forced fumbles.Taken as a whole, this chart gives the impression of three players who might have different strengths, but who were all well-rounded, high-perfrormance collegiate athletes.Combine resultsThe combine makes it possible to compare players from different schools, conferences and years with a standard set of measurements.While the chart below is not an exhaustive listing of all combine measurements and results, it certainly hits the headline drills.Aside from the bench press Cheap Da'Ron Payne Jersey , where Kerrigan put up an impressive 31 reps, the Purdue Boilermaker measured a bit less athletic than the other two, while Von Miller seems to have the best measurables in general.NFL games & snapsThe chart below shows the number of games, starts and snaps for each player in his respective NFL career.Because Miller & Kerrigan have played for 7 season while Mack has played for just 4, I have included per-game averages on the second line for each player to allow an apples-to-apples comparison.I see immediately that Kerrigan has played 8 more games than Miller has, despite entering the league at the same time.The other trend seems to be that Khalil Mack is used as a pass rusher 2 to 3 snaps per game more often than the other two, and drops into coverage less often.Overall, though, all three players are averaging right around 60 snaps per game, with a similar breakup between run defense, pass rushing and dropping into coverage.NFL production - tacklesKhalil Mack has been the most effective tackler of the three, judging by these raw numbers.NFL production - other statsLooking at these numbers, I get the feeling that Miller is the most talented pass rusher of the three, though Kerrigan may hold a slight advantage as a coverage linebacker.The bottom lineWhen we look at the college production, combine results, games & snaps played, and production in the three facets of the game (run defense, pass rush, coverage), it seems to me that Ryan Kerrigan compares very favorably to the acknowledged top two players in the game in terms of career production.Kerrigan doesn’t have the name recognition of Von Miller or Khalil Mack, but he’s got the college pedigree, the draft pedigree, seven healthy seasons, and elite production numbers that argue that he deserves to be mentioned in the same conversation with the league’s best.Redskin fans have always known that Kerrigan was something special, but many may not have realized just how special he has been.