Sep 24, 20183 min read

Victory Monday Edition: Taking Down Rodgers and the Packers

Welcome back to The Burgundy and Gold Report. The Redskins certainly brought their A-game and built an early lead versus the Packers. Although Aaron Rodgers played the entire game with a bulky knee brace, it didn’t seem to limit his performance. As dominating as the Redskins were, Green Bay had multiple chances to come back in the second half when the Redskins played the conservative approach, similar to the win in Arizona.

B&G Report Game Balls

Redskins signal caller Alex Smith’s decisiveness with the football and quick thinking kept this Skins team rolling all day. His stat line might not tell the full story (12/20 for 220 yards passing, 2 TD’s with 1 int). Unlike in weeks past, Smith took multiple deep shots and connected on two completions for 50 + yards, one resulting in an impressive catch and run by receiver Paul Richardson.

Smith frequently made plays with his legs as well when he had no other option. This was particularly evident on 3rd down. On multiple occasions, with his receivers blanketed by the Packers defensive backs, Smith would take off for a minimal run rather than throwing the ball away. This is a stark contrast to years past in Washington, so let the train keep rolling after the bye week concludes.

Smith spoke with ESPN Redskins analyst John Keim post game and had the following to say…

“We had them on their heels in the first half. They didn’t have a very good beat on what we were doing, run and pass. It was fun when you’re playing like that and rolling offensively”

Although the Skins’ quarterback had a very good day Adrian Peterson was the offensive star all day, hence the nickname. The future Hall of Famer ripped off big runs all day and in most cases it required 2-3 Packers defenders just to bring him down. He finished the day with 120 rushing yards on 19 carries and 2 TD’s. The stat line was impressive, especially for the Skins anemic run game, but his 6.3 run per carry average is what stood out.

Peterson won’t have weeks like this every week in Gruden’s offense, but like coach always says “We took what the defense gave us”. Peterson might not be able to keep the pace up week in and week out, but Thompson and Bibbs will be available to lighten the load.

The Alabama Wall along with Matt Ioannidis dominated the Green Bay offensive line all day. Early on, it was Ioannidis who continuously pushed Packers’ lineman into Rodgers, registering the Redskins 1st sack. John Allen & Daron Payne combined for 3 sacks and were unstoppable all day. With Aaron Rodgers looking to make a play on their final drive, Allen took him down to register his second sack of the day. If this group continues to carry the defense on their back they could be the most dangerous unit in the league.

Although players like Norman, Kerrigan and Preston Smith continue to miss tackles and be non factors, the time off could be what some of these veterans need in order to regroup for the upcoming 13 game stretch. The B& G Report maintains that free agent Junior Galette is the best solution for the disappointing pass rush among the OLB’s. One thing is for sure; the Redskins are not done adding to this roster.

With the bye week here, look for the ailing Redskins players to get healthy and for The Burgundy and Gold Report to keep you up-to-date on all the roster moves, player analysis and much more.