Record: 3-13
Playoffs: Missed playoffs, finished last in NFC East
Head coach: Mike Shanahan, who was fired at the end of the season and replaced by Jay Gruden
Notable assistants: Kyle Shanahan (offensive coordinator, fired), Jim Haslett (defensive coordinator), Keith Burns (special teams coach, fired), Matt LaFleur (quarterbacks coach, fired)
Regular Season Overview
Well, things definitely didn’t go Washington’s way this season. After a playoff berth on the back of rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III in 2012, 2013 wasn’t nearly as kind to the Redskins. Griffin had a down year coming off of season-ending knee surgery suffered in the playoffs last season, the special teams was dreadful, and the defense was one of the worst in the league all season, especially in the second half. Griffin was eventually benched for the last four games of the season in favor of Kirk Cousins, who also struggled behind Washington’s awful offensive line.
As if the poor play on the field wasn’t enough, there were constantly off-the-field politics going down between former head coach Mike Shanahan and team owner Dan Snyder. There were rumors that Shanahan wanted out before the season was over because of preferential treatment given to Griffin by Snyder, but Shanahan constantly stated that Griffin was being benched in order to preserve his health for next season. After they were picked by many analysts heading into the season to win the NFC East this season, it’s safe to say this season couldn’t have gone much worse for the Redskins.
Biggest Win
The Redskins only had three wins this season, so there’s not much to choose from, but out of the three, the most satisfying had to have been the team’s overtime victory over the San Diego Chargers in Week 9.
At this point in the year, Washington’s playoff hopes were quickly slipping away from them, but the Redskins played incredibly hard in this one, eventually pulling the upset over the Chargers, who eventually went on to make the playoffs.
With 22 seconds left in the game, the Redskins held San Diego out of the end zone on the one-yard line, with the Chargers getting three chances to knock the ball in.
That forced overtime, when the Redskins fullback Darrel Young scored on a four-yard run on the opening drive of the extra period.
Young had three touchdowns in the game, and running back Alfred Morris had one of his better games all year, finishing the game with 121 yards and a touchdown.
Toughest Loss
Even though this was all the way back in Week 1, Washington’s Monday Night Football game against the Philadelphia Eagles had to have been the worst loss of the season. Don’t let the 33-27 score fool you, this game was a blowout. This game was played even before the days of Nick Foles, with Michael Vick picking up 203 pass yards and two touchdowns, along with 54 rushing yards on nine attempts.
This was the birth of Washington’s truly dreadful defense. LeSean McCoy had 189 total yards, and DeSean Jackson tacked on 104 receiving yards on seven receptions. By the time halftime rolled around, the Eagles were up 26-7. Had it not have been for a 13-point fourth quarter from the Redskins, this game would have looked much worse on the scoreboard, but it was still a loss that stung all season.
Offensive MVP: Pierre Garcon
Despite Griffin having a down year, Garcon had his best statistical year as a pro, finishing the season with 1,346 yards and five touchdowns.
This was also only the second time in Garcon’s career when he played in all 16 games. Without Garcon, Griffin and Cousins would have both been lost on the field, with the Redskins having a seriously depleted roster of skill position players, all of them either aging or just plain bad.
Defensive MVP: DeAngelo Hall
Hall once again had a quietly solid season. He’s nowhere near the top 10 defensive backs in the league, but he once again had four interceptions, the fourth time in five seasons that he’s done that. Haslam doesn’t use Hall as a blitzing defensive back, but he continues to perform year-in and year-out as a guy who can go toe-to-toe with some of the best receivers in the NFL.
Most Disappointing Players: The rest of the receivers besides Garcon
It’s hard to just call one receiver out in this particular case. A lot of people will point the finger at Griffin for Washington’s down year, but he didn’t play nearly as bad as people will say he did. Instead, blame the receivers. Garcon had a fantastic season, and everyone else fell flat on their faces. Jordan Reed was the second leading receiver on the team. Jordan Reed. Santana Moss couldn’t even break 500 yards, Leonard Hankerson had three good games all season and Fred Davis was a no-show. He finished the year with 70 receiving yards, and he is now facing a six-game suspension for violation of the league’s drug policy. Again. It’s not fair just to give one person this title, so everyone gets the blame.
Best Rookie: Jordan Reed
As we just discussed, Reed was the best receiver for the Redskins this season not named Pierre Garcon. The third-round draft pick came into a crowded tight end position at the beginning of the season, but he eventually emerged as the likely favorite to get the majority of the snaps in 2014.
Reed looked athletic in the nine games he played, but unfortunately missed the last chunk of games due to injury. If he can stay healthy next year, look for him to become very Fred Davis-like (well, before the drug suspenisons).
Statistical Leaders
QB: Robert Griffin III- 60.1 completion percentage, 3,203 yards, 16 touchdowns, 12 interceptions
RB: Alfred Morris- 276 carries, 1,275 yards, seven touchdowns, four fumbles lost
WR: Pierre Garcon- 113 receptions, 1,346 yards, five touchdowns
TE: Jordan Reed- 45 receptions, 499 yards, three touchdowns
Tackles: Perry Riley- 115
Sacks: Brian Orakpo- 10
INTs: DeAngelo Hall- 4