‘D’ hurt just as much by loss of QB Alex Smith

When Alex Smith was rolled off FedEx Field on a cart that Sunday four weeks ago, who knew how much his broken leg would decimate not just the Redskins’ offense but their defense too? Their coach, Jay Gruden, is sure of this. So are some of their offensive players. Washington had followed a safe and predictable formula to first place in the NFC East this fall. As the Redskins quarterback, Smith slowly maneuvered the offense downfield by mixing quick throws with handoffs to Adrian Peterson. Time drained from the clock. Some of his drives lasted for more than five minutes. And even if Washington didn’t score, its offense had rested the defensive players.

In the games after Smith left, the Redskins have lost that gentle balance of a methodical, controlling offense that built early leads, churned through time and let a fresh, physical defense hold on to win. The defense looks weary, missing tackles, giving up more and more big plays.

“We’ve been playing behind a lot, which wears down a defense - they’ve been on the field a lot - and the entire playbook has been open for the other team,” Gruden said. “When we were ahead, when we were successful, teams were throwing more and we had our pass rush going and had a lot of sacks and pressure, a lot more success. [Now] teams are lining up in two tight ends, three tight ends and then spreading you out.”

Because those other teams no longer have to throw the ball to get back in games, they can mix runs with TV: Radio: short passes the way Smith did in September and October, forcing Washington’s defense to stay on the field longer.

“As an offense we have been having them on the field a whole lot, and any defense - I don’t care whoyouare, if it’s Chicago’s defense out on the field for 40 minutes they’re going to get tired,” running back Chris Thompson said.

In the weeks since Smith’s injury, the Redskins defense has collapsed, allowing an average of 414 yards per game over the past three games as opposed to 337 yards before he broke his leg. The team’s average time of possession was 30 minutes per game the first 10 games of the year; it’s now down to 28.

While the loss of Smith on Nov. 18 was a devastating blow for Washington’s defense, the unit had been faltering even before his injury. The previous week, Washington allowed 501 yards at Tampa Bay, only winning the game by virtue of four Buccaneer turnovers and two missed field goals. But the big defensive plays have not come in the last few weeks. The defense got 21 turnovers in the team’s first 10 games, yet only two in the past three.

Still, bigger questions than the offense’s struggles are to blame for the defense’s collapse. Around the Redskins, no one seems to have a clear answer as to why a defense that carried the team through the season’s early weeks has turned into a weakness.

Throughout the fall, both players and coaches have talked about “communication” problems that have led to opposing receivers winding up wide open. A few players have hinted at midseason changes in the way the defense is structured, something linebacker Zach Brown grumbled about when he said earlier this week: “They changed stuff. If it’s not broke don’t fix it.” Safety Ha Ha Clinton Dix, who was supposed to combine with D.J. Swearinger to give the Redskins one of the NFL’s best safety tandems whenhe was picked up in a late-October trade, has not played well. The start of the defense’s decline almost matches his arrival.

Mostly when asked, though, Washington’s players and coaches offer some version of the phrase “can’t put a finger on it” and promise that the mistakes will have to be “cleaned up.”

Privately, coaches say they have not lost faith in the defense. They still believe in the defensive front of Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne and Matt Ioannidis. They continue to rave about outside linebackers Ryan Kerrigan and Preson Smith and say that cornerback Josh Norman has played well after struggling early in the year.

Still the Redskins have not tackled well in recent weeks. An offseason emphasis on toughness and stopping the run carried into the season’s first two months. Through the first seven games of the year, Washington only gave up100 yards rushing twice (104 to Indianapolis and 100 to Green Bay). The Redskins have allowed at least that amount every week since. After holding Giants rookie running back Saquon Barkley and Dallas running back Ezekiel Elliott to under 40 yards each the first time the Redskins played them, both exploded for big games the second time they faced Washington. Barkley had 170 yards in last Sunday’s 40-16 Giants rout of the Redskins.