Team Notes week 11 2016

According to the Associated Press, after the Redskins allowed the Vikings to score 20 consecutive points at the end of the first half Sunday, head coach Jay Gruden had to shut the door in his office at halftime to cool down.

Once he regained his poise, so did his team. For the seventh time this season the Redskins had a game decided by one score, and after beating the Vikings they're 4-2-1 in those situations.

This time it was the defense shutting out Minnesota for the final 30 minutes while the offense got the job done, but Washington is comfortable playing football on the razor's edge between winning and losing -- mostly because there has been more winning than losing.

The Redskins' recipe in close games has included a defense that gets better as games go on, effective offense even in light of red zone struggles and a kicker who ranks among the NFL's most relied upon.

Quarterback Kirk Cousins said coaches, and specifically Gruden, are behind Washington's success in the close games that are part of a close league.

Cousins pointed to Gruden's time in the Arena Football League as one reason the head coach knows about clock management as well as adjustments.

"He does a very good job of managing the game in coaching situations," Cousins said. "Any time you have young players in certain positions, it's going to take time. You don't just snap your fingers and get exactly what you want. I think we are all growing together. I don't think we are an old, veteran, experienced team by any means, and there's still a ways to go."

The Redskins converted a touchdown on only one of four trips to the red zone against Minnesota and allowed two Vikings touchdowns on the other side of the ball. Gruden said the team will continue to patch up the red zone issues but didn't voice much worry about them because the points keep coming.

"I think there are sometimes where going down there and kicking field goals isn't a bad thing in close games," Gruden said Monday. "I would rather do that than force an interception down there."

Meanwhile, in his second NFL start, playing for the inconsistent Matt Jones, Robert Kelley had a fine day against the Viking. He almost reached 100 rushing yards.

"Ninety seven," Kelley said with a smile.

After going for 84 yards in an Oct. 30 tie against Cincinnati in London while starting for an injured Jones (knee), Kelley put a chokehold on the No. 1 job with his performance against the Vikings, who entered the game ranked eighth in rushing defense. Washington was also missing star left tackle Trent Williams (suspension) and had a hobbled Morgan Moses (ankle) at right tackle.

An undrafted rookie, Kelley has not yet fumbled and he's kept negative plays to a minimum. In turn, that's kept the offense on schedule and in rhythm.

"(Kelley is) a hard runner. I think he was more patient this week than he was last week," Gruden said. "Ninety-seven yards against an excellent defense is a great stat for him and a great tribute to his running style. The line did a great job for him -- tight ends also. It's good to see. I think he's just going to get better and better the way he plays, the way he studies, the way he works."

Apparently so.

While the Redskins haven't given up on Jones, ESPN.com's John Keim reports they just don't know when he'll be active again.

Their one-time starter was inactive for the first time Sunday as Kelley was the starter and Mack Brown served as the backup because of his ability to play special teams. Chris Thompson is the third-down back so that left Jones sidelined. But Gruden said that won't necessarily happen each week.

"We just have to make that determination every week," Gruden said. "We're not giving up on Matt. But when you can only dress three running backs, the third one we would like to have some impact on special teams. That's not always going to be the case. Sometimes we may not need our third running back to be on special teams, we can get Matt up."

That said, Kelley isn't about to lose the starting job anytime soon.

Jones rushed for 460 yards in his seven starts. But he injured his knee in a Week 7 loss at Detroit, opening the way for Kelley. Coaches have preached to Jones about being more decisive consistently, but that wasn't always happening. Kelley has been consistent -- Sunday, 17 of his 22 runs were between two and five yards.

That consistency will leave Jones as a backup and inactive, at least for some games, moving forward. His competition now becomes Brown, another former undrafted player like Kelley. Jones was a third-round choice a year ago.

"They're both very talented," Gruden said. "We like what we see in both of them. ..."

Other notes of interest. ... The Redskins might be without receiver DeSean Jackson for a second consecutive game, but they're still holding out hope that won't be the case.

Gruden said Jackson, who missed Sunday's win with a rotator cuff injury, is "in play" for this week's game against the Packers. Gruden said Jackson received a cortisone shot last week to help his range of motion and will continue to receive treatment. Jackson was on the practice field Wednesay.

But Gruden also said "it's a reality" that Jackson's injury could linger, which is why they want to be careful about when he returns. Another factor is that Washington plays again four days later at Dallas on Thanksgiving Day. Playing him in a short week after a Sunday night game might be asking a lot if his shoulder is not fully recovered.

"We've got to get him healthy first," Gruden said. "He has to feel good about his shoulder and he has to have the strength back. An injured DeSean won't do us much good. We've got to make sure he's 100 percent ready to roll."

I'll have more on Jackson's status via Late-Breaking Update as the week progresses. ...

The Redskins moved the ball well without him Sunday, gaining 388 yards and scoring more points against the Vikings than any other team this season. Receiver Maurice Harris was one of the fill-ins; the undrafted free-agent rookie caught three passes for 28 yards, including two third-down conversions.

Cousins threw touchdown passes to tight end Vernon Davis and wide receiver Jamison Crowder.

But the Redskins don't want to be without Jackson for too long. Though he's averaging a career-low 13.9 yards per catch, Jackson remains a downfield threat and occupies the attention of multiple defenders at times. In other words, he remains a vital asset.

"I was happy the way the guys stepped up in his place," Gruden said, "but we obviously would love to have DeSean back with his game-breaking speed."

I'll have more on Jackson via Late-Breaking Update as the week progresses. ...

One last note. ... Dustin Hopkins shook off a slump -- four of 10 misses, including a 34-yarder in overtime that would have won the Cincinnati game on Oct. 30 in London. But he made all four of his field-goal attempts on Sunday, including a 50-yarder. Five of his seven kickoffs went for touchbacks.

"He's been excellent all year," Gruden said. "He gave us no reason to believe that he wouldn't do otherwise then to bounce back. It was great to see it, though."

DEPTH CHART
QBs: Justin Fields, Tyson Bagent, Nathan Peterman
RBs: Khalil Herbert, D'Onta Foreman, Roschon Johnson, Travis Homer, Khari Blasingame
WRs: D.J. Moore, Darnell Mooney, Tyler Scott, Velus Jones Jr., Trent Taylor, Equanimeous St. Brown
TEs: Cole Kmet, Robert Tonyan, Marcedes Lewis, Jake Tonges