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The Redskins needed to repair their defense and the required work was not light. In consecutive drafts, the team has selected defensive linemen from the University of Alabama, and the results are beginning to bear fruit.
On Sunday, Washington's defense smothered the New York Giants in a 20-13 victory. Saquon Barkley, the rookie player, could not run and veteran quarterback Eli Manning failed to pass. In fact, Eli could hardly get up.
Led by the defensive line, the Redskins fired Manning seven times and knocked out many more. Barkley only had 38 yards rushing.
It was a dominant effort and it all started with the defensive line.
There are playmakers on the Redskins defense field. D.J. Swearinger plays sensational football and Josh Norman plays at a high level. But three guys on the front are wreaking havoc: Matt Ioannidis, Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen.
Against the giants, Ioannidis had 2.5 sacks while Allen and Payne each had one. The trio is also an important part of the running defense 'suffocating Skins'.
Ioannidis leads the Redskins with 5.5 sacks on the season, and that's a nice story too. Selected in the fifth round of the 2016 NFL draft, Ioannidis was released as a rookie and signed with the coaching team. He continued to work and was coached by Jim Tomsula and eventually became part of the active lineup of the season.
In 2017, he showed an improvement.
In 2018, Ioannidis breaks out.
"Matt is playing very hard and he is also very strong," said Redskins head coach Jay Gruden on Sunday. "He's one of the strongest players on our team, and he's also a smart football player, and he understands the leverage and double teams and all that."
Strength and intelligence are a deadly combination on the football field.
Ioannidis, in his third season, has seen more than Allen and Payne, but does not play as much. Indeed, Allen and Payne simply can not leave the field. Gruden will not let them.
"Jonathan and Daron, they are good, they were the first players for a reason, Daron is an amazing player, a very good leverage, a big hand, a great idea of what's going to be Exit blocks, chase, never stop, and Jonathan, it's the same.These two types together, as I said, we had a vision for these two types and it starts to come true, of course, and we just need to keep them healthy and keep working, "said Gruden.
"They are excellent players."
This may seem too simple, but large defenses prevail. It works like this. Ask for corners and safety and they all say a strong push of passes and the ability to stop the race gives them a nice appearance.
The wildest part may not be what the Skins defense line did on Sunday, which is what it did in the team's winning streak over three consecutive wins.
In three consecutive games, the Redskins have ended some of the best attacks in the NFL. Let Gruden explain.
"It's amazing, really, it's three really good backs. [Ezekiel Elliott] and Barkley back to back, and obviously [Christian] McCaffrey, but let's not forget Cam Newton and (Dak) Prescott, they are great runners with the ball. That's why, as I said, it all starts with the schema. Greg (Manusky) and Tomsula do a great job, and then the players have to engage and perform. They have to come out of the blocks, they have to continually continue, play with a lot of force and pressure, and they do it. "
They do that. And they do it very well.
Late October is not the time to pack, but the defense trip. The ferocity and physical presence on the line of defense are important in January.
Few things lead to victories superior to an energetic game up front, and that's what the Redskins get for three straight games.
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