{"id":479,"date":"2011-10-25T14:36:26","date_gmt":"2011-10-25T19:36:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.billszone.com\/?p=479"},"modified":"2011-10-25T14:52:35","modified_gmt":"2011-10-25T19:52:35","slug":"significant-figures-washington","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.billszone.com\/?p=479","title":{"rendered":"Significant Figures: Washington"},"content":{"rendered":"
While statistics aren\u2019t everything in football, they can be a good representative of a team\u2019s play if looked at objectively. Of course, many different numbers have to be checked to see the overall picture and form the context. I will try to point out several key numbers related to the Buffalo Bills\u2019 upcoming opponent, the Washington Redskins.The Washington Redskins seem to be a very average team on paper, which is portrayed well by their 0.500 record (3-3). They are strong in certain areas, but weak in others. While that is usually the case with many teams when it comes to statistics, there are usually underlying reasons for those strengths and weaknesses. For example, a team that cannot stop the run may appear to have a good pass defense. Or a team that has a great offense doesn\u2019t appear to have a great defense because other teams are moving the ball to try and keep up. Usually taking the averages (e.g. yards per attempt) mitigate the appearances and tell more of the true story.<\/p>\n

Washington, however, does not seem to have the type of team where its weaknesses are a result of its strengths or vice versa. They are simply average, and right now are hurting significantly due to injuries. Considering Washington just lost two of their top offensive skill players this past Sunday, the offensive numbers may not accurately characterize their team anymore. The Redskins have also recently transitioned to quarterback John Beck, formerly of the second string.<\/p>\n

Hopefully that paints a general portrait of Buffalo\u2019s upcoming opponent. Let\u2019s delve into the numbers that appear to be of significance, especially those that may not be very well known to Buffalo fans. Again, numbers in parentheses are where those numbers rank in the NFL.<\/p>\n

21<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 sacks by the Redskins through six games (1T). Washington has faced only 196 passing attempts (26T), which results in an astounding average of 0.107 sacks per passing attempt. Basically, that\u2019s a sack for every 10 attempts. That\u2019s better than the Giants, who have 21 sacks after facing 215 passes. This is indeed a concern going into the game, especially with Buffalo\u2019s starting left tackle out for the game. Even so, the Bills have still only given up 7 sacks on the year, which is tied for best in the league and slightly more than one sack per game.<\/p>\n

4.6 and 4.0<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 yards per carry given up by Washington\u2019s defense (22T), and YPC for Washington\u2019s run game on offense (23T). Run the ball and stop the run \u2013 this is a mantra that applies even today, despite the high-flying air raid offenses of 2011. Washington is not good at doing either one, and this should be where Buffalo can really gain an edge, as the Bills are gaining 5.2 YPC on the ground on offense (3). Buffalo does give up 5.1 YPC on defense (29), but has shown the ability to stop the run in spurts.<\/p>\n

54<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 number of penalties on Washington\u2019s defense (3). These 54 penalties have resulted in 445 penalty yards given up, which is 8.24 yards per penalty. I know a lot of Buffalo fans thought their team got lucky against the Raiders, since the Bills were the beneficiaries of some timely penalties. Well, don\u2019t be surprised if something similar happens this coming Sunday, as the Redskins’ defense has been called for 8 more penalties on the year than the Raiders’ defense. As much as people believe this isn\u2019t a big part of the game, it can become that way. If they are legitimate penalties, then it will only serve to help the Bills\u2019 offense. Buffalo\u2019s receivers seem capable of taking advantage of aggressiveness from DB\u2019s. We\u2019ll have to see how big of a role penalties play while Washington is on defense.<\/p>\n

-6<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 turnover margin for the Redskins (29). Shanahan\u2019s team has not done a good job of taking care of the ball or getting turnovers. While Washington is second in the league in forced fumbles with 15, they\u2019ve been unfortunate to only have recovered 3 of those. Their defense has 5 interceptions (22), while Redskins quarterbacks have thrown a total of 10 themselves (4). This is another area where Buffalo may be able to thrive, as the Bills have only lost the turnover battle once, have still not lost a single fumble (only 2 have even occurred, both recovered), and are very good at getting interceptions, second the league with 12 (Green Bay is first with 13 picks with one more game played).<\/p>\n

13<\/strong>\u00a0\u2013 sacks allowed by Washington (11T). As bad as Buffalo has been in getting sacks (last in the league with four) this year, this is a poor matchup against a stingy Washington offensive line. Granted, the Redskins have a few guys banged up and possibly out for the game in Toronto, but they still have done well at protecting their quarterbacks.<\/p>\n

Overall, Washington and Buffalo are an interesting matchup. The potency of Buffalo\u2019s offense seems to give them the edge overall, but there are certainly areas on paper where the Redskins seem to have the advantage. As always, it comes down to who will be able to exploit their plus matchups.<\/p>\n

In the end, I think Buffalo will run the ball quite a bit against Washington and employ a gameplan similar to their game against Philadelphia. That should set up the pass enough to move the chains and get similar offensive production to what they\u2019ve been getting during the season. Washington, on the hand, should be able to move the ball against Buffalo\u2019s anemic defense. However, I do expect the Bills\u2019 defense to put up a fight against the run and do a good job against it for most of the game. There will probably be a few good Washington drives and a few three and outs, similar to how the Giants fared against Buffalo.<\/p>\n

I would not be surprised if the flow of the game is similar to a few previous Buffalo games this season, with the Bills jumping out to an early lead and then struggling to maintain it. The Bills seem to have the better team overall, though, and should pull out the victory.<\/p>\n

Prediction: Bills 27, Washington 20.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u00a0Discuss this topic in our Fan Forums<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

While statistics aren\u2019t everything in football, they can be a good representative of a team\u2019s play if looked at objectively. Of course, many different numbers have to be checked to see the overall picture and form the context. I will try to point out several key numbers related to the Buffalo Bills\u2019 upcoming opponent, the … <\/p>\n

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