2018 Washington Redskins season
The 2018 season was the Washington Redskins' 87th in the National Football League and their fifth under head coach Jay Gruden. This was the first season since 2011 that quarterback Kirk Cousins was not on the roster, as he joined the Minnesota Vikings in the offseason as a free agent.
2018 Washington Redskins season | |
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Owner | Daniel Snyder |
President | Bruce Allen |
Head coach | Jay Gruden |
Offensive coordinator | Matt Cavanaugh |
Defensive coordinator | Greg Manusky |
Home field | FedExField |
Results | |
Record | 7–9 |
Division place | 3rd NFC East |
Playoff finish | Did not qualify |
Pro Bowlers | OT Trent Williams LB Ryan Kerrigan |
Uniform | |
The team tied their record from the previous season, and missed the playoffs for the third straight season. Despite a 6–3 start which was their best since 2008 plus leading the NFC East, the team suffered 4 straight losses after the team lost their starting quarterback Alex Smith to a catastrophic leg injury in their Week 11 loss to the Houston Texans. This would cause Smith to miss both the remainder of the 2018 season and the entire 2019 season as Smith stated that he had taken a total of 17 surgeries to repair his leg and nearly had it amputated. Smith's injury also resulted in a quarterback hangover. First, it forced Colt McCoy into the starting role in Weeks 12 and 13 before also suffering a leg injury in a 28–13 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 13, thus forcing the Redskins to start journeyman quarterback Mark Sanchez in Week 14 before starting another journeyman quarterback Josh Johnson against the Jacksonville Jaguars after benching Sanchez at halftime against the New York Giants. After the Alex Smith injury, the Redskins finished the last 7 games of the season with a record of 1–6. They were eliminated from playoff contention with a loss to the Titans, including wins by the Seahawks and Vikings. The team's season ended with 25 players on injured reserve, which were a league high.
Draft
Round | Selection | Player | Position | College | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 13 | Daron Payne | NT | Alabama | |
2 | 59 | Derrius Guice | RB | LSU | From San Francisco |
3 | 74 | Geron Christian | OT | Louisville | From San Francisco |
4 | 109 | Troy Apke | S | Penn State | From Denver |
5 | 163 | Tim Settle | NT | Virginia Tech | From Denver |
6 | 197 | Shaun Dion Hamilton | LB | Alabama | From LA Rams |
7 | 241 | Greg Stroman | CB | Virginia Tech | From LA Rams |
256 | Trey Quinn | WR | SMU | From LA Rams |
Draft trades
- The Redskins traded their third-round selection (78th overall) and cornerback Kendall Fuller to Kansas City in exchange for quarterback Alex Smith.[1]
- The Redskins traded safety Su'a Cravens and their fourth- (No. 113 overall) and fifth- (No. 149 overall) round selections to Denver in exchange for Denver's fourth- (No. 109 overall), two fifth-round selections (Nos. 142 and 163 overall) and a conditional 2020 selection.[2]
- The Redskins traded their sixth-round selection (No. 188 overall) to Cleveland in exchange for quarterback Kevin Hogan and Cleveland's sixth-round selection (No. 205 overall).[3]
- The Redskins traded tight end Derek Carrier to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for the Rams' seventh-round selection (241st overall).
Supplemental Draft
- The Redskins selected Virginia Tech cornerback Adonis Alexander in the 2018 Supplemental draft. As a result, the team forfeited their 6th-round selection in the 2019 NFL Draft.
Staff
Front office
Head coaches
Offensive coaches
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Defensive coaches
Special teams coaches
Strength and conditioning
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Final roster
Preseason
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Game site | NFL.com recap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | August 9 | at New England Patriots | L 17–26 | 0–1 | Gillette Stadium | Recap |
2 | August 16 | New York Jets | W 15–13 | 1–1 | FedExField | Recap |
3 | August 24 | Denver Broncos | L 17–29 | 1–2 | FedExField | Recap |
4 | August 30 | at Baltimore Ravens | L 20–30 | 1–3 | M&T Bank Stadium | Recap |
Regular season
Schedule
Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Game site | NFL.com recap |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | September 9 | at Arizona Cardinals | W 24–6 | 1–0 | State Farm Stadium | Recap |
2 | September 16 | Indianapolis Colts | L 9–21 | 1–1 | FedExField | Recap |
3 | September 23 | Green Bay Packers | W 31–17 | 2–1 | FedExField | Recap |
4 | Bye | |||||
5 | October 8 | at New Orleans Saints | L 19–43 | 2–2 | Mercedes-Benz Superdome | Recap |
6 | October 14 | Carolina Panthers | W 23–17 | 3–2 | FedExField | Recap |
7 | October 21 | Dallas Cowboys | W 20–17 | 4–2 | FedExField | Recap |
8 | October 28 | at New York Giants | W 20–13 | 5–2 | MetLife Stadium | Recap |
9 | November 4 | Atlanta Falcons | L 14–38 | 5–3 | FedExField | Recap |
10 | November 11 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 16–3 | 6–3 | Raymond James Stadium | Recap |
11 | November 18 | Houston Texans | L 21–23 | 6–4 | FedExField | Recap |
12 | November 22 | at Dallas Cowboys | L 23–31 | 6–5 | AT&T Stadium | Recap |
13 | December 3 | at Philadelphia Eagles | L 13–28 | 6–6 | Lincoln Financial Field | Recap |
14 | December 9 | New York Giants | L 16–40 | 6–7 | FedExField | Recap |
15 | December 16 | at Jacksonville Jaguars | W 16–13 | 7–7 | TIAA Bank Field | Recap |
16 | December 22 | at Tennessee Titans | L 16–25 | 7–8 | Nissan Stadium | Recap |
17 | December 30 | Philadelphia Eagles | L 0–24 | 7–9 | FedExField | Recap |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.
Week 1: at Arizona Cardinals
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Redskins | 0 | 21 | 0 | 3 | 24 |
Cardinals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 |
at State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona
- Date: September 9
- Game time: 4:25 p.m. EDT/1:25 p.m. MST
- Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
- Game attendance: 61,613
- Referee: Walt Coleman
- TV announcers (Fox): Thom Brennaman, Chris Spielman and Shannon Spake
- Recap, Gamebook
Game information | ||
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The Redskins started off 1-0.
Week 2: vs. Indianapolis Colts
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Colts | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
Redskins | 0 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 9 |
at FedEx Field, Landover, Maryland
- Date: September 16
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: 71 °F (22 °C), cloudy
- Game attendance: 57,013
- Referee: Clete Blakeman
- TV announcers (CBS): Spero Dedes and Adam Archuleta
- Recap, Gamebook
Game information | ||
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Washington lost to Indianapolis, moving to 1-1.
Week 3: vs. Green Bay Packers
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Packers | 0 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 17 |
Redskins | 14 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 31 |
at FedEx Field, Landover, Maryland
- Date: September 23
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: 62 °F (17 °C), rain
- Game attendance: 59,827
- Referee: Craig Wrolstad
- TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Burkhardt, Charles Davis and Pam Oliver
- Recap, Gamebook
Game information | ||
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They fought back and started a 2-1 record.
Week 5: at New Orleans Saints
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Redskins | 3 | 10 | 0 | 6 | 19 |
Saints | 6 | 20 | 14 | 3 | 43 |
at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
- Date: October 8
- Game time: 8:15 p.m. EDT/7:15 p.m. CDT
- Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
- Game attendance: 73,028
- Referee: Carl Cheffers
- TV announcers (ESPN/WJLA): Joe Tessitore, Jason Witten, Booger McFarland and Lisa Salters
- Recap, Gamebook
Game information | ||
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The Redskins hoped to get revenge for their loss in this game a year ago, where they blew a 31-16 lead with three minutes remaining and lost in overtime. Instead, the Redskins got blown out. This game was the point where Drew Brees passed Brett Favre and Peyton Manning on most passing yards. They fell to 2-2.
Week 6: vs. Carolina Panthers
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Panthers | 0 | 6 | 3 | 8 | 17 |
Redskins | 14 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 23 |
at FedEx Field, Landover, Maryland
- Date: October 14
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: 52 °F (11 °C), cloudy
- Game attendance: 60,482
- Referee: Clay Martin
- TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Charles Davis and Pam Oliver
- Recap, Gamebook
Game information | ||
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This marked the first time since 2006 that the Redskins had defeated the Panthers. Then the Redskins started a 3 game winning streak and improved to 3-2.
Week 7: vs. Dallas Cowboys
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
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Cowboys | 0 | 7 | 0 | 10 | 17 |
Redskins | 7 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 20 |
at FedEx Field, Landover, Maryland
- Date: October 21
- Game time: 4:25 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: 52 °F (11 °C), sunny
- Game attendance: 66,301
- Referee: John Hussey
- TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz, Tony Romo and Tracy Wolfson
- Recap, Gamebook
Game information | ||
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The Redskins got their first win over the Cowboys at home since 2012. Also, Preston Smith forced a fumble returned for a touchdown off Dak Prescott. As time expired, Brett Maher missed the potential game-tying 52 yard field goal to give the Redskins the win. With this win, they improved to 4-2.
Week 8: at New York Giants
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Redskins | 7 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 20 |
Giants | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 13 |
at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
- Date: October 28
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
- Game weather: 51 °F (11 °C), cloudy
- Game attendance: 77,537
- Referee: Bill Vinovich
- TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Charles Davis and Pam Oliver
- Recap, Gamebook
Game information | ||
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The Redskins improved to 5-2.
Week 9: vs. Atlanta Falcons
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Falcons | 7 | 14 | 7 | 10 | 38 |
Redskins | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 |
at FedEx Field, Landover, Maryland
- Date: November 4
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: 55 °F (13 °C), sunny
- Game attendance: 62,386
- Referee: Walt Anderson
- TV announcers (Fox): Kevin Burkhardt, Charles Davis and Pam Oliver
- Preview, Gamebook
Game information | ||
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The Redskins fell to 5-3.
Week 10: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Redskins | 3 | 3 | 0 | 10 | 16 |
Buccaneers | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida
- Date: November 11
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: 82 °F (28 °C), clear
- Game attendance: 52,667
- Referee: Brad Allen
- TV announcers (Fox): Thom Brennaman, Chris Spielman and Shannon Spake
- Recap, Gamebook
Game information | ||
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Then the Redskins improved to 6-3 but then Alex Smith got injured and they would only win 1 more time.
Week 11: vs. Houston Texans
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Texans | 10 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 23 |
Redskins | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
at FedEx Field, Landover, Maryland
- Date: November 18
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: 48 °F (9 °C), cloudy
- Game attendance: 61,593
- Referee: Alex Kemp
- TV announcers (CBS): Greg Gumbel, Trent Green, Bruce Arians and Melanie Collins
- Recap, Gamebook
Game information | ||
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During the game, starter Alex Smith suffered a compound fracture injury to his right leg after being sacked by J.J. Watt and Kareem Jackson and was replaced by his backup, Colt McCoy. Coincidentally, this was exactly 33 years to the day of Joe Theismann's career-ending leg injury. Joe Theismann was also present during the game and witnessed the injury. The Redskins fell to 6-4 by losing 23-21, which ironically was the same score in the game where Theismann was injured. Alex Smith would not play again until Week 5 in 2020 against the Rams.
Week 12: at Dallas Cowboys
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
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Redskins | 0 | 7 | 6 | 10 | 23 |
Cowboys | 7 | 3 | 14 | 7 | 31 |
at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
- Date: November 22
- Game time: 4:30 p.m. EST/3:30 p.m. CST
- Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
- Game attendance: 92,076
- Referee: Ronald Torbert
- TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Erin Andrews and Kristina Pink
- Recap, Gamebook
Game information | ||
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The Redskins fell down to 6-5.
Week 13: at Philadelphia Eagles
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
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Redskins | 0 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
Eagles | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 28 |
at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Date: December 3
- Game time: 8:15 p.m. EST
- Game weather: 36 °F (2 °C), cloudy
- Game attendance: 69,696
- Referee: Tony Corrente
- TV announcers (ESPN): Joe Tessitore, Jason Witten, Booger McFarland and Lisa Salters
- Recap, Gamebook
Game information | ||
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Redskins fell to 6-6.
Week 14: vs. New York Giants
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Giants | 7 | 27 | 6 | 0 | 40 |
Redskins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 16 |
at FedEx Field, Landover, Maryland
- Date: December 9
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: 33 °F (1 °C), cloudy
- Game attendance: 57,437
- Referee: Carl Cheffers
- TV announcers (Fox): Chris Myers, Daryl Johnston and Laura Okmin
- Recap, Gamebook
Game information | ||
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The Redskins fell down to 6-7.
Week 15: at Jacksonville Jaguars
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
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Redskins | 3 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 16 |
Jaguars | 0 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 13 |
at TIAA Bank Field, Jacksonville, Florida
- Date: December 16
- Game time: 1:00 p.m. EST
- Game weather: 64 °F (18 °C), partly cloudy
- Game attendance: 67,577
- Referee: Clete Blakeman
- TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan, Rich Gannon and Steve Tasker
- Recap, Gamebook
Game information | ||
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The Redskins improved to 7-7. The Redskins would then eclipse 600 regular season wins in franchise, the fifth team to do so (with Bears, Packers, Giants, & Steelers) with a regular season record of 600-588-28 at that point.[4]
Week 16: at Tennessee Titans
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
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Redskins | 3 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 16 |
Titans | 6 | 3 | 0 | 16 | 25 |
at Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee
- Date: December 22
- Game time: 4:30 p.m. EST/3:30 p.m. CST
- Game weather: 51 °F (11 °C), sunny
- Game attendance: 60,746
- Referee: John Hussey
- TV announcers (NFLN): Curt Menefee, Steve Mariucci and Nate Burleson
- Recap, Gamebook
Game information | ||
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This loss dropped the Redskins to 7-8. Also with this loss, including wins by the Vikings and Seahawks eliminated the Redskins from playoff contention.
Week 17: vs. Philadelphia Eagles
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total | |
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Eagles | 3 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 24 |
Redskins | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at FedEx Field, Landover, Maryland
Game information | ||
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The Redskins finished 7-9 despite starting with a 6-3 record.
Division
NFC East | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK | |
(4) Dallas Cowboys | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 5–1 | 9–3 | 339 | 324 | W2 |
(6) Philadelphia Eagles | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 4–2 | 6–6 | 367 | 348 | W3 |
Washington Redskins | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 2–4 | 6–6 | 281 | 359 | L2 |
New York Giants | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 1–5 | 4–8 | 369 | 412 | L3 |
Conference
# | Team | Division | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | SOS | SOV | STK |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Division leaders | |||||||||||
1[lower-alpha 1] | New Orleans Saints | South | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 4–2 | 9–3 | .482 | .488 | L1 |
2[lower-alpha 1] | Los Angeles Rams | West | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 6–0 | 9–3 | .480 | .428 | W2 |
3 | Chicago Bears | North | 12 | 4 | 0 | .750 | 5–1 | 10–2 | .430 | .419 | W4 |
4 | Dallas Cowboys | East | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 5–1 | 9–3 | .488 | .444 | W2 |
Wild Cards | |||||||||||
5 | Seattle Seahawks | West | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 3–3 | 8–4 | .484 | .400 | W2 |
6 | Philadelphia Eagles | East | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 4–2 | 6–6 | .518 | .486 | W3 |
Did not qualify for the postseason | |||||||||||
7 | Minnesota Vikings | North | 8 | 7 | 1 | .531 | 3–2–1 | 6–5–1 | .504 | .355 | L1 |
8[lower-alpha 2] | Atlanta Falcons | South | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 4–2 | 7–5 | .482 | .348 | W3 |
9[lower-alpha 2] | Washington Redskins | East | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 2–4 | 6–6 | .486 | .371 | L2 |
10[lower-alpha 2] | Carolina Panthers | South | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 2–4 | 5–7 | .508 | .518 | W1 |
11 | Green Bay Packers | North | 6 | 9 | 1 | .406 | 1–4–1 | 3–8–1 | .488 | .417 | L1 |
12 | Detroit Lions | North | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 2–4 | 4–8 | .504 | .427 | W1 |
13[lower-alpha 3] | New York Giants | East | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 1–5 | 4–8 | .527 | .487 | L3 |
14[lower-alpha 3] | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | South | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 2–4 | 4–8 | .523 | .506 | L4 |
15 | San Francisco 49ers | West | 4 | 12 | 0 | .250 | 1–5 | 2–10 | .504 | .406 | L2 |
16 | Arizona Cardinals | West | 3 | 13 | 0 | .188 | 2–4 | 3–9 | .527 | .302 | L4 |
Tiebreakers[lower-alpha 4] | |||||||||||
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References
- Nathan, Alec (January 30, 2018). "Report: Alex Smith, Redskins Agree to New 4-Year Contract After Chiefs Trade". BleacherReport.com. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
- Jhabvala, Nicki (March 28, 2018). "Denver Broncos acquire safety Su'a Cravens from Washington Redskins". The Denver Post. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
- Lewis, Edward (April 6, 2018). "Cleveland Browns trade QB Kevin Hogan to Redskins". NFL.com. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
- Kring-Schrelfels, Jake (December 16, 2018). "On A Day Of Milestones, The Redskins Come From Behind And Maintain Their Playoff Hopes". Redskins.com. Retrieved 2019-12-17.