» The Redskins have a good pass rush, but they don’t have a great pass rusher. Brian Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan have combined for 14.5 sacks but only three in the past five games. Orakpo has done a solid job moving tackles back and applying pressure, but he needs to finish better. He was in position twice Saturday to sack Christian Ponder but couldn’t finish. Sacks don’t tell the whole story, and Orakpo does a good job drawing holds. But great pass rushers get more sacks. Kerrigan lacks the initial burst of an elite rusher. However, both players have developed their all-around game. » Graham Gano is having a strong finish, having made all 13 of his field goals in December, including four in Saturday’s loss to Minnesota. Gano has made his last seven kicks from 40 yards and beyond. He swung nice and easy even on his kicks from 53 and 47 yards Saturday. He has made 30 of 39 this season with four kicks blocked. He has done a solid job on kickoffs most of the season with the occasional bad kick out of bounds. The Redskins have stuck with Gano because of his age (24) and the fact that the alternatives weren’t attractive. It will be tough to unseat him after this finish.
» Jabar Gaffney has surpassed Santana Moss as the Redskins’ top receiver. At the least, Gaffney is just more productive. This has been true since Moss returned from his broken hand. In the last five games, Moss has caught just 18 of the 43 passes thrown his way. Some have been off-target; others were dropped. Meanwhile, Gaffney has caught 23 of the 35 balls thrown his way. Part of it is that Gaffney excels on the deep-in route. Rex Grossman likes to throw that pass, which opens up in part because of play-action fakes that freeze the linebackers.
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» The Redskins have two players who warrant spots in the Pro Bowl: linebacker London Fletcher and special teamer Lorenzo Alexander. It could be hard for Alexander to make it given the team’s 5-10 record. But the coaches are right when they sing his praises. However, Fletcher should get it based on his season and the fact that the defense has improved 18 spots in the rankings from a year ago. He not only plays as hard as ever, he’s still playing at a high level.
