2018 Washington Redskins season

2018 Washington Redskins season
OwnerDaniel Snyder
PresidentBruce Allen
Head coachJay Gruden
Offensive coordinatorMatt Cavanaugh
Defensive coordinatorGreg Manusky
Home stadiumFedExField
Results
Record7–9
Division place3rd NFC East
PlayoffsDid not qualify
Pro BowlersOT Trent Williams
LB Ryan Kerrigan
Uniform

The 2018 season was the Washington Redskins' 87th in the National Football League (NFL) 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.

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 a late-season collapse, suffering four 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 was a league high.

Draft

2018 Washington Redskins draft
RoundSelectionPlayerPositionCollegeNotes
113 Daron PayneNTAlabama
259 Derrius GuiceRBLSUFrom San Francisco
374 Geron ChristianOTLouisvilleFrom San Francisco
4109 Troy ApkeSPenn StateFrom Denver
5163 Tim SettleNTVirginia TechFrom Denver
6197 Shaun Dion HamiltonLBAlabamaFrom LA Rams
7241 Greg StromanCBVirginia TechFrom LA Rams
256 Trey QuinnWRSMUFrom 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

Staff

2018 Washington Redskins staff

Front office

  • Owner – Daniel Snyder
  • President – Bruce Allen
  • Senior vice president of player personnel – Doug Williams
  • Senior vice president of football operations – Eric Schaffer
  • Director of pro personnel – Alex Santos
  • Director of college scouting – Kyle Smith

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

 Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

  • Director of player development – Malcolm Blacken
  • Head strength and conditioning – Chad Englehart
  • Assistant strength and conditioning – Kavan Latham
  • Assistant strength and conditioning/nutritionist – Jake Sankal
  • Player development assistant – Danny Meehan
  • Head athletic trainer – Larry Hess

Final roster

2018 Washington Redskins roster
Quarterbacks (QB)

Running backs (RB)

Wide receivers (WR)

Tight ends (TE)

 Offensive linemen (OL)

Defensive linemen (DL)

 Linebackers (LB)

Defensive backs (DB)

Special teams (ST)

 Practice squad

Reserve

Rookies in italics
53 active, 27 reserve, 8 practice squad

Preseason

Week Date Opponent Result Record Venue 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 Venue 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.

Game summaries

Week 1: at Arizona Cardinals

Week One: Washington Redskins at Arizona Cardinals – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Redskins 0 21 0324
Cardinals 0 0 066

at State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona

Game information

The Redskins started off 1–0.

Week 2: vs. Indianapolis Colts

Week Two: Indianapolis Colts at Washington Redskins – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Colts 7 7 0721
Redskins 0 3 339

at FedEx Field, Landover, Maryland

Game information

Washington lost to Indianapolis, moving to 1–1.

Week 3: vs. Green Bay Packers

Week Three: Green Bay Packers at Washington Redskins – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Packers 0 10 7017
Redskins 14 14 0331

at FedEx Field, Landover, Maryland

Game information

The Redskins fought back and started a 2–1 record, heading to their bye week.

Week 5: at New Orleans Saints

Week Five: Washington Redskins at New Orleans Saints – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Redskins 3 10 0619
Saints 6 20 14343

at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana

Game information

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. The Redskins fell to 2–2.

Week 6: vs. Carolina Panthers

Week Six: Carolina Panthers at Washington Redskins – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Panthers 0 6 3817
Redskins 14 3 0623

at FedEx Field, Landover, Maryland

  • Date: October 14
  • Game time: 1:00 pm. 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

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

Week Seven: Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Cowboys 0 7 01017
Redskins 7 0 31020

at FedEx Field, Landover, Maryland

Game information

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, Cowboys kicker Brett Maher missed the potential game-tying 52-yard field goal to give the Redskins the win. This was their final win against the Cowboys at home and in any contest, as the Redskins changed their name in 2020. With this win, the Redskins improved to 4–2.

Week 8: at New York Giants

Week Eight: Washington Redskins at New York Giants – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Redskins 7 0 31020
Giants 0 3 01013

at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey

  • Date: October 28
  • Game time: 1:00 pm. 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

The Redskins improved to 5–2. This was the team's final win against a divisional opponent as the "Redskins", as they would terminate the branding two years later. Washington would not win against a divisional opponent again until 2020, and would not defeat the Giants again until 2021.

Week 9: vs. Atlanta Falcons

Week Nine: Atlanta Falcons at Washington Redskins – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Falcons 7 14 71038
Redskins 0 7 7014

at FedEx Field, Landover, Maryland

  • Date: November 4
  • Game time: 1:00 pm. 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

The Redskins fell to 5–3. As of the 2024 season, this currently remains Washington's latest loss to Atlanta.

Week 10: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Week Ten: Washington Redskins at Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Redskins 3 3 01016
Buccaneers 0 3 003

at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida

  • Date: November 11
  • Game time: 1:00 pm. 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

The Redskins improved to 6–3.

Week 11: vs. Houston Texans

Week Eleven: Houston Texans at Washington Redskins – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Texans 10 7 3323
Redskins 0 7 7721

at FedEx Field, Landover, Maryland

Game information

During a play in the third quarter of the game, starter Alex Smith suffered a life-threatening injury to his right leg after being sacked by J. J. Watt and Kareem Jackson. He 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

NFL on Thanksgiving Day

Week Twelve: Washington Redskins at Dallas Cowboys – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Redskins 0 7 61023
Cowboys 7 3 14731

at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

  • Date: November 22
  • Game time: 4:30 pm. EST/3:30 pm. 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

In their first game without Alex Smith, the Redskins would have an early lead, but would struggle immediately afterwards. The loss dropped the Redskins to 6–5. This was Washington's final Thanksgiving appearance as the Redskins.

Week 13: at Philadelphia Eagles

Week Thirteen: Washington Redskins at Philadelphia Eagles – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Redskins 0 13 0013
Eagles 7 7 01428

at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

  • Date: December 3
  • Game time: 8:15 pm. 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

Redskins fell to 6–6.

Week 14: vs. New York Giants

Week Fourteen: New York Giants at Washington Redskins – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Giants 7 27 6040
Redskins 0 0 01616

at FedEx Field, Landover, Maryland

Game information

The Redskins fell down to 6–7.

Week 15: at Jacksonville Jaguars

Week Fifteen: Washington Redskins at Jacksonville Jaguars – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Redskins 3 0 31016
Jaguars 0 10 0313

at TIAA Bank Field, Jacksonville, Florida

Game information

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

Week Sixteen: Washington Redskins at Tennessee Titans – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Redskins 3 7 3316
Titans 6 3 01625

at Nissan Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee

Game information

This loss dropped the Redskins to 7–8. Also with this loss, plus wins by the Vikings and Seahawks, the Redskins were eliminated from playoff contention.

Week 17: vs. Philadelphia Eagles

Week Seventeen: Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Redskins – Game summary
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Eagles 3 7 7724
Redskins 0 0 000

at FedEx Field, Landover, Maryland

  • Date: December 30
  • Game time: 4:25 pm. EST
  • Game weather: 46 °F (8 °C), sunny
  • Game attendance: 63,188
  • Referee: Craig Wrolstad
  • TV announcers (Fox): Chris Myers, Daryl Johnston and Laura Okmin
  • Recap, Gamebook
Game information

The Redskins finished 7–9 despite having started 6–3, missing the playoffs for the second year in a row.

Standings

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

NFC
# Team Division W L T PCT DIV CONF SOS SOV STK
Division leaders
1[a] New Orleans Saints South 13 3 0 .813 4–2 9–3 .482 .488 L1
2[a] 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[b] Atlanta Falcons South 7 9 0 .438 4–2 7–5 .482 .348 W3
9[b] Washington Redskins East 7 9 0 .438 2–4 6–6 .486 .371 L2
10[b] 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[c] New York Giants East 5 11 0 .313 1–5 4–8 .527 .487 L3
14[c] 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[d]
  1. 1 2 New Orleans finished ahead of LA Rams based on head-to-head victory, claiming the No. 1 seed.
  2. 1 2 3 Atlanta finished ahead of Washington based on head-to-head victory. Atlanta finished ahead of Carolina based on head-to-head sweep. Washington finished ahead of Carolina based on head-to-head victory.
  3. 1 2 NY Giants finished ahead of Tampa Bay based on head-to-head victory.
  4. ↑ When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest-ranked remaining team from each division.

References

  1. ↑ Nathan, Alec (January 30, 2018). "Report: Alex Smith, Redskins Agree to New 4-Year Contract After Chiefs Trade". BleacherReport.com. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
  2. ↑ Jhabvala, Nicki (March 28, 2018). "Denver Broncos acquire safety Su'a Cravens from Washington Redskins". The Denver Post. Retrieved March 28, 2018.
  3. ↑ Lewis, Edward (April 6, 2018). "Cleveland Browns trade QB Kevin Hogan to Redskins". NFL.com. Retrieved April 7, 2018.
  4. ↑ Kring-Schrelfels, Jake (December 16, 2018). "On A Day Of Milestones, The Redskins Come From Behind And Maintain Their Playoff Hopes". Washington Football Team. Retrieved November 10, 2021.
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