The 2017 Washington Redskins entered the year stuck in the NFL’s ultimate purgatory, trapped between the fading high of previous winning campaigns and the looming departure of their franchise quarterback. Head coach Jay Gruden was tasked with keeping the ship afloat despite a heavily altered roster, as the team made major free agent splashes by signing wide receiver Terrelle Pryor, linebacker Zach Brown, and safety D.J. Swearinger, alongside defensive linemen Stacy McGee and Terrell McClain. On draft night, they injected youthful hope into the trenches by selecting defensive end Jonathan Allen in the first round and adding running back Samaje Perine later on. Yet, the brutal reality of a ruthless NFC East and a historic wave of injuries derailed any grand plans, culminating in a frustrating 7-9 record and a third-place finish in the division that left them on the outside looking in at January football.

Washington’s aerial attack operated under an intense microscopic lens all year, fueled entirely by Kirk Cousins playing on his second consecutive franchise tag. Cousins threw for 4,093 yards, 27 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions while absorbing 41 sacks behind an offensive line that was constantly reshuffled due to injuries. The offensive system, ranking 12th in the league in passing yards and 9th in passing touchdowns, relied on spread concepts that frequently targeted dynamic third-down back Chris Thompson, who posted 510 receiving yards and four scores before breaking his leg in Week 11. Jamison Crowder led all wideouts with 789 yards, while veteran tight end Vernon Davis stepped up with 648 yards as Jordan Reed struggled through injuries. The ground game was non-existent, finishing 27th in yards as the rookie Perine labored to a team-high 603 rushing yards behind a battered front.

Defensively, the Redskins were a Jekyll and Hyde group that cracked under the weight of sustained field position issues surrendering 388 points (24.3 ppg) to rank 27th in scoring defense. The unit struggled heavily on the ground, finishing dead last in the NFL by giving up 2,146 rushing yards and a glaring 4.5 yards per carry. Despite those glaring leaks, the pass rush remained a distinct bright spot, spearheaded by linebacking icon Ryan Kerrigan, who racked up 13.0 sacks and a pick-six, while Preston Smith complemented him nicely with 8.0 sacks of his own. In the secondary, newcomer D.J. Swearinger provided an aggressive edge with a team-high four interceptions, while slot corner Kendall Fuller grabbed four picks of his own to mask some of the depth issues created when marquee cornerback Josh Norman missed time with a fractured rib.

Every season has its crossroads, and Washington’s timeline was defined by early primetime brilliance followed by an agonizing autumn collapse. The absolute peak arrived early in Week 3 on Sunday Night Football, when Gruden’s squad utterly suffocated the highly touted Oakland Raiders in a 27-10 masterclass that saw the defense hold Oakland to just 128 total yards. Momentum shattered over the next two months as injuries stacked up, but a gutsy 17-14 road upset over the Seattle Seahawks in Week 9 briefly revived their playoff hopes. The final death knell sounded just two weeks later in New Orleans; Washington held a commanding fifteen-point lead with less than six minutes remaining in regulation, only to suffer a catastrophic defensive meltdown, losing 34-31 in overtime and effectively breaking the spirit of the season.

Missing the postseason stripped away any immediate drama from December, transforming the season’s epilogue into a referendum on the franchise’s future direction. Historically, this 2017 campaign stands as the definitive end of an era in the nation’s capital, serving as the final ride for Kirk Cousins before his highly publicized departure to Minnesota in free agency. While Ryan Kerrigan and offensive tackle Trent Williams salvaged some national respect by earning Pro Bowl nods, the season’s legacy was one of missed opportunities. It proved that even a 4,000-yard passer and a top-tier edge rusher couldn't overcome an unprecedented injury bug, leaving the franchise to completely blow up its blueprint and head back to the drawing board for 2018.