But another issue on the play was that safety DeJon Gomes lined up over receiver A.J. Green while corner DeAngelo Hall was on quarterback Andy Dalton split wide right.  Gomes was beaten within eight yards en route to a 73-yard touchdown pass — few safeties could cover Green for too long. In the past the Redskins had lined up in a cover-3 defense, with Gomes covering the flat, Hall dropping to deep third and the free safety, in this case Williams, taking deep middle and the quarterback (Sanu). Teams almost always run out of this formation, but they are most vulnerable down the middle of the field.

“It was supposed to be me on Green and the safety on the quarterback,” Hall said. “But I couldn’t get him lined up. I had to go out and cover [Dalton]. We would like for me to get out on Green and for him to go out on the quarterback but sometimes things don’t work out the way you plan and you have to adjust on the run and it resulted in a big play against us.”