“I don’t think I’ve played poorly, but it is frustrating that the production hasn’t been there,” Kerrigan said, “because that is a reflection of your performance. It’s frustrating, but you have to remind yourself as a pass rusher, you can beat your guy, you can do all these things right, but sometimes it just doesn’t work out. Or you can have times where you come completely unblocked, the quarterback doesn’t see you and you get an easy, cheap sack that way.

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“Pass rushing is a weird thing in that way. Definitely would rather have been a little more productive in the first couple games, but just have to keep working and not get frustrated.”

The Redskins’ pass rush wasn’t much of a factor in Sunday’s loss to the Colts, which was a letdown after they did a good job of collapsing the pocket on Cardinals quarterback Sam Bradford during a Week 1 win. Indianapolis QB Andrew Luck stayed fairly clean and unaffected, using his legs to buy time when there was traffic around him.

“We’ve got to rush them and they’ve got to try to finish,” Coach Jay Gruden said. “Try to get them in more third down and longs. They had about five or six third down and threes or less, I believe. That’s a tough rush down. The ball’s coming out quick. They’re doing quick pick plays and quick crossing routes and it’s very hard for an edge player to get pressure or a sack when the ball’s coming out that quick.

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“When they did have third down and long, we did feel some heat. Had a tip interception and another interception later. So we did get some heat. The key is, first and second down, we’ve got to do a better job in getting them in third and long.”

The Colts seemed primed to struggle with the Redskins’ pass rush, considering both starting tackles were out with injuries, but that wasn’t an issue. Outside linebacker Preston Smith noted there was regular help with running backs and tight ends performing chip blocks on Washington’s edge rushers, helping the linemen protect.

“Of course it’s frustrating, you always want to get sacks. But at the end of the day, it’s the NFL. It’s a long season. It’s not the end of the season in the first two games. We’ve still got a lot to improve on. Got a lot to work on. There’s always room to make plays.”

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The next matchup presents a steep challenge for the Redskins’ front, with two-time MVP Aaron Rodgers leading the Green Bay Packers into FedEx Field. Rodgers is typically known for his mobility, but he is playing with a knee injury suffered in the season opener. The Bears sacked him twice that game, and the Vikings brought him down four times Sunday. Rodgers’ ability to move within and outside the pocket was clearly limited in the tie against Minnesota, but he is nonetheless still a major threat for any defense.

“Of course, you want to pressure the quarterback, especially a good quarterback like Luck,” linebacker Mason Foster said. “He was getting rid of the ball quick. Creating more time with his legs, moving around the pocket.

“We weren’t bringing too much pressure, but at the end of the day you’ve got to pressure quarterbacks in this league. You can’t let them sit back there and throw it. But that’s everyone on the defense, not one particular thing. Some games you heat them up, some games you don’t.”