- When: Sunday, October 27, 2013 4:25 P.M. (ET), Denver, Co.
- TV: FOX
- Radio: ESPN 980AM, 94.3/92.7 FM, Compass Media Networks
- Last regular-season meeting: Nov. 15, 2009 (27-17, WAS)
After a 45-41 shoot-out victory against the Chicago Bears last Sunday, the Washington Redskins face the daunting task of having to duplicate that effort against quarterback, Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos. Washington head coach Mike Shanahan spent 14 years coaching in Denver and Sunday, he will be in the Sports Authority Field at Mile High visitor’s locker room for the first time since leaving the team after the 2008 season.
This Sunday’s matchup will mark the teams’ first meeting since a 2009 contest during which Redskins fans will remember seeing QB Jason Campbell behind center, Jim Zorn as head coach and Hunter-the-Punter Smith executing a fake punt on fourth-and-20 at the 35. Instead of punting, Smith threw a pass to tight end Mike Sellers who scored . The touchdown changed the momentum of the game that day and Washington ultimately won. The Broncos had started the season 6-0 but that contest extended a two-game losing streak to three and Denver eventually ended the 2009 season 8-8.
The Broncos are in much better shape in 2013. Currently 6-1 and with easily the most prolific quarterback in the league at the helm, this is the Redskins toughest match up so far. Because Denver is scoring an average of 42.5 points and gaining an average of 469 total yards per game, Redskins’ quarterback Robert Griffin, III is going to have to be as productive as he’s ever been when he’s on the field.
Another shoot-out is inevitable if the Redskins want to win this game.
For the Redskins to beat the Broncos, there a few things that the team must accomplish.
1) Washington’s Special Teams must stop being a liability
To win a football game against a team with a quarterback like Manning, all three squads should be on their best behavior. If they can’t be absolutely the best, however, they at least cannot lose the game. The special teams did so against the Dallas Cowboys two weeks ago. In the 31-16 loss, the squad gave up an 86-yard punt return by Dwayne Harris for a touchdown as well as letting the wide out/return specialist run a kick back 90 yards. Two plays after that run, Cowboys’ quarterback Tony Romo threw a 15 yard pass to receiver Terrance Williams for another touchdown. Obviously, special teams accounted for 14 of Dallas’ 31 points. Take those away and you have a one-point winnable game.
Last week against the Bears, the squad gave up a touchdown when Chicago’s Devin Hester ran a punt back 81 yards.
Here’s the bad news: Denver is a duel threat in the return game, ranking 3rd and 4th in the National Football League in kickoff and punt returns respectively. Redskins’ special teams’ coordinator, Keith Burns, has been under fire because of the problems with his squad but it is more likely a matter of the players learning and trusting in the new scheme. While it is taking longer perhaps than one would hope and Shanahan knows there’s got to be improvement, he thinks they have gotten better since the beginning of the season.
“I think we improved drastically, even though it doesn’t sound like it because of the [Devin Hester] punt return for a touchdown,” the head coach said in his Monday press conference. “But if you watch our kickoff coverage, I think [safety Trenton] Robinson really helped us and [linebacker Josh] Hull came in and did a great job. But you could see the sense of urgency on our football team. If you watched all of the special teams’ play-by-play, you saw a team that was playing extremely hard — not that we can’t get better.”
True. We need to see continuing better intensity at the very least.
2) Washington’s defensive front must pressure Manning and cause turnovers
With Redskins’ safety Brandon Meriweather out for this game, and, according to Thursday’s injury report, safety Reed Doughty (concussion) limited in practice, Washington’s secondary is primed for Peyton Manning to play like he’s running a passing clinic on Sunday. Rookie safety Bacarri Rambo has been inactive since the game against the Dallas Cowboys. Cornerback David Amerson, also a rookie, has been relatively quiet since his interception against the Oakland Raiders two weeks ago. If either of these youngsters is in the game on Sunday, it could be like shooting fish in a barrel for the Broncos’ quarterback.
But here’s the good news: the Indianapolis Colts caused Denver to turn the ball over three times (one interception and two lost fumbles) last week and won the game. The Broncos are not impenetrable. And versus the Oakland Raiders, the Redskins’ defensive front registered seven sacks. It’s imperative that the defensive line and linebackers play lights out again against the Broncos.
Manning, like any signal caller, does not like to be uncomfortable. When he is made so, he will make mistakes. He is playing without veteran left tackle, Ryan Clady. The Colts had some success last week with some limited blitzes and pressure on Manning. Outside linebackers Brian Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan need to have monster games. Defensive linemen Stephen Bowen or Kedric Golston, and nose tackle Barry Cofield need to get off the snap quickly, collapse the pocket and harass Manning. Even though not that mobile, he’s a big man, listed at 6’5” 230 lbs (although defensive coordinator Jim Haslett thinks it’s 6’6”, 245 lbs.). If the guys in the front can get to him, they need to take him down.
Cornerback DeAngelo Hall (totally underrated this season so far) will have his hands full covering whatever Broncos receiver he is on so the Redskins could employ a fair amount of Cover 2. Here one has to hope Rambo has learned well during his hiatus. If Manning really is having a problem with his ankles, Haslett might think about sending both of his outside linebackers in on the quarterback’s blind side on obvious passing plays to get to him as he’s planting his feet… especially if the rookie safety is in deep coverage.
“You know, we feel good about the guys we have playing,” defensive coordinator Jim Haslett said Wednesday about depth at the safety position. “We got [safety Jose] Gumbs work this week. [Safety] Bacarri [Rambo] got a lot of work this week. [Safety Trenton] Robinson has got some work. Bigs [cornerback E.J. Biggers] has got some work. So we’ve got some options and we feel good about – obviously I’d like to have [safety] Reed [Doughty] back and playing well, but if he doesn’t then we’ll move on and we’ll be fine.”
The safety position is a concern right now so the defensive front needs to go above and beyond the call of duty. Perhaps Rambo will be activated and show RedskinsNation how much more he’s learned since the last time he played.
3) Washington’s offense must keep up with Denver, score-for-score (this means protect Griffin, employ the read-option and don’t let the stadium noise get to them)
Robert Griffin, III seems to have returned to his 2012 form and the Redskins offense is now fourth in the league in offense. If his line can give him the time he needs (remember, Denver linebacker Von Miller is back from his suspension) we should see the offense continue to gel. If it seems the squad is “together” early in the game, it would be fun to see offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan have Griffin send the ball deep, just to put the Bronco’s defense on high alert. But more than that, the Redskins need to set up the run to use play-action especially if Denver’s defense gets tired. The O.C. could use the “turbo” offense that was so successful last week but hopefully only in spurts when needed… it is not smart to put the ball in Manning’s hands so the burgundy and gold also needs to win the time-of-possession battle by running the ball. Without a doubt, field goals are not good enough in this game. Touchdowns must be scored as an answer to any points that Denver puts on the board.
The crowd noise at Sports Authority Field at Mile High is amazing thanks to the installed steel floors which vibrate violently when stomped on and have resulted in the noise that the fans call “Rocky Mountain Thunder.” Denver fans have a reputation of being wild and in love with making noise. This is going to make Griffin’s job harder, especially as he recognizes coverages and has to signal to his teammates. He and Pierre Garçon need to definitely maintain eye contact before the snaps so that there are no communication breakdowns. Griffin has always seemed mature beyond his years but even some veterans can be rattled if they can’t either communicate with their squad or hear themselves think. He and the offense must stay poised in the face of the noise.
INJURY REPORT
Redskins
LIMITED: DE Stephen Bowen (knee), S Reed Doughty (concussion), WR Leonard Hankerson (foot), NT Chris Neild (calf)
Denver
DID NOT PARTICIPATE: CB Champ Bailey (Foot), G Chris Kuper (Ankle)
STAT OF THE WEEK
If London Fletcher gets an interception in this game, he will take sole possession of the league lead for the most interceptions by a linebacker since 2007. Fletcher and now-retired Brian Urlacher each have 12 interceptions since Fletcher joined the Redskins in 2007.
KEY MATCHUP: Peyton Manning vs. the Redskins’ secondary
Peyton Manning is not only a good passer but he is pretty much an offensive coordinator on the field. Being a student of the game as well, he has no doubt caught on that the Redskins’ secondary is lacking one of its strongest players in Brandon Meriweather and that the rookie safety on the team is still learning the ways of the world in the National Football League.
D. Hall can hold his own against which ever receiver Haslett decides to assign him. Fellow cornerback Josh Wilson has had his moments on the field but he is not as consistent as Hall. It’s the rest of the defensive backfield that could be a real problem playing against the likes of Manning. David Amerson is a rookie and Bacarri Rambo is a rookie that hasn’t played in a game in three weeks. Not a good combination against possibly THE best quarterback in the league.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“A lot of people have hit me up, but what people don’t realize is if you want good seats, you better not go through us because we get the worst seats possible… So the best seats I can get are like $60 seats and the last time I checked $60 seats aren’t that good at an NFL stadium. It’s been a while since I’ve sat in them. I’ll try to help out anybody who wants them but definitely, usually I’m their last option.”
– Kyle Shanahan on how many requests for tickets to the Broncos game he has received
FACTOID
Besides the “Rocky Mountain Thunder” at Mile High, there is a tradition called the “Incomplete Chant.” At home games, when the opposing team throws an incomplete pass, the stadium announcer will state “Pass thrown by (the opposing quarterback) intended for (the opposing intended receiver) is…” at which time the fans complete the sentence by chanting loudly: “in-com-plete!” This is followed by the “sad trombone” sound effect.
Hail.