As the Washington Redskins look to rebound from a lackluster performance in their season home opener against the Indianapolis Colts, it is fortunate that the season is young with plenty of time remaining to correct the mistakes made. A win against the Green Bay Packers this weekend would not only improve their record to 2-1 as they go into their early bye, it might begin to build some semblence of a home-field advantage at FedEx Field.
Here are three players/units that are worth keeping an eye on in the Redskins Week 3 matchup:
1. OLB Preston Smith
With Greg Manusky’s defensive front seven capable of generating push, Washington’s pass rushers must be more resourceful about disrupting the timing of opposing quarterbacks. Teams so far have utilized a quicker passing game to combat the physical nature of the Redskins.
The Packers offensive line has struggled a bit, allowing four sacks and five tackles for a loss during their Week 2 tie with the Minnesota Vikings. Smith has only four combined tackles on the year and really hasn’t made his presence felt. The Mississippi State product will need to use creative technique when rushing the passer that will enable him to shake loose from Green Bay’s offensive linemen. Also, when unable to get to GB quarterback Aaron Rodgers, he needs to get his hand up to disrupt the passing lanes.
It will be intriguing to see what transpires with Smith Sunday.
2. WR Josh Doctson
The former TCU product needs to step up his game in a big way. Last season he only caught 44.87 percent of his passes and, for a former first-round pick (22nd overall), this is simply unacceptable. So far this season, he has been targeted by Redskins QB Alex Smith 10 times in two games, coming away with five receptions (50 percent completion).
Many among the media expected Doctson to have an impact last Sunday against the Colts but, once again, the third-year pro failed to meet expectations. He came away with just one of three targets and was unable to strong-arm a touchdown catch that would likely have had a considerable impact on the game.
Doctson will need to find a way to help his quarterback as Alex Smith has done an admirable job of placing the ball where only the young receiver can catch it. Many will look to see if Doctson will make the kind of big plays that can change the dynamic of the game.
3. The Offensive Line
There was a night-and-day difference between Week 1 and Week 2 for the Redskins offensive line.
O-line coach Bill Callahan’s unit has allowed six sacks of Smith through two games which is obviously not good. But the most eye-opening sight was their inability to handle stunts and their miscues on assignments in the running game against Indianapolis. They allowed quick penetration on many plays, resulting in nine tackles for a loss. Unfortunately, most of this occurred on first or second down, causing too many third-and-long situations.
It will be interesting to see how Washington handles the Packers front seven… one presumes that Green Bay will attempt an approach to stopping the Redskins similar to that of the Colts.