The Washington Redskins continue their 2018 season this weekend by hosting the Indianapolis Colts at FedEx Field for their Week 2 home opener. The Colts bring a unique challenge in that QB Andrew Luck is a smart, talented and experienced signal-caller that poses a danger any time he’s on the field. By the same token, Indy has health issues along the offensive line and a young secondary. Some have said this could be a classic ‘trap game’ because of the domination the Redskins had over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 1 and the fact that historically, they don’t handle prosperity all that well.
Washington head coach Jay Gruden and his players, however, have spoken all week long about the fact that they are not good enough to take any for granted… much less one with Luck as their QB. However, the Redskins are favored by anywhere between four and seven points by oddsmakers.
Fans of the Burgundy and gold know what’s being said about the Colts, but what is the opposition saying?
As a nine-year veteran, Colts defensive tackle Al Woods has played against Redskins RB Adrian Peterson before. And as a DT, he was certainly involved with the same snaps the future Hall-of-Famer was.
“Don’t be fooled,” Woods said this week to an Indy Star reporter. “ AP is always AP. [He’s] still a great runner who’s got great vision. Runs hard. Fights for every inch. Just what a Hall of Fame running back looks like. It’s going to be a definite challenge to go out there and stop him and I’m glad to be a part of that.”
Colts’ Defensive lineman Margus Hunt hasn’t played against Peterson but he’s watched film. Like many who saw last week’s game, he knows the veteran RB still has it… “it” being the vision to see a hole, hit it and just like that be ‘gone.’
“We need to bring every man on deck to get to him and get him down,” Hunt said to the same reporter. “Really, really pressure him.”
Being the Colts head coach, Frank Reich obviously looks at the bigger picture. He acknowledges the overall challenge the Redskins will present to his team.
“They’re a good team… a good team,” he said this week during a press conference. “Defensively, [they’re] really challenge. [Washington OLB Ryan] Kerrigan is as productive a defensive player as there is in this league. This guy’s a stud so you’ve got to know where he is at all times. They’ve got a good front… their pass rush, across the board, I think, [is] an excellent pass rush. They get good pressure on the quarterback. The secondary, we know [Redskins CB] Josh Norman is a big-time playmaker. [Washington safety D.J.] Swearinger… same thing. So a good challenge for us offensively. Defensively, [QB] Alex Smith… I just think this guy just keeps winning football games. He’s an excellent player, really a good fit for them. Obviously, [TE] Jordan Reed, [RB] Chris Thompson… [you can] go across the board. [It’ll be] a good challenge for us all-around.”
Several in the national media feel the Redskins will win this game. Elliot Harrison at NFL.com predicts the score will be Redskins 27, Colts 14. Pete Prisco of CBS Sports thinks the final could be Redskins 28, Colts 17 and Derrick Gunn of NBC Sports Philadelphia doesn’t see the Colts keeping it close.
One of the few people who are giving Indianapolis more credit is David Steele of Sporting News who has the Colts putting up 34 point and the Redskins only 27. Steele writes:
As dominant as Washington looked in its opener at Arizona, the jury is still out. Is Adrian Peterson really still that good? Is Jordan Reed that healthy? Is Alex Smith that efficient? Is the defense … well, can they be kept off the field long enough? The Colts will test all of that.