The Washington Redskins have now strung together back-to-back wins, defeating the Carolina Panthers and Dallas Cowboys and showing that they can be consistent; especially defensively. As well, they have shown resilience, bouncing back after underwhelming performances earlier in the season.
This Sunday at MetLife Stadium, the Redskins will face a New York Giants football team that is struggling mightily and appears to be having a fire sale. History isn’t in Washington’s favor as they have often fumbled away opportunities to beat a team that they should beat by playing down to their opposition.
At 2-8 in their last 10 road games against New York, the Redskins have been anemic in East Rutherford to say the least. With a win today however, Washington will have an opportunity to extend their lead in the NFC East division.
All that said, here are a few areas to watch in this must-win NFC East matchup:
1. The Offensive Line
Washington’s offensive line has experienced some shuffling due to the injury of left guard Shawn Lauvao but has pretty much held true-to-form, allowing seven sacks over the past three games and 13 sacks so far this season. This high number of sacks could also be contributed to a quarterback in Alex Smith who can break the pocket to extend plays.
One area in which O-line coach Bill Callahan’s unit has struggled is in handling defensive stunts, especially between the guard and center positions. The line’s inability to handle this first reared its ugly head against the Indianapolis Colts and showed itself again in the Panthers game.
With the return of Lauvao last week, a much more stable offensive line resulted that gave up only one sack. Giants defensive coordinator James Bettcher likes to use several different combinations to stunt inside to get push on the opposing team’s QB. It will be interesting to see how Washington deals with New York’s disruptive front seven and use the aggressive nature to their advantage.
2. CB Greg Stroman
With the bizarre nerve injury to cornerback Quinton Dunbar, Stroman was called to duty and, for the rookie’s first start in a divisional rival game, the Virginia Tech product played considerably well. He had four tackles on the day and, outside of the double move put on him by Cowboys wideout Michael Gallup for a touchdown, played a solid game.
This Sunday against the Giants, the young defensive back will face another test as WR Sterling Shepard is the second-highest targeted receiver in the Giants’ offense averaging 14.1 yards per reception. Stroman will need to play another sound game but also learn from his mistakes from last week. The Giants like to go vertically in the passing game.
It will be interesting to see how the Stroman handles the challenge in a hostile environment on the road. Veteran quarterback Eli Manning will likely look to test the young corner while avoiding Pro Bowl CB Josh Norman. Most importantly, in will be interesting to see how he handles Sterling’s ability to run routes that involve multiple moves.
3. QB Alex Smith
Smith hasn’t played up to his full potential but has been efficient in running the offense. He is missing a few of his targets in WRs Jamison Crowder and Paul Richardson as well as the extremely versatile Chris Thompson (RB) but he continues to move the ball effectively in between the twenty-yard lines. Washington is second in the league in time of possession, averaging 32:15 (excluding OT).
Where the Utah product needs to drastically improve is in his red zone efficiency as the Redskins are often settling for field goals, leaving a significant amount of points on the field. Out of 23 red zone attempts, the Redskins have only come away with four touchdowns. Head Coach Jay Gruden’s offense has been 50 percent so far this year in team red zone scoring percentage (TDs only), ranking 24th in the NFL.
It will be intriguing to see if the Pro Bowler can begin to get into a rhythm because the Giants have struggled defensively over the past three games, allowing 55.56 percent in opponent red zone scoring percentage (TDs only).