The 6-3 Washington Redskins will face a red-hot Houston Texans team with the same record that has won six straight games after losing their first three of the season. The Burgundy and Gold have found an identity that many would consider a blast-from-the-past with strong defense and an offense that can control the clock and play turnover-free football.
The Texans bring an offense that has been clicking in the passing game. The Redskins have struggled against teams that have flexible weapons at wide receiver. Washington hasn’t played as consistently at home as they have on the road with two of its three losses coming at FedEx Field.
Here are some areas that, if executed well, could lead to another Redskins home victory:
1. Stopping the Texans running game
Balance plus success equals an off-balance opposing defense. When a team can run the football, it opens many different aspects of the passing game. Washington’s defense over the last two games has allowed a staggering 992 yards of total offense. The common denominator in all of this is the running game.
The Redskins have allowed 257 yards on the ground in their last two games making it a struggle to consistently stop offenses in between the 20s. Washington defensive coordinator Greg Manusky’s unit will need to play within themselves against the Texans No. 11 ranked rushing defense. Being overly aggressive will open the door for guys like Houston RBs Lamar Miller and Alfred Blue to have big games making Houston’s offense more potent.
2. Capitalizing in the passing game
Washington’s offensive identity is clearly a physical brand of hard-nose ground-and-pound football. That said, the Texans bring to town their No 6 ranked rushing defense which only allows 92.9 yards per game and is second-best in the NFL in rushing yards per attempt (3.6).
The Redskins have shown flashes of success in the passing game throughout the season. Head Coach Jay Gruden’s offense will correct the miscues and begin to connect on some of the chunk plays they have missed. Penalties have often derailed big plays for Washington, putting the team in awful down-and-distance scenarios.
Having success in the air should open up the run lanes for RB Adrian Peterson and allow the Redskins newly-assembled offensive line combinations to gain favorable matchups.
3. Staying out of third-and-long
Many of Washington’s offensive woes have come from Alex Smith & Co. being caught in third-and-long situations. With the likes of Houston DEs Jadeveon Clowney and J.J. Watt, who lead the Texans defense in sacks this season, it will be imperative for the Redskins to avoid the negative plays that have been their demise on third down.
4. Winning the turnover battle
Washington has done an excellent job of avoiding costly turnovers as well as forcing turnovers on defense. Head coach Jay Gruden’s team is plus-11 in the turnover margin, with Smith doing exactly what the Redskins want from their quarterback… making smart decisions with the football and not giving the opposition extra opportunities.
Washington is third-best in the league in takeaways (2.0) and tied for first with the Chicago Bears over their last three (2.3). Houston isn’t a team that gives the football away very much either with only 0.8 interceptions thrown per game. In their last three games, the Texans haven’t turned the football over once. It will be up to the Redskins to change the narrative Sunday by creating an uncomfortable environment for quarterback Deshaun Watson, forcing him to make some uncharacteristic errors.