The Washington Redskins who have been resilient after loses for the first time this season have suffered back to back losses after a recent Thanksgiving Day loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Washington is very much in the thick of the playoff race but needs to get back to their winning ways in order to keep pace with the Cowboys in the fight for the NFC East division title.
Tonight the Redskins will take on the defending Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles. Philadelphia has had their share of struggles this season and looks like a shell of what they were in 2017. The Burgundy and Gold have had a measure of success against the Eagles winning three out of their last five meetings.
Despite the Eagles misfortunes this season, the Redskins will need to right the ship and change the narrative on some of their own miscues if they want to have a legitimate shot at a playoff opportunity. In the matchup, there will be a lot of things to keep a close eye on, but these three players will be worth watching as their play could have a significant impact in a pivotal divisional game.
1. QB Colt McCoy
In the Redskins Thanksgiving Day matchup against the Cowboys, McCoy was asked to throw the ball 38 times and for any quarterback that is a lot to ask. McCoy with no practice with the first unit was able to complete 68.8% of his passes for two touchdowns but the killer was the number of turnovers accrued during the game.
A Redskins win over Eagles would …
The former Texas standout had three turnovers with one resulting in seven points for the opposition. This is an area that will need to be cleaned up as giveaways are a huge deciding factor in wins and losses. The Eagles are ranked 28th in passing defense giving up 276.5 yards per game. Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz’s unit over the last three games has allowed opponents 8.5 yards per pass attempt averaging 0.3 takeaways per game.
McCoy is a quarterback that likes to give his receivers opportunities to make plays and will occasionally throw up a 50/50 ball. With that said calculated risk are very important especially in tight games. With an extended period of practice time, it will be fascinating to see if McCoy can protect the football and limit the number of critical mistakes made in the passing game. If he can do that, he could have a solid day against an injury-depleted secondary.
2. CB Fabian Moreau
Moreau has played well in Greg Manusky’s defense showing solid technique as a slot corner when covering all underneath routes. Where he often struggles is on double move post routes primarily in the middle of the field. The second-year pro often shows the inability to maintain the proper leverage giving up the middle of the field where Moreau has no safety help.
This often leaves Moreau in the trailing position resulting in big plays for the opposing team’s offense. It’s also interesting to note that most of Moreau’s poor tackling has come when he is beat on these plays. It will be intriguing to see how well Moreau plays against the bigger Zach Ertz as the Eagles like to line him up in the slot. Ertz is the Eagles leading receiver in targets (111) and catches (84).
3. RB Chris Thompson
On Monday night at Lincoln Financial Field Thompson will take the field for the first time since week eight because of broken ribs. Washington could use his versatility in both passing and running attacks adding another dimension to the offense. Thompson is a sure target for quarterback Colt McCoy an also brings consistent stability on third downs, especially in pass protection. He will also bolster the running back rotation allowing Adrian Peterson to be fresher throughout the game.
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The Florida State star will be a player to keep an eye on as the Eagles have allowed the fourth most receptions to running backs and is sixth worst in the NFL in rushing yards allowed over the past three games (156.7). In five games, Thompson has caught 28 passes for 209 yards and a touchdown. He’s carried the ball 26 times for another 113 yards.