After the Washington Redskins disappointing 0-5 start, team President Bruce Allen and owner Daniel Snyder parted ways with six-year Head Coach Jay Gruden. Interim Head Coach Bill Callahan will now look to change the narrative against the 0-4 Miami Dolphins.
Callahan will need to take a more balanced approach offensively in hopes of establishing the consistency that will produce successful drives and subsequent points. To follow is a trio of players (or in one case, a unit) that, if successful; could make a difference in Washington getting its first regular-season win of 2019:
1). RB Adrian Peterson
It’s no secret that the Redskins have been ineffective running the football or sticking to the run. One constant, however, is Peterson’s hard nose physical running style. Despite only averaging 2.7 yards per attempt, the future Hall of Famer has, on many occasions, made something out of nothing.
It will be interesting to see how Callahan uses Peterson in the Redskins ground attack against the Dolphins. If the new head coach and Offensive Coordinator Kevin O’Connell can use the RB to his strengths, the 14-year pro could see his first 100-yard game of the season.
2). Offensive Line
The offensive line hasn’t been able to open the holes needed for a successful ground game. In fact, the unit has been the Achilles heel of the offense because of so many untimely miscues. Of the Redskins 42 penalties over the first five weeks of the season, 16 have come from the offensive line. These infractions have killed big plays and stifled drives.
During Callahan’s first practice as head coach Wednesday, there was an emphasis on hand placement and proper offensive line technique. This was, no doubt, done in an effort to reduce the infractions. Only time will tell whether this helps the team establish a physical presence in the run game and eliminate the negative plays against Miami.
3). WR/KR Steven Sims, Jr.
Sims has shown his versatility when his number is called. The Kansas product showed serious skills last week on an 81-yard kick return that was unfortunately negated by a penalty. But he also exhibited valuable elusiveness with a 65-yard touchdown run off one of the more creative plays called this season.
In the upcoming must-win game for Washington, it will be interesting to see how they use Sims’ speed and abilities to create mismatches in the ground and passing games. The wideout could be a valuable weapon in creative offensive plays that take advantage of his skill set.