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The Washington Redskins lost again in Week 7. This time it was a humiliatingly bad offensive effort that did them in.
The defense managed to allow just nine points and 283 yards of total offense. However, the offense scored zero points and had 154 yards of total offense. Only 50 of those were passing yards.
At 1-6, things aren't looking any better despite a Week 6 win over the Miami Dolphins. That doesn't appear to have been the turnaround the Redskins were hoping for.
Now, Washington has a Week 8 date with the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday Night Football. If they're going to pull off the upset, here are four reasons why that will happen.
4. Terry McLaurin
Terry McLaurin had his first truly quiet game in Week 7. The rookie had just one reception for 11 yards.
However, there are a few ready-made excuses. First of all, the Redskins had just 12 pass attempts. Second, they were going up against the ultra-elite San Francisco 49ers defense. Finally, that weather was just miserable and it made an already struggling Case Keenum look even worse (threw for just 77 yards).
You could argue that he still has Keenum throwing the football to him, and that's valid. That being said, Keenum can play much better ball than he did in Week 7. He should be able to connect with McLaurin a lot better than that, especially with much better weather in this game.
McLaurin has proven to be a serious threat, a game changer even. He's the only legitimate one the Redskins seem to have at the moment. Due to that, it will likely need to be him making the big plays if Washington wants to win.
Also, I'm still not convinced Dwayne Haskins isn't going to play. That only raises McLaurin's stock.
3. Kirk Cousins
Kirk Cousins has looked really good in recent weeks. However, let's not pretend like the beginning of the year didn't happen. The Vikings quarterback was really bad to start the year. So bad that it was creating problems for Minnesota.
Suddenly, people were talking about how they won't be able to compete with him. Superstar wide receiver Adam Thielen and head coach Mike Zimmer called him out. Then superstar wide receiver Stefon Diggs admitted he wasn't happy with his usage.
Now, Thielen might not be able to play and that could cause issues for Cousins.
Oh, and let's not forget that he was the Redskins quarterback for a number of years. Something Washington fans will tell you immediately is just how bad Cousins was in primetime games.
If that primetime Cousins shows up, this could be the first time it actually helps the Redskins.
2. Defense
The Washington defense has looked a lot better in the last few weeks and they once again improved in Week 7.
Yes, it was a mess of a game with the terrible weather, but you can't deny them. Especially since they did it without Josh Norman.
Okay, Norman's not anywhere near where he used to be. That being said, let's not pretend like Washington's better off without him at all.
The Redskins defense seriously held Jimmy Garoppolo to 10 passing yards in the first half. Again, they faltered a little in the second half, but that was likely due to fatigue as the offense didn't help them out at all.
Montez Sweat and Ryan Kerrigan both got a half sack as well and that bodes well for the Redskins. Hopefully, that gets those two going. Especially Kerrigan, who got pressure on the quarterback a few times in the game.
Even better, they held San Francisco to 137 rushing yards on 39 carries. While that's a lot of yards, it's also a ton of carries. That comes out to just 3.5 yards per carry. This is something I've been expecting from them all year as that defensive line is amazing.
If they can lock down Minnesota's running game and bring pressure to Cousins, Washington has a good chance of winning.
1. Matt Ioannidis
I held out Matt Ioannidis in the talks of the defense for a reason. He deserves his own spot. Ioannidis might legitimately be one of the most underrated players in the entire NFL.
The defensive lineman had nine tackles (one for a loss) in Week 7. He meets the running back right at the line of scrimmage and is one of Washington's most important pieces.
Da'Ron Payne and Jonathan Allen get most of the love. Those two definitely deserve all the praise as well. However, Ioannidis plays just as big of a role.
On the year, he has 34 tackles and 2.5 sacks. He should have at least another 0.5 sacks (but a sack he shared with Kerrigan in the San Francisco game was called a run by Garoppolo as he fumbled the snap).
Ioannidis limits the opposing run fantastically and gives the Redskins a nice pass rush as well. He was on top of his game in Week 7 and he's been known to catch fire in the past. If he's about to do that, Washington could have a very dangerous weapon in their hands.
That weapon could be a main reason the Redskins beat the Vikings in Week 8.
