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The Washington Redskins face their divisional rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles, in Week 1 of the regular season. They're considered the underdogs but are definitely a team to keep an eye on.
The Redskins went 1-6 to end last season and just 1-3 this preseason (although let's not pretend the preseason records mean anything).
How will the Redskins win?
Here are three keys for the Washington Redskins to defeating the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1.
Defensive Line
The Washington Redskins have the most exciting young defensive line in NFL. There, I said it.
Hear me out.
Da'Ron Payne is an absolute stud. In his rookie year he not only plugged up the middle at defensive tackle, stopping the run at a high rate, but he was surprisingly skilled at getting to the quarterback. He's only going to get better.
Matthew Ioannidis has been a wonderful surprise and turned himself into a top-tier defensive lineman.
Jonathan Allen is a natural leader who has all the talent in the world. He showed it last year as he improved heavily as the year went on.
Tim Settle is the proven one of the bunch but I'm all-in on his potential. He's the backup but should get plenty of time as he shows he deserves it.
Then if you want to add the linebackers into the mix to make it unfair, Ryan Kerrigan's one of the most underrated players in the NFL and Montez Sweat has the makings of a star.
They'll keep the Washington Redskins in a lot of games, and could lead them to victory in week 1 as they terrorize Carson Wentz.
Derrius Guice
Feed him. Feed him often. The Washington Redskins passing game isn't exactly elite. Jordan Reed is elite when he's healthy, but that's a rarity nowadays.
Terry McLaurin has tons of potential and Trey Quinn should be awesome in the slot. Kelvin Harmon's exciting as well but Paul Richardson as WR1 shows where this wide receiver corps is at the moment.
It also doesn't help that they won't have Trent Williams to protect Case Keenum – oh, and that Case Keenum is the starting quarterback.
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However, Keenum should be able to do enough to keep defenses aware of the passing game.
Then comes the running attack. Adrian Peterson was awesome last year and Derrius Guice was named the starter. He has yet to play a down in a regular season game (tore his ACL in the preseason last year) and is already benching Hall of Famers. His stuff is legit too. Guice looked fantastic in his lone preseason game (Week 3) this year.
He's ready to go and the Redskins should use that to their advantage. Showing trust in the running game could open up play action and help Washington hit a few big passing plays.
Bottom line, give Derrius Guice the ball and make the Philadelphia Eagles stop him.
Control the Clock
This goes with the last key, but with different reasoning here.
The Washington Redskins need to control the clock and win the time of possession battle. Heading into games this should always be a priority, however, it's even more so for Washington this week.
The Redskins have an elite defense. Offense, not so much. Therefore, keeping the defense rested is the key to victory.
If the defense is constantly out there after quick three-and-outs, they're going to get tired. When they get tired, that's when mistakes happen. Don't make mistakes around Carson Wentz or he will capitalize.
If the Redskins can put together longer drives, the defense won't wear down in the game. Then they can constantly keep the foot on the pedal and get to Wentz often.
With that in mind, the game plan should be simple. Run the ball and go with short, quick passes. Move the chains a lot. Even if you don't score a bunch, count on the defense to make stops.
If the Washington Redskins beat the Philadelphia Eagles, it won't be in a shootout. If you see a low-scoring affair, they might pull it off. It all starts with controlling the clock.
