The Washington Redskins begin a two-game home-stand on Sunday, hosting the Atlanta Falcons in Week 5. Kickoff from FedExField is set for 1 p.m. ET.
The Redskins feature the NFL’s most prolific rushing attack, as the team’s 175.5 rushing yards per game average ranks first in the league. Quarterback Robert Griffin III and running back Alfred Morris are each tied for the league lead in rushing touchdowns with four. Griffin III and Morris are the first pair of rookie teammates in NFL history to each rush for four touchdowns over their team’s first four games, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
Dating back to Week 17 of last season, the Redskins have had a positive turnover margin in five consecutive games. This Sunday, the Redskins will try to post a positive turnover differential in six consecutive games for the first time since posting a positive margin in nine consecutive games across Weeks 16-17 of the 1995 season and Weeks 1-7 of the 1996 season.
Players prepped for excellence is a weekly game preview listing two players from the Redskins’ offense and defense that are destined for a strong performance in the team’s upcoming match-up.
Pierre Garçon is prepped for excellence - Last week, Garçon was held to only 1 catch – mostly due to him still dealing with his foot injury that he suffered in the first half of Washington’s week 1 match-up against the New Orleans Saints.
This week, Garçon was able to practice fully for the first time since September 7th and even though he’s not 100% healthy, he’s closer to that percentage than he was last week.
The Falcons have the 8th ranked secondary in the league, but that’s a highly deceiving stat. In their week 4 match-up against Cam Newton, the Panthers had plenty of opportunities to take shots down the field. Cam missed some, but the opportunity is there. The Redskins are going to target Garçon a lot more than they did a week ago and they will force Atlanta’s DBs to be physical.
Ryan Kerrigan is prepped for excellence - Kerrigan has a chance to notch at least a half-sack in five consecutive games for the first time in his career. He has at least a half-sack in his last four games.
The Falcons gave up 7 sacks against the Carolina Panthers in week 4 and Ryan Kerrigan has wreaked a lot of havoc so far this season. The Falcons biggest issue is at the tackle position, and Tyson Calabo simply got worked last week. Ryan Kerrigan could, should, and needs to have a big game.
Alfred Morris is prepped for excellence – If Morris rushes for 75 yards today, he will join Larry Brown (1972), John Riggins (1983), George Rogers (1986), Earnest Byner (1991) and Terry Allen (1996) as the only backs in team history since the merger to open a season with at least 75 yards in the first five games of a season. That’s good company.
Weather can be a huge factor in this Redskins – Falcons match-up, as it will be in the mid 50′s and it will likely rain sporadically during the game. Wind, not rain is typically the main climate that stunts a quarterback’s ability to throw the football. But if you have a good running back, you run the football when it rains. The Redskins have a good RB in Alfred Morris and today could mark his first consecutive 100 yard game.
DeAngelo Hall is prepped for excellence - DHall came up with his first interception of the season last week and Washington needs him to continue being a play maker against his former team, the Atlanta Falcons.
We talked about how the Falcons like to attack safeties in our week Film Football Friday Film Study and I expect the Redskins to move Hall around, giving him a chance to create plays. He may play some safety looks, as well as playing slot and outside corner position. The Redskins don’t need Hall to be perfect, they need him to be physical and make plays.
