The Washington Redskins are riding high after a 34-24 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, which is the team’s fourth straight win. The game was, for the most part, meaningless. However, Washington managed to keep the fire burning as they head into their Wild Card round match-up against the Green Bay Packers.
On the surface, this is actually a pretty favorable match-up for the Washington Redskins. The Packers are coming off a two-game losing streak, after winning three straight. They’ve suffered numerous injuries to their receiving core and have been somewhat inconsistent on offense this year. But the one consistent is, Aaron Rodgers. That’s enough to scare any team.
The playoffs is a totally different ballgame. It’s a new season. It’ll be interesting to see how the Redskins attack it. Fortunately, they’re not a totally inexperienced playoff team. There’s still many players on the team from the 2012 division championship. Not to mention, GM Scot McCloughan put an emphasis on adding veterans who have tasted the sweet nectar of success. Guys like Dashon Goldson and Terrance Knighton have playoff experience and been to Super Bowls. Even guys like Jeron Johnson and Pierre Thomas will be able to help guide the younger players through this process as they both have won Super Bowls.
It should also be noted that the top two guys at helm, HC Jay Gruden and QB Kirk Cousins have playoff experience. For Gruden, he had three consecutive playoff appearances as the Cincinnati Bengals’ Offensive Coordinator (2011-2013). The Bengals lost all three of those games. Many people will tell you that those loses were greatly due to inefficiency and poor play-calling on offense. They didn’t score more than one touchdown in any of those playoff games. Some of that was on Gruden. But it should be noted that Cincinnati had the same issues in 2014 without Gruden. So it’ll be interesting to see how Gruden attacks the playoffs for the first time as a Head Coach.
For Kirk Cousins, his playoff experience came in pretty unfair circumstances. In the 2012 postseason, Cousins was forced to step-in for the injured Robert Griffin III late in a game against the stingy Seattle Seahawks’ defense. Cousins only completed 3 of 10 throws and lost a fumble. But as stated, it’ll be unfair to hold that game against him. On Sunday, Cousins will have an opportunity not only to gain National respect, but local respect. He’s statistically had a great season, but the past three games have been tremendously great for Cousins. The playoffs has been a place where QBs have made money. Guys like Joe Flacco and Eli Manning are known for how they elevate their game in the playoffs. On the contrary, you have guys like Andy Dalton who has yet to win a playoff game. So it’ll be interesting to see how Cousins does in this huge game against the Packers, at home.
But it’s not all about the QB or HC. The Redskins have to continue creating turnovers on defense and find some sort of a ground game to advance in the tournament. The Packers have struggled to protect Rodgers this season. Really, it’s historically been an issue for that team. But this year in particular, Rodgers has lost several of his safety blankets. That’s not to say Rodgers doesn’t have any weapons, because he does. Green Bay still has the savvy Randall Cobb and a guy in James Jones who has elevated his game as of late. Not to mention, a tight end in Richard Rodgers who is capable of making plays. Davante Adams is also a valuable option.
The Redskins also shouldn’t overlook Green Bay’s running backs. Eddie Lacy is a truck and Washington has had their inconsistencies tackling on defense. They need to get numbers to the ball when Eddie Lacy is on the football field. Their backup, James Starks, has also had his fair share of success on the ground. Starks is very good in the screen game and has deceptive speed. Washington has to be careful and make sure they stop Green Bay’s ground game.
One thing the Washington Redskins have struggled against this season is explosive middle linebackers with range. Green Bay has that in Clay Matthews who, oh by the way, can also rush the Quarterback well. Washington’s interior OL has struggled especially in the stretch game against those type of inside linebackers. Guys like Sean Lee and Luke Kuechly have, in a way, single handily disrupted the Redskins offensively.
In all, I expect this to be a very good game. Washington is a better team than many give them credit for being. It’s not because they have plenty game changing players, but it’s because they’re collectively playing good football. That, many times, can be a dangerous formula for success in the playoffs.
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