If there’s a week that the Washington Redskins need to and can get back on track, it is week seven against the struggling 2-4 Tennessee Titans. Both teams have issues for different reasons, and it appears that the Redskins woes are self-inflicted at times, or just due to lack of overall talent. Tennessee, like Washington, has suffered injuries to the quarterback position and will look to get their season back on track once Jake Locker is fully ready to go. If trends continue, a Jake Locker return to the lineup can only spell disaster for the Redskins defense.
Washington finds themselves in quite a predicament in 2014. Their rookie head coach has piloted the team to a 1-5 record. Quarterback Kirk Cousins has been efficient enough, until he makes that first mistake. That’s when “good Kirk” quickly becomes “bad Kirk”, and the mistakes start to mount. For those that are comparing Robert Griffin III and Kirk Cousins, regardless of where you stand on that issue, the numbers do not lie. Griffin, through 30 career games, has amassed 17 interceptions. Cousins through 13? 18 picks.
Say what you want to about Griffin’s pocket awareness, decision making in said pocket, and overall off field “antics,” but he takes care of the ball. He does not fold under the pressure of the game. Robert Griffin III does not hang his head on the sideline. He is a project, to be sure, as Griffin has a long way to go to keep himself healthy and on the field and performing like 2012 RG3 on a regular basis. But the potential is still there. Cousins, meanwhile, is what he is at this point. He is an outstanding backup that most teams in the league would be lucky to have, but that is about it.
Cousins will need to secure his first ever win as a starter this weekend against Tennessee if the Redskins have any hope of posting a respectable record in 2014. Jake Locker will be returning to the lineup, and the Redskins linebackers will have a tall task of containing Tennessee’s solid wide receiver corps and breakout fantasy tight end Delanie Walker. The positive to all of this, though painful to watch now, is that Washington is getting plenty of experience in for their two young but promising corners, David Amerson and Bashaud Breeland. Young linebacker Will Compton, in place of the injured Perry Riley, will look to get plenty of experience against the talented Tennessee tight end Walker. These players are not only intriguing to watch for this game, but for the remainder of the season as well.
Keys to the game
Contain Delanie Walker
Walker has had a solid start to his season, amassing over 400 yards and three touchdowns in the first six weeks. Inconsistent starting and play at quarterback is the only reason why these numbers aren’t even higher. The Redskins have struggled mightily against the tight end this year, and some of that is due to the wildly inconsistent coverage skills of linebacker Perry Riley. Last week, in place of the injured Riley, Will Compton stepped in and impressed in this area. He will need to do it again against the versatile Walker.
Get the ball to Jackson
My goodness. That’s all you can say about the deep ball connection between Cousins and wide receiver DeSean Jackson over the past two weeks. Cousins has gone over the top of defenders to Jackson and zipped the ball on the slant route which Jackson took to the house. This connection needs to continue. This is why the Redskins brought him here. Jackson isn’t the presence in the locker room you need. He isn’t a great blocker (he’s actually pretty terrible). Bruce Allen, Jay Gruden, and yes, especially Dan Snyder, brought DeSean Jackson here for this.
ESPN 980 personality and former player Chris Cooley was critical of Jackson this week for his lack of blocking, but how is this shocking to anyone? The Redskins knew what they were signing up for when they quickly snatched up Jackson after he was inexplicably released from Philadelphia. The good outweighs the bad. There’s plenty of both, to be sure, but Jackson is one of the most electrifying players in the NFL. One can only hope that once Griffin returns, they are still able to utilize him.
More Alfred, and even more Helu
The Redskins need to get going on the ground if they want to have any hope of winning another game. Weapons like Jackson, Garcon, Reed, and Roberts are rendered useless without an effective running game. As many have suggested since Gruden arrived, the Redskins will eventually move away from the zone blocking scheme. It is complicated, and without utilizing plays like the read option, it hurts in the pass protection area because linemen that are required for zone blocking are typically smaller and more athletic, which describes the current state of the Redskins offensive line.
When the zone blocking scheme does go away, Alfred Morris will have to adapt or die. He has largely relied on the scheme and the threat of his quarterback as a runner. Helu, on the other hand, seems to fit the mold of running backs that made Gruden as successful offensive coordinator in Cincinnati. He is quick and elusive; the Redskins would be better served to get Helu more touches on Sunday. This isn’t a knock on Morris, but most successful NFL teams are employing a two back system these days. It’s imperative that the Redskins strive for the same.
Our Predictions
Redskins will finally get a win in this one, but the defense will still have us shaking our heads. What’s the over/under number of weeks until Haslett gets fired? Redskins 27, Titans 24
Dave Nichols
I think the Redskins could win this game, but it’s going to be up to Kirk Cousins to take care of the ball. Some of his interceptions have simply been inexcusable and he has to protect the ball better. You’d think that Jay Gruden would utilize the running game to a better extent to allow Cousins to get into better passing situations. The Titans aren’t very good either and they’re on the road, so I’ll very tentatively say… Redskins 20, Titans 17.
This is a game the Redskins should win. Washington, despite being 1-5, still has the 7th best offense in yards/game and 10th best defense in yards allowed/game whereas 2-4 Tennessee ranks 22nd and 20th respectively in those categories. But can anyone really trust the Redskins and their -9 turnover differential (worst in the league)? If they lose this one, somehow an ugly season would become distinctly uglier. Redskins 24, Titans 20
To put it bluntly, Tennessee has little talent on their roster. They struggle to run the ball with their rookie and struggle to execute in the red zone with a veteran QB with less experience than Kirk Cousins. The defense should be able to hold off a team that barely put up enough points to beat the Jaguars last week and Cousins should be able to orchestrate enough drives without mistakes to bring home the victory. Redskins 20, Titans 13