The 2017 NFL season is set to get started soon for the Washington Redskins. Their first preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens is coming up this Thursday. Here is a preview for the game.
It’s finally here. The first game of the 2017 NFL preseason. Okay, so it may not be as exciting as the first game of the regular season, but it is the return of Washington Redskins football. The long wait for action is over.
In Week 1 of the preseason, the Redskins are going to be taking on the Baltimore Ravens. An early edition of the “Battle of the Beltway.” The Ravens have undergone a lot of change over the course of the offseason, and have also suffered their fair share of injuries. They have already lost Kenneth Dixon, Dennis Pitta, Crockett Gilmore, and Tavon Young for the season. Joe Flacco is dealing with a back injury that could be an issue. The team may have had the worst training camp of all the NFL teams because of those injuries.
Regardless, that will not have a major impact for the Ravens in this game. It is the first preseason game, so most of the starters are likely to sit anyway. John Harbaugh will be leading his backups against those of Jay Gruden, in what should be an interesting clash.
With that said, here is an in-depth look at every aspect of the first game of the 2017 Redskins preseason.
Redskins offense vs. Ravens defense
I would assume that Kirk Cousins is not going to play in the game against the Ravens. If he does, it will likely be able for only a series or two. That means that most of the action in the game will go to Colt McCoy and Nate Sudfeld, with McCoy getting the reps as the top backup. While McCoy may see the early snaps, Sudfeld will be the man to watch.
Sudfeld is entering his second season with the Redskins, and he has to show that he has developed over the course of the offseason. With Cousins set to be a free agent once again in 2018, the Redskins have to internally evaluate their options to replace him. Realistically, Sudfeld is the only internal option that would inspire any sort of long term hope. But if he doesn’t perform well this year, the Redskins will have to find a replacement for him in the 2018 offseason, especially if Cousins is not retained.
Sudfeld will have a chance to prove himself against some of the young defensive backs for the Ravens. Rookie Marlon Humphrey should see some action while second year man Maurice Canady should test Sudfeld. It’s unclear who Sudfeld’s top receivers will be, but one would assume that he will get a little time with some second unit guys including Brian Quick and Maurice Harris. If he can build a rapport with them, that would bode well for his future.
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In the running game, a bulk of the carries figure to go to Mack Brown as the team tries to get rest for their top options. Rob Kelley is unlikely to play, he is dealing with a minor neck strain anyway, and Chris Thompson will play sparingly. Samaje Perine should see some action, but the team will try not to overwork him. Perine needs to show some burst in order to prove that he can split carries with Kelley in future. As for Brown, if he shows the same explosive ability he had last preseason, he should latch on as the fourth running back.
The final big thing to watch for the Redskins offense is the performance of their young interior linemen. Arie Kouandjio and Chase Roullier should get a chance to play in the first half and if either flashes, they could push Shawn Lauvao for his starting job. They still seem unlikely to unseat Lauvao, but it’s worth watching nonetheless. Seeing them take on the young Ravens defensive linemen like Michael Pierce and Bronson Kaufusi should be interesting and could test them.
Redskins defense vs. Ravens offense
For the Redskins defense, the main thing to watch is the rush linebacker rotation. With Preston Smith out, Ryan Anderson and Junior Galette will get a chance to prove that they’re capable of starting for the team. Anderson seems more likely to have a chance to do this; the Redskins may be concerned about Galette playing too much because of his injury history. But still, this will be a good chance to look at the top backup options.
The secondary will also be an intriguing thing to watch. I would imagine that the Redskins will give Kendall Fuller some action as a starter to see how he holds up. If he has made major strides, he could turn into the team’s No. 3 cornerback or could take over for Bashaud Breeland as a starter. Breeland has struggled a bit in camp, so he needs to prove himself early in the season to keep his job.
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Elsewhere, Su’a Cravens will get a chance to play at safety a bit, and Deshazor Everett should see some action too. The two have immense upside. If Cravens is ready to transition to the safety position, from linebacker, then he will be one of the stronger players in the back four. He could definitely help the team as they look to improve their coverage against tight ends. Everett, meanwhile, has a chance to win the No. 3 safety job. He is a big hitter, and his physicality should be on display against the Ravens.
The final piece to watch is rookie Jonathan Allen and the other defensive line acquisitions. Allen is going to see a good deal of action, and it will be interesting to see how he fares. He would have been a top five pick had it not been for shoulder concerns, so hopefully he will do well early on. Across the line, nose tackle Phil Taylor will get tested by the Ravens prospects on the interior, including rookie Jermaine Eluemunor. Taylor is currently favored to start at the position, so this game will be important for him.
Overall outlook
Preseason games are nearly impossible to predict. Especially the first game. There is no knowing how much each of the Redskins will play in their first contest. The coaching staff wants to get a look at some of their depth guys early, and they will definitely not overwork their starters. That much is known.
What is known is that the Redskins have the stronger backup quarterbacks in this game. McCoy and Sudfeld are better than the Ravens duo of Dustin Vaughan and Josh Woodrum. Yes, the Ravens do have Ryan Mallett, but with Flacco’s injury, he probably will not see a great deal of action in this first game.
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Because of this, I like the Redskins to win their first preseason game. Sudfeld needs to prove himself, and leading them to a victory could help his case. For the Ravens, this game is more about staying healthy, given all the injuries that they have suffered. They’ll probably play a lot of camp bodies to make sure that their top guys aren’t getting nicked up.