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5 Redskins to watch in Week 6 matchup vs. San Francisco 49ers

By Jacob Camenker

LANDOVER, MD - SEPTEMBER 10: Ryan Kerrigan #91 of the Washington Redskins celebrates against the Philadelphia Eagles in the second half at FedExField on September 10, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD - SEPTEMBER 10: Ryan Kerrigan #91 of the Washington Redskins celebrates against the Philadelphia Eagles in the second half at FedExField on September 10, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – SEPTEMBER 17: Samaje Perine #32 of the Washington Redskins runs the ball during the second quarter against the Los Angeles Rams at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 17, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – SEPTEMBER 17: Samaje Perine #32 of the Washington Redskins runs the ball during the second quarter against the Los Angeles Rams at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 17, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

5. RB Samaje Perine

One of the more frustrating Redskins to watch throughout the season has been Rob Kelley. The second year back out of Tulane has been very good when on the field, and he had an excellent performance in Week 2 against the Los Angeles Rams. However, he dealt with rib and ankle injuries that have kept him out of most of the past 2.5 games, so the team has had to roll with rookie Samaje Perine in a larger role as a result. Perine hasn’t been bad, but he has fumbled a couple of times which is sure to irk Jay Gruden.

Coming into Week 6, there was some hope that Kelley would be able to come back, but it appears that he will not be likely to suit up. Jay Gruden classified him as a long shot to play, and that will likely give Perine a bigger role.

While the 49ers have a strong front four, they are very young and can be beaten with proper play calling and blocking. The Redskins possess one of the league’s best offensive lines and they have improved after a slow start to the season. Bill Callahan will have a game plan for taking on the young 49ers talent, in particular DeForest Buckner, but they need to make sure that they execute to help out Perine. As our own Ian Cummings pointed out, Perine could break out if given the opportunity.

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"On Sunday, against a subpar 49ers defense, with the home crowd behind him, Samaje Perine has a chance to break out. He won’t take the starting job away from Kelley. But he can instill confidence in this team by having a stellar performance. This will be his best chance all season to churn out yards and prove himself to be a viable option in the backfield. He has the opportunity to do it. And he certainly can. All that’s left to do is see if he will."

Essentially, what the Redskins will be looking for from Perine is to not make mistakes. The Redskins need him to play the role of the lead back with Chris Thompson mixing in as a game breaking back. Mack Brown can be mixed in a bit, but he won’t see more than a couple of carries in all likelihood.

Overall, Perine’s performance could give the Redskins a chance to beat the 49ers. The Redskins are most successful when they have a balanced offense, and Perine is the player that gives them the best chance to operate that type of attack this week, though having Kelley back in Week 7 would be beneficial for the team.

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