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Previewing Redskins Week 7 matchup vs. the Philadelphia Eagles

By Jacob Camenker

KANSAS CITY, MO - OCTOBER 02: Head coach Jay Gruden of the Washington Redskins yells from the sidelines during the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on October 2, 2017 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, MO - OCTOBER 02: Head coach Jay Gruden of the Washington Redskins yells from the sidelines during the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on October 2, 2017 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /
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LANDOVER, MD – OCTOBER 15: Kirk Cousins #8 of the Washington Redskins warms up before a game against the San Francisco 49ers at FedEx Field on October 15, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD – OCTOBER 15: Kirk Cousins #8 of the Washington Redskins warms up before a game against the San Francisco 49ers at FedEx Field on October 15, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

Redskins offense vs. Eagles defense

In the first battle with Philadelphia, the Redskins offense was not operating at peak efficiency. Kirk Cousins’ preseason struggles had continued. The team had minimal success on the ground. And the receivers were not able to perform consistently. If the Redskins want to improve, that will need to change.

The good news for the Redskins is that Cousins has been performing very well in recent weeks. Against the 49ers, Cousins was playing very well and really was able to carry the team to victory. His ball placement and accuracy on short to medium length throws has been great in recent weeks, and the only area that he could improve in is with deep balls. Cousins has telegraphed his longer throws and that has allowed opposing safeties to read his eyes. He can easily fix that if he focuses on that in practice this week.

Fortunately for Cousins, the Eagles don’t have the greatest secondary right now. The team has a couple of very good safeties, but their cornerbacks have been shaky. They lost Ronald Darby in Week 1 against the Skins, and at the time, they didn’t have a strong replacement. Rasul Douglas has looked pretty good in recent weeks and Patrick Robinson is a veteran, but neither is consistent yet. That said, the Redskins need to make sure they attack this area in order to find success.

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    • Against the Eagles, it seems like Josh Doctson may be the best option for the team. While Doctson hasn’t played many snaps this year, he has flashed game breaking ability in his limited opportunities. He has a touchdown in two of his last three games, and he has the height and speed necessary to beat the Eagles corners. Jay Gruden has to trust him and put him in the game. It remains to be seen if that will happen.

    In the run game, the Redskins are going to have to do a lot more than they did in Week 1. In that contest, the Redskins running backs saw only 13 carries and totaled 34 yards. Rob Kelley finished with 30 yards which was equal to the rushing total of Cousins. The Eagles are very good against the run, but the Redskins have to find a way to be more consistent.

    In all likelihood, the way that the Redskins will find success is by using Chris Thompson in a bigger role. Thompson has shifty playmaking ability and if they can get him involved on some screen plays, that may open things up for Kelley. It could be beneficial for the Redskins to run some two back sets, as the Eagles will have to account for Thompson which could open up more space between the tackles for other runners.

    Overall, the Eagles still have an advantage against the run game, so the Redskins will have to be carried by their passing game. It’s not going to be easy, but the team could potentially beat the Eagles if they can at least keep the defense honest.

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