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5 Bold predictions for Redskins vs. Seahawks in NFL Week 9

By Jacob Camenker

LANDOVER, MD - OCTOBER 29: Outside linebacker Jaylon Smith #54 of the Dallas Cowboys sacks quarterback Kirk Cousins #8 of the Washington Redskins during the fourth quarter at FedEx Field on October 29, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD - OCTOBER 29: Outside linebacker Jaylon Smith #54 of the Dallas Cowboys sacks quarterback Kirk Cousins #8 of the Washington Redskins during the fourth quarter at FedEx Field on October 29, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Rob Carr/Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – SEPTEMBER 17: Rob Kelley #20 of the Washington Redskins cuts back 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: Rob Kelley #20 of the Washington Redskins cuts back 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. Rob Kelley totals less than 10 scrimmage yards

Last week, Rob Kelley did not look very good against the Cowboys. He saw just eight carries and managed 19 yards and a touchdown. He did have a nice three yard burst for the score early in battle, but he couldn’t generate any push against the Cowboys front. That won’t get any easier against the Seahawks.

Seattle has one of the best linebacker corps in the NFL. There’s no doubt about it. Armed with perennial All-Pro Bobby Wagner and the underrated K.J. Wright, the team has been able to stop running backs in the hole a lot this season. The defensive linemen slow the back down at the point of attack and the instinctive linebackers are able to come in and make key tackles for the team.

This style of defense doesn’t bode well for Kelley’s chances. Kelley is a power back who likes to use his physicality to beat up on defenses. But that doesn’t work when the defense he faces is physical as well. Kelley is going to try to run over the Seahawks defenders, but it seems likely that he won’t find nearly as many lanes as usual. If it’s anything like last week, he won’t hit 10 rushing yards until the team gets into garbage time.

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Further compounding Kelley’s effectiveness is that he is not the preferred pass catching back for the team. That role belongs to Chris Thompson, and he figures to see a brunt of the workload on third down, in obvious passing situations, and he will be on the field if the Skins are making a comeback. Because of this, it stands to reason that Kelley won’t do much in this contest.

At the end of the day, don’t be surprised to see Kelley put up less than 10 scrimmage yards. This may be a game where Jay Gruden opts to use Thompson in an expanded role and Kelley just might not fit in the rotation for this game. He may not see many snaps and he could fall down the depthchart with another poor performance.

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