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3 keys to victory for Redskins in Week 10 vs. Vikings

By Jacob Camenker

PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 23: Chris Thompson #25 of the Washington Redskins carries the ball in for a touchdown in the second quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles on October 23, 2017 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - OCTOBER 23: Chris Thompson #25 of the Washington Redskins carries the ball in for a touchdown in the second quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles on October 23, 2017 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /
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PHILADELPHIA, PA – OCTOBER 23: Chris Thompson #25 of the Washington Redskins carries the ball in for a touchdown in the second quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles on October 23, 2017 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA – OCTOBER 23: Chris Thompson #25 of the Washington Redskins carries the ball in for a touchdown in the second quarter against the Philadelphia Eagles on October 23, 2017 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

2. Find a way to get the receivers into space

The Vikings have a very strong defense. There’s no doubt about it. But one of the best areas of their stop unit is their secondary. Xavier Rhodes, Harrison Smith, and Terence Newman make that positional group very hard to throw against, and Washington is going to have a tough time finding open space.

In particular, Rhodes is a terrific cornerback. He will be able to blanket any receiver that lines up across from him. More likely than not, Josh Doctson is going to be the man he will be tasked with covering. Doctson has improved his chemistry with Kirk Cousins in recent weeks and is becoming a top option for the team. He will have to find a way to beat Rhodes which is tough.

Meanwhile, the Redskins other top option, Jamison Crowder, is likely to see action outside and in the slot. When he’s inside, he’ll be tasked with playing against Newman who will have a chance to shut him down.

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So, what does this all mean for the Redskins? They have to get creative with how they pass the ball. They can’t expect their receivers to win many one on one battles downfield, so they will have to create their own offense.

One way for the for the team to accomplish this will be to run more screen passes. The team’s offensive line is looking close to fully healthy, and they may have all their personnel on Sunday. The Washington offensive line is one of the best in the business at blocking on screens and if they can get guys like Crowder and Chris Thompson the ball in space, that may be one way for the Redskins to move the ball.

Keep an eye on the short passing game in this contest. If Washington can get it to work, they will have a much better chance of moving the ball downfield. If not, then they may have trouble generating any sort of offense.

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