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Redskins pass rush must perform with Colts LT Anthony Castonzo out

By Jacob Camenker

LANDOVER, MD - DECEMBER 17: Outside Linebacker Preston Smith #94, linebacker Josh Harvey-Clemons #40 and outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan #91 of the Washington Redskins celebrate after recovering a fumble in the first quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at FedEx Field on December 17, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD - DECEMBER 17: Outside Linebacker Preston Smith #94, linebacker Josh Harvey-Clemons #40 and outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan #91 of the Washington Redskins celebrate after recovering a fumble in the first quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at FedEx Field on December 17, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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Anthony Castonzo, the Colts starting left tackle, won’t play against the Redskins. This is a huge opportunity for their pass rush.

In the first week of the season, the Redskins pass rush was uncharacteristically quiet. Though the defense only held the Cardinals to six points, the team notched just two sacks despite dealing with the Cardinals mediocre line. Of course, that’s nothing to sneeze at, but the fact is that the Redskins line is capable of doing much more.

In Week 2, the team will have a chance to take on the Colts, and their performance will be critical in making Andrew Luck uncomfortable in the pocket. If Luck is under pressure, he won’t be able to pick apart the Redskins defense — which is a tough task even with time — but that would go a long way to helping shut down the Colts offense.

The Redskins pass rush is getting a boost on Friday with some news coming out of Colts camp. Unfortunately, the team’s starting left tackle, Anthony Castonzo, is out for the game according to Colts writer Andrew Walker. He suffered a setback in practice and will miss his second straight game.

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With Castonzo out and Week 1 starting right tackle J’Marcus Webb now on Injured Reserve, the Colts will be breaking in a new starter on the right side of the line, as it seems likely that rookie second-round Braden Smith will see the field. Smith played well during his career at Auburn, but he’s probably better suited as a guard for the NFL, so playing him at tackle may not go well.

At left tackle, Joe Haeg will likely start there as he did last week. He held up fine, but the Redskins defense is a bit stronger at the edge rush position than the Bengals.

With these guys on the field, Ryan Kerrigan and Preston Smith are going to have a huge opportunity to rack up some sacks. They are athletic and physical mismatches for the two Colts starters, and each racking up a sack or two is not out of the question. If they can consistently get pressure on Luck, then the Colts offense will be rendered mostly ineffective, so this will be one of the keys to starting the season 2-0.

dark. Next. 3 positives, 3 negatives for the Redskins

This will game will be a defining moment for Washington’s pass rush and young defensive line. It will be interesting to see if they can step up and expose the biggest current weakness that the Colts have on their roster at both tackle positions. If they can, a victory should be easy to achieve.

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