Redskins vs. Panthers: 5 players to watch in Week 6 of 2018

It’s obvious that Alex Smith needs to improve after the atrocity that was last week against the Saints. Smith was woefully inaccurate in the second half and didn’t get the ball close to his receivers in the red zone against a weak secondary. It was a classic dud performance from Smith, and he needs a bounce-back in the worst way.

The good news for Smith is that the Panthers weakness is their secondary. Sure, that didn’t help his cause against the Saints, but this is another week. And with matchups to exploit — particularly at the safety position — Smith will look to work the middle of the field with slot routes, TEs, and routes from his running backs. And that’s usually when he’s at his best.

If Smith puts up another performance like the one he had on Monday, he may start to hear rumblings of being replaced as the starter. To be clear, that would be a massive overreaction, but there are some Colt McCoy believers out there and if Smith isn’t getting the job done, there will be calls for them to make the switch. It’s also notable that McCoy is one of the better backups in the league, so take that for what it’s worth.

The pressure is on Smith now, but he has the perfect opportunity to quell concerns surrounding him by putting up a strong outing. That makes him the top player to watch and if all goes well, we’ll be laughing at the notion of replacing Smith following Week 6.