The Washington Redskins are getting ready for a key Week 7 rivalry game against the Dallas Cowboys. Here’s a look at some bold predictions for the game.
It’s almost here. Dallas week. Redskins fans everywhere are sweating with anticipation for this one. The 3-2 Redskins really have a chance to take an edge in what is shaping up to be a close divisional race. A win would ensure that the Redskins stay in first place momentarily and would give them a leg up on the Cowboys.
Speaking of the Cowboys, they are coming off a huge, emotional win over the Jaguars. The absolutely demolished the Jaguars defense, winning by a final score of 40-7. That brought their record to 3-3 and makes this game more important one for them as they look to notch a winning record for the first time this season.
And, of course, it’s Redskins-Cowboys. This is a legendary rivalry game with a lot at stake in the first half of the season. The winner of this game will likely be the primary competitor with the Eagles in the weeks to come, so that means a lot. And with the Redskins being the home team, the pressure is on them to deliver a win.
Because of the stakes of this game, there will be a lot of crazy plays and players could potentially put up huge stat lines. Here’s a look at our bold predictions for what may happen in 2018’s first installment of Redskins vs. Cowboys.
5. Zach Brown records 10-plus tackles
This year, Zach Brown has yet to reach double-digits in tackles. That may change this week.
Brown will get a chance to help in run support, and he may serve an even more important role for the team, much like he did in the team’s Week 6 victory.
As our own Ian Cummings points out, Brown will need to play a role in spying on Dak Prescott, thanks to the newfound mobility of the Cowboys starter.
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"Zach Brown is one of Pro Football Focus‘ top graded linebackers entering Sunday’s game. He’ll need to give the Redskins more of that solid, consistent play if they are to win their first division matchup of the season. Last week, Brown’s speed was needed to defend against Cam Newton, specifically the running threat that Newton posed. Prescott doesn’t come to mind ahead of Newton when one thinks of rushing threats at quarterback, but Prescott ran for 82 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries last week, against Jacksonville’s defense. He’s dangerous."
Prescott won’t always be dangerous, but playing it safe wouldn’t hurt. If Brown can stop him on any scrambles early in the game, that would be big. And that would also allow him to pad his stats a bit.
Brown should have a break-out game eventually. He’s simply too talented not to get a double-digit game at some point. This may be his best chance, though the defensive line could eat up some of his potential production in the event that they shut down the run game (which would definitely be a positive).
4. Alex Smith runs for 50 yards, 1 TD
This is a bit weird, but why not? Smith is a mobile QB and has had some solid rushing performances in his career. He may have to scramble a bit against Dallas’ tough defense, so that could open up some yardage opportunities for him.
During his career, Smith has rushed for 50-plus yards in just seven games. However, he did it twice last season. Once against the Jets, after somehow logging a 70-yard run, and once against — you guessed it — the Redskins. So, the legs are still there for the veteran.
To keep Dallas’ front guess, Jay Gruden may run some read-option plays and mix in some RPOs early on. If the team can get the Dallas offense off balance, that will be key to opening up other aspects of the game. And one of the ways to do that is to come out with an unexpected strategy and in this case, that could be Smith running the ball a bit more than usual.
Smith obviously isn’t going to lead the team in carries or anything, but giving him a couple more designed runs could be enough of a wrinkle to throw off the Cowboys defense. So, we’ll project Smith to record his eighth 50-plus yard game of his career and notch a score as well. That would be an impressive performance from the Redskins field general.
3. Vernon Davis and Jordan Reed combine for 12-plus catches, 125 yards
I like the tight ends to be productive this week. With the team’s banged-up receiving corps likely having a couple of key absences, both Vernon Davis and Jordan Reed appear to be in good position to produce.
The Redskins will probably choose to run a lot of two tight end sets against the Cowboys. They got Davis onto the field more against the Panthers, and that decision really paid off, as he scored a TD early in the game. Having both Reed and Davis on the field together can create some serious matchup problems and create more opportunities for play-action passes.
The Cowboys have allowed the sixth-most receptions to tight ends in the league this year. They have allowed 34 through six games and the catch rate tight ends have at the position (79 percent) is pretty high. Granted, they haven’t allowed a ton of big plays, but the catches demonstrate that this could be an undervalued matchup for the team.
It’s also worth noting that the Cowboys haven’t exactly faced world-beaters at the position. The best player they faced was a fully-healthy Evan Engram in Week 2, and they allowed seven catches for 67 yards and a score to him. Reed and Davis fall closer to the Engram category than the other tight ends the Cowboys have faced, so they could put up similar production.
This game-script just seems to be suited for Reed and Davis to put up solid numbers. They may not each have big games individually, but if they collectively put up 12 catches and 125 yards, many Redskins fans will be happy. I think that they will be the top two receiving options for the team on Sunday.
2. Redskins defense limits Cowboys to 17 points or less
This won’t be an easy feat. After all, the Cowboys just put up 40 points against the Jaguars, who are widely considered to be one of the best defensive teams in the league. That said, the Redskins have the personnel needed to hold the Cowboys in check.
The Cowboys don’t have a lot of offensive weaponry. It’s mostly the Ezekiel Elliott show. While Elliott can pose problems for most defenses, the Redskins, and their sixth-ranked run defense that allows just 90.2 rushing yards per game should be able to at least limit him. If Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen can make it hard for Elliott to get going on the ground, that will force the Cowboys to pass more. And that would be an adventure.
The Cowboys feature a lot of middling options in their receiving corps. Normally, most of them would be tertiary options — or maybe the No. 2 guy if we’re being generous. But of the group, only Cole Beasley has shown the ability to consistently get open. And considering that Beasley is a small slot man, the Redskins should be able to contain him. It will be a bit of a test for Fabian Moreau, but the squad can really focus on putting coverage on Beasley and helping Moreau as necessary.
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If Elliott and Beasley are at least limited, that will put a lot more on Dak Prescott to make some big plays. Prescott has looked like a more than capable signal caller at times during his NFL career but as a passer this year, he has been timid. That could change against Washington, but the Redskins secondary really should match up well against guys like Allen Hurns, Michael Gallup, and Deonte Thompson.
With that said, it wouldn’t surprise me to see the Redskins come out and really put the clamps on the Dallas offense. Yes, Elliott could get going at any time and if he ends up alone in coverage on the linebackers, that could be a major problem for the ‘Skins. But at the same time, the coaching staff knows that could be a potential problem, so they will likely scheme to make it less of an issue.
Washington’s defense knows how important this game is. If they can limit the Cowboys to 17 points or less, they will have a very good chance to walk out of the stadium as the winners. They will bring the effort and energy early and often (we hope) and back up this prediction.
1. Redskins wide receivers catch five passes or less in total
This season, the Redskins receivers are only catching 9.2 passes per game. That’s due primarily to two factors. First, the ‘Skins don’t have a lot of talent in their receiving corps. The second is that Alex Smith really likes to throw to tight ends and running backs.
On Sunday, the Redskins could be in position to see their least productive game from receivers yet. Jamison Crowder is out this week. Paul Richardson is doubtful. That means that the receiving corps will likely be led by Josh Doctson, Michael Floyd, Maurice Harris, and Brian Quick. That’s not exactly inspiring.
While those guys provide veteran depth, none are particularly great at making separation. Harris can do a bit, but that’s mostly from his quality route running. Smith won’t look to make dangerous passes to his receivers if they can’t get separation, so that will definitely be important to watch throughout the evening.
By the end of the day, it wouldn’t surprise me if the Washington receivers catch five or fewer passes, which would match their season low of five receiver catches against the Packers. This just seems like a ground-game heavy game plan and the Cowboys secondary should be able to shut down these receiving options. Expect a lot of throws to Jordan Reed, Vernon Davis, and Chris Thompson as a result.
It remains to be seen if this would have any sort of effect on the Redskins chances of winning obviously if the receivers aren’t doing much, it’s harder to move the ball, but there may be enough production from other positions to still notch the important win against Dallas.