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Redskins vs. Cowboys: 5 keys to victory in Washington’s Week 7 matchup

By Kyle Hundley

ARLINGTON, TX - NOVEMBER 30: Josh Doctson #18 of the Washington Redskins pulls down a touchdown in the end zone against Byron Jones #31 of the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth quarter of a football game at AT&T Stadium on November 30, 2017 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX - NOVEMBER 30: Josh Doctson #18 of the Washington Redskins pulls down a touchdown in the end zone against Byron Jones #31 of the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth quarter of a football game at AT&T Stadium on November 30, 2017 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /
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GLENDALE, AZ – SEPTEMBER 09: Center Chase Roullier #73 and offensive guard Shawn Lauvao #77 of the Washington Redskins during the NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium on September 9, 2018 in Glendale, Arizona. The Redskins defeated the Cardinals 24-6. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ – SEPTEMBER 09: Center Chase Roullier #73 and offensive guard Shawn Lauvao #77 of the Washington Redskins during the NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium on September 9, 2018 in Glendale, Arizona. The Redskins defeated the Cardinals 24-6. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

3. Redskins must keep the Dallas pass rush of Alex Smith

The Cowboys have an excellent pass rush. DeMarcus Lawrence came into his own last year finishing tied for second in the league sacks with 14.5. He is off to another strong start this year with 5.5 already. They applied lots of pressure on Blake Bortles last week, not allowing him to get comfortable in the pocket.

Trent Williams is an elite talent on the outside and Morgan Moses, who has been inconsistent this year, need to have big games and handle the edge rush. Backup center Tony Bergstrom has filled in admirably, opening some nice holes for Adrian Peterson last week while starter Chase Roullier slid over to guard while Shawn Lauvao is out. It’s unclear whether or not Lauvao will play this week, so the interior of the line will need to hold up without him.

Rod Marinelli is a great defensive mind and will undoubtedly have some stunts and blitzes in his defensive package for this week. The unit as a whole will need to have a strong game. In both losses this year, the offensive line did not handle the pressure well. Alex Smith must be given time in the pocket to go through his progressions and find the open man if the Redskins want to win Sunday.

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4. Redskins must Stop Ezekiel Elliott

Ezekiel Elliott has been an absolute workhorse since he entered the league, piling up over 1600 yards and 16 touchdowns as a rookie. While he had somewhat of a sophomore slump, he served a six-game suspension in there and still almost had a 1,000 yards. Elliot is off to another blistering start this year, sitting second in the league in rushing with almost 600 yards and three rushing touchdowns. He has hit 100 yards in three of his last four games and is running behind one of the best lines in the NFL.

In his Week 8 match-up last year, he shredded the Redskins defense, totaling 150 yards on the ground and two touchdowns in what turned out to be his biggest game of the year. That cannot happen this year.

The Redskins have made a big commitment to stopping the run by using first round draft picks on defensive linemen the last two years. This investment on the defensive front has paid off as the Redskins run defense went from the league’s worst in 2017 to one of the best in 2018.

Both Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne have been every bit as good as advertised, stopping the run and wrecking havoc on the interior. They, as well as the rest of the defense, did a great job of bottling up one of the best young backs in the league in Christian McCaffrey last week. They need to do the same this week. They must get good gap penetration and not let Elliott get to the second level of the defense. Mason Foster has had a strong season thus far and will need another big game.

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