The Washington Redskins are getting ready for a key battle with the Atlanta Falcons in Week 9 of the 2018 NFL season. Here’s a look at the players to watch in the contest.
The Redskins have a chance to improve to 6-2 in Week 9. You read that right, 6-2. They’re in first place in the NFC East right now, over the heavily favored Super Bowl Champion Eagles, and are on a three-game winning streak. Their wins may not have been pretty, but at the end of the end of the day, a victory is a victory.
Conversely, the Falcons have hobbled to a 3-4 start. Once considered a potential playoff team, early-season injuries have derailed their quest to win the NFC South. Now, they are fighting for their lives in a crowded Wild Card race. They are trending in the right direction after a couple of wins, but their defense is still weak after losing so much of their top personnel.
If the Redskins can beat the Falcons, they will really start to put pressure on other NFC East teams just past the halfway point of the 2018 season. Of course, it’s also possible that the Redskins could snap their win streak and be right in the thick of tight divisional battle again. That makes this contest a pretty important one.
To win this game, Washington will need to get some strong efforts out of their top players. Here’s a look at the top five players to watch in Redskins vs. Falcons for Week 9.
Adrian Peterson will likely get a lot of attention at the running back position, and rightfully so. The future Hall of Famer has had a resurgent season and is coming off a 150-plus yard outing against the Giants in which he helped the Redskins to control the clock. He’ll be looking for a repeat performance against what has mostly been a weak Falcons run defense.
That said, the lightning to his thunder, Chris Thompson, seems unlikely to suit up this week. Thompson is dealing with a rib injury that could keep him out of this game and possibly future affairs too. Rib injuries are all about pain management but because Thompson is a smaller back, he’s more prone to injury/re-injury. Thus, sitting him would be sensible.
If Thompson does sit out, Kapri Bibbs would be the next man up at RB, and he would bear watching. Sure, a majority of the workload will still go to Peterson, but Bibbs would take over as the receiving back. And against the Falcons, that could make him a solid performer.
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This year, the Falcons haven’t covered running backs well in the passing game. They have given up two 100-plus yard games to Christian McCaffrey and Alvin Kamara, and also have given up some serious yardage to James Conner and Saquon Barkley. Bibbs isn’t anywhere near the player that those guys are, but the point is that the Falcons can be beaten by backs through the air.
Bibbs’ best skill is his ability to turn screen passes into big gains. He has great patience and solid burst, and that allows him to frequently rip off big chunks of yardage. We saw it against the Cowboys, and that could be in the cards against the Falcons as well.
Bibbs will be fun to watch on the field either way. He’s a fan favorite and a playmaker. If he and Peterson can do a lot of damage, the Redskins offense should be clicking on all cylinders, and that would certainly be a major positive for their unit.
It’s seeming possible — if not, probable — that Trent Williams may need to miss some time after suffering a thumb injury against the Giants. Williams, the venerable left tackle for the Redskins, is one of the best players at his position in the entire league. Injuries and a four-game suspension have kept him off the field in recent seasons, but he’s one of the toughest players in the league.
That said, the Redskins aren’t going to want to rush him back from injury. With the team already having had their bye week, there isn’t a lot of logical times for him to get rest. If his thumb proves to be troublesome, he could be out of action until it heals up. And that would open up a spot in the starting lineup.
Thankfully, the Redskins have solid depth at left tackle. Ty Nsekhe would be the next man up, and he has fared well at the position in the past.
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When Williams missed four games with a suspension in 2016, Nsekhe stepped in and barely missed a beat. In fact, he was so good that some fans called for the team to move Williams to guard and keep playing Nsekhe, so they could have their best combination of offensive linemen on the field.
Last season was a bit more of a struggle for Nsekhe, as he had injury issues of his own and just regressed a bit on the field. Still, his natural position is left tackle and he has performed well there, so he should be a viable replacement if Williams can’t play.
It will be interesting to see if Williams can get on the field. But if he can’t, or if he isn’t effective and has to be brought off the field, Nsekhe will get a shot. That makes the swing tackle a man to watch against Atlanta, as his performance could have a big impact on how much time Alex Smith has in the pocket.
Dunbar has missed the past couple of outings for the Redskins as he dealt with a shin injury. However, it seems that he’s close to returning and may be able to get back on the field against the Falcons. And that will be excellent news for the Redskins if he is.
The Falcons have one of the better receiver groups in the NFL, as Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley, and Mohamed Sanu are very difficult to cover when all are on the field. Having Dunbar back will at least give Washington a chance to potentially neutralize some of them and limit the damage that they all are doing.
It’s unclear if Dunbar would shadow Jones, cover Ridley, or just stay on one side of the field. It really depends on what Greg Manusky thinks of the matchups and how healthy Dunbar is. But either way, he’s one of the better cover men on the ‘Skins squad, so having him back should help.
Of course, it will also be important to see just how healthy Dunbar is. This shin/hamstring problem need not turn into a long-term issue, so if he comes on the field and doesn’t quite look 100 percent, it may be best for the ‘Skins to consider either limiting his snaps or giving him some extra rest. Conversely, if he looks good, the defense will have all of their top players on the field at once, which is always a good thing.
Dunbar is a key cog to what could be a stellar Washington defense. Getting him back could put them over the top and truly make them a top-five unit the rest of the season, a direction that they were already trending in.
Reed hasn’t been involved nearly as much as he should be in the team’s offense this season. Jay Gruden and company obviously say that needed to change and last week, they focused on getting him the ball.
In Week 8, Reed saw a season-high 12 targets and seven catches. However, he was only able to turn them into 38 yards. He also hasn’t scored since Week 1. Against the Falcons, that could change.
Atlanta has had a lot of trouble in coverage this season. While they’re worse against receivers than they are against tight ends, the Redskins are stronger at tight end. So, it would make sense for them to target Reed as a potential middle-of-the-field weapon.
Reed is frankly due for a big game. He should get close to 100 yards and reach the end zone. And if he doesn’t at least do half of that, then there will be concerns about how involved he is (or isn’t) with the offense. For that reason, Reed is one of the top guys to watch in Week 9.
Ha Ha Clinton-Dix is easily the top player to watch this week. The Redskins just acquired him from the Packers and they may be looking to plug him into the starting lineup right away. Fans will be excited to see him in action and find out why the Packers actually elected to trade him.
Clinton-Dix has been one of the better safeties in the NFL this season, yet the Redskins got him for just a fourth-round pick. Perhaps there is some underlying concern about his effort level or something else, but it seems that the Packers just wanted to ensure they would get some compensation for him before he left in free agency. And the ‘Skins reaped the rewards as a result.
With Clinton-Dix on the roster, the Redskins have one of the best safety tandems in the NFL. D.J. Swearinger has been one of the best safeties in the league so far this year and if All-Pro voting were today, he would get a lot of consideration. Seeing how he works with Clinton-Dix and how the team elects to use Montae Nicholson as a third safety will certainly be something to watch.
Clinton-Dix could end up being the dynamic playmaker that most Washington fans are hoping to see. The Falcons game will be a big test, as he just joined the team and Atlanta has a terrific passing attack. We’ll soon know exactly how he’s going to look and what to expect from him while he dons the burgundy and gold.