The Washington Redskins are taking on the Atlanta Falcons in Week 3 of the 2019 NFL preseason. Here’s a look at some bold predictions for the game.
Let’s start with the bad news: It’s still the preseason. These games matter only for player development and roster construction and while that is interesting, any suspense that would normally exist late in a game is rendered meaningless.
The good news: It’s still football. And the third preseason week is often the closest we get to real-game action during the preseason. The Redskins are taking on the Falcons and should play their starters for about a half each, give or take, barring any surprises. And while the results may not matter, the Redskins could have a chance to win.
In his last 11 preseason games, Falcons coach Dan Quinn is a mind-boggling 0-11. That’s shocking considering that he is a good coach and the Falcons, when healthy, are one of the stronger teams in the league. They will test the Redskins with their talent, but hopefully, the Redskins can keep it close and give this 90-man squad a taste of what winning is like.
The preseason is a time of unpredictability and it gives players a chance to step up and put forth big numbers. This week, a lot of crazy things could happen, especially with the ‘Skins likely to give two quarterbacks a majority of the action. Here’s a look at some bold predictions for the Redskins ahead of their second-to-last preseason game.
5. Montez Sweat totals multiple sacks
The Redskins moved into the end of the first round to select Montez Sweat. And it’s easy to see why they did. Sweat is long, athletic edge rusher with excellent speed and all-around ability that should nicely complement Ryan Kerrigan at the position. Between Kerrigan, Sweat, and Ryan Anderson, the team seems to have a solid three-man foundation on the edge.
While Sweat certainly has upside, he hasn’t shown off much during the preseason. There’s a reason for that. He was dealing with a calf injury and missed the team’s first contest. As for the second game, he did get on the field, but he wasn’t able to make much noise. He almost notched a sack at one point and did flash at times and show off his traits. But he didn’t have his big breakout moment yet.
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That could change this week. And it should.
Sweat should see a fair amount of action for the Redskins as they look to get him game-ready. Sweat could play a good chunk of the first half and rotate with Anderson as they look to find the best combination of guys to play on the defensive line. And while the Falcons’ offensive line is stronger than it was last year, they still can be exposed at right tackle, as Ty Sambrailo is merely a swing tackle forced to start because of Kaleb McGary‘s health concerns.
If Sweat gets some reps against Sambrailo or former Arizona Cardinal John Wetzel, he should be able to make some noise and get to Matt Ryan. And if Sweat plays into the second half, he could rack up even more pressure and ultimately finish with a couple of sacks as he gives the team a flavor of what he could offer as a rookie.
Sweat should be motivated to prove himself in the team’s final meaningful preseason game. And if he can, there’s a chance he could win a starting job for the squad.
4. Craig Reynolds leads the team in rushing yards
Let me just preface this by saying I’m not sure exactly how much Reynolds is going to play in the third preseason game. It’s hard to know what the running back rotation will be like with Derrius Guice potentially playing and the team wanting to get action for the other guys that will be on the roster. Still, Reynolds figures to get action at some point.
So far through two contests, Reynolds has done quite a lot to prove that he is at least deserving of a spot on the practice squad. He has shown off good burst at and an ability to make people miss at the point of attack. That was enough to put him on the map, and another solid performance could at least give him a chance to make the 53-man roster.
Reynolds figures to battle with Samaje Perine, Byron Marshall, and Shaun Wilson (if healthy) for spots with the organization. His best opportunity to prove himself seems likely to come in the fourth quarter. Depending on how the game is going at that point, Reynolds could be fed early and often. And if he’s getting action against Atlanta’s depth players, he should have a chance to continue to generate yardage.
It shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone if Reynolds leads the team in rushing yards in Thursday’s game. Running is often difficult in the preseason because of the backs’ lack of rhythm and the use of multiple offensive line formations. But Reynolds has proven to be unaffected by his late-game usage in the past, so he should have a chance to lead the team again, unless Perine puts on an all-out performance to try and secure a roster spot that seemed to be his for the taking just two weeks ago.
3. The special teams don’t give up a return touchdown
This may be the saddest bold prediction I have ever written.
No, really. I’m serious. I’ve had some rough ones in the past, but the fact that not allowing a return touchdown is a bold prediction just depicts the state of the Redskins special teams.
In two preseason outings so far, the Redskins’ special teams have been poor at best. The kicking and snapping game have struggled and while Tress Way has punted the ball well, the return defense has been awful. And as a result, the team has surrendered two punt returning touchdowns, one in each game against the Browns and the Bengals.
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It’s clear that the Redskins are missing former special teams coordinator Ben Kotwica. The unfortunate irony of this situation is that the team is facing off against his new team this week, the Falcons. So, Kotwica may already know some of the ‘Skins’ weakness on that side of the ball, and he could try to expose it.
This is Nate Kaczor’s time to step up. It’s hard to have faith in him — his special teams units were bottom-five last year in Tampa Bay before he came to Washington — but if he can at least have his units put forth a better effort this week, that should stop some of the rumblings about how major the downgrade from Kaczor to Kotwica was.
This week should end the streak of the Redskins allowing a punt return touchdown, and their special teams in general will be solid. There will be no return TDs allowed by the team this week as they look to get back on track and get closer to the unit that finished as a top-10 group last season.
2. Case Keenum completes 80-plus percent of his passes
At this point, it seems to be decided that Case Keenum will open the season as the starter for the Redskins. And that makes sense. The NFL veteran has been the primary starter for his respective teams over the course of the past two seasons. Dwayne Haskins hasn’t shown that he’s ready to be the top quarterback so far, so Keenum is the perfect bridge option to at least start this season.
That said, Keenum has played sparingly this season as the squad has looked to get Haskins some extra work. And because of this, Keenum hasn’t had a chance to string together quality series. He had some nice ones against the Browns in the first preseason game, but last week against the Bengals, he wasn’t quite as sharp, and failed to complete 50 percent of his passes.
Playing with the full first-team offense for an extended period of time will give Keenum a chance to build momentum. He will finally have a chance to string together consecutive solid series and show off the one skill that is likely putting him ahead in the quarterback competition right now. His ability to work in the pocket and manage a game.
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Keenum doesn’t have the same dynamic arm talent that the rookie Haskins has, but he still possesses a strong arm and more importantly, he does have experience. And with this experience, Keenum has learned how to better deal with pressure, read the field, and make proper throws. That is going to be important for the ‘Skins, who have little margin for error if they are going to win early in the season. And if Keenum can showcase those abilities in this contest, it will put any talk of an outside chance of Haskins overtaking him for the starting job before Week 1 to bed.
It’s unclear exactly how much Keenum will be playing in this week’s game, but he should have a chance to put forward the most accurate game of a Redskins passer this preseason. All told, Keenum should have a chance to complete 80 percent of his passes while leading an efficient attack against a solid Falcons defense. And that type of performance would certainly instill more confidence in him as the starting quarterback to open the 2019 campaign.
1. Dwayne Haskins tosses another 50-plus-yard touchdown
While Keenum seems to be entrenched as the starter, it doesn’t mean that Haskins won’t get a chance to play and prove himself. In fact, Haskins may get extended run in this game, especially if the Redskins like what they see from Keenum early enough in the game.
Haskins should get a chance to run at least one series with the starting offensive line in this contest, as he has endured poor protection from the team’s weak backups on that unit. If he does get that opportunity, he could have enough time to continue to make plays down the field. And either way, it seems that he will keep looking for big splash plays on offense.
Last week, Haskins took a bunch of deep shots and connected with Robert Davis to notch a 56-yard touchdown. It was easily the team’s best throw of the preseason, and it showed off Haskins’ enormous upside. And while he may not be consistent enough to start yet, he could have a chance to launch another 50-plus yard touchdown in this game.
The Falcons don’t have a lot of proven depth at the cornerback position, but they do have some young drafted picks in Kendall Sheffield and Jordan Miller. Haskins figures to face them for a good chunk of Thursday’s game, and he may have the upper hand on Sheffield, a speedy player who Haskins was teammates with at Ohio State.
If Haskins can find a way to expose Sheffield in coverage, he may be able to complete another long ball. It could be Davis again or it could be a guy like Steven Sims Jr., who had a deep touchdown last week called back by a penalty. But either way, if Haskins keeps looking downfield, expect him to find an opportunity to show off his arm strength once again.