Five Redskins to watch in NFL Week 1 season opener vs. Eagles
1. RB Derrius Guice
We were excited to see him in his first preseason action after he missed more than a year with a torn ACL. But now, Guice will finally get a chance to play in a real, NFL game.
Guice’s performance is going to be critical for the Redskins. Jay Gruden essentially confirmed that the running offense will flow through Guice, so he could end up being the workhorse for the team. He’ll need to prove early that he can carry the team if they’re going to have a chance to win some games in 2019.
The Redskins are going to have to have a strong running game this year to stay competitive. Their passing game is simply in disarray, as they have very few proven receiving weapons and poor pass blocking on the left side with Trent Williams out. This will make life a lot more difficult for Case Keenum. And if they can’t stay ahead of the chains, teams will dial up quite a bit of pressure to make it even more difficult for him to get the ball to his unproven receiving corps.
Guice is the potential game-changer for the Redskins. He could end up being an X-factor and if he can be that dominant workhorse even behind a middling offensive line, that could make their offense click a bit more and give them a shot to win ugly.
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His first chance to prove himself will be a tough one. The Eagles allowed the seventh-fewest rushing yards to opposing teams last season and added Malik Jackson to their defensive front. They should give Guice a tough test but if he runs well, that could be a sign of things to come from the young LSU product.