Five bold predictions for Redskins vs. Eagles in NFL Week 1
2. Daron Payne leads the team with two sacks
Daron Payne was excellent as a rookie for the Redskins. He showed off his terrific athletic ability and showed that he could be a quality pass rusher, something that was an overblown knock on him coming out of school. All told, he finished the season with 56 tackels and 5.0 sacks.
But this year, he could have an even bigger campaign.
With Payne having another offseason to grow and improve his game, he already would’ve been in for a solid season. But the team drafted Montez Sweat in the first round to help add further pass rushing depth to their already great defensive line and edge rusher group. Sweat, Jonathan Allen, Ryan Kerrigan, and Matt Ioannidis will all help to take attention away from Payne. And that could give him a chance to break out.
Related Story. Five Redskins to watch in the season opener vs. Eagles. light
Against the Eagles, Payne will have a tough-looking matchup on paper. Jason Kelce is one of the league’s better centers and Brandon Brooks has been a Pro Bowl guard in the past. That said, Brooks is coming off a torn Achilles and the team’s other guard, Isaac Seumalo, is merely decent at best. Payne could get a chance to match up against those players frequently and can bully them with his unique combination of size, speed, and strength. And if he can get pressure up the middle, he should have a chance to sack Carson Wentz a couple of times.
In this contest, I expect Payne to record multiple sacks. If he can do that, it would be the first time in his career that he ever recorded more than one sack in a game. That’s what makes this prediction bold, especially since there will be plenty of other candidates looking to start their seasons strong by notching early sacks.