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Redskins vs. Cowboys: Preview, matchups to watch, score prediction for NFL Week 2

By Jacob Camenker

LANDOVER, MD - OCTOBER 21: Adrian Peterson #26 of the Washington Redskins gets tackled for a loss of yards by DeMarcus Lawrence #90 of the Dallas Cowboys in the first quarter of the game at FedExField on October 21, 2018 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD - OCTOBER 21: Adrian Peterson #26 of the Washington Redskins gets tackled for a loss of yards by DeMarcus Lawrence #90 of the Dallas Cowboys in the first quarter of the game at FedExField on October 21, 2018 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – OCTOBER 28: Adrian Peterson #26 of the Washington Redskins rushes for a 64 yard touchdown against the New York Giants during the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium on October 28, 2018 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – OCTOBER 28: Adrian Peterson #26 of the Washington Redskins rushes for a 64 yard touchdown against the New York Giants during the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium on October 28, 2018 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

Redskins offense vs. Cowboys defense

The Redskins offense performed surprisingly well in the first half of last week’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles before crashing in the second half. They were only able to gain six yards in the third quarter and allowed the Eagles to roar back into the game. Moving forward, they will need to be more consistent and run a more balanced offense.

Thankfully, Adrian Peterson should help with that. The surprise inactive for the first week of the season will be active against the Cowboys in Week 2. And in all likelihood, he will shoulder a full workload with Derrius Guice out. Peterson will be motivated to prove himself after Jay Gruden’s baffling decision to bench him, so he will be hungry to run well. And he could rack up a lot of yards.

The Cowboys didn’t look great against the run in their season opener against the Giants. In fact, they allowed Saquon Barkley to average nearly 11 yards per carry against them. Peterson isn’t likely to find that type of success, but he could still be effective if given a high-volume workload. And if the offensive line can neutralize guys like Maliek Collins and Antwaun Woods at the point of attack, that will give Peterson a chance to make some of Dallas’ talented linebacker miss in the second level.

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Speaking of those linebackers, they just allowed Evan Engram to catch 11 passes for 116 yards and a touchdown. Sure, some of that came in garbage time, but the fact remains that those players and the Cowboys’ safety duo (Xavier Woods and Jeff Heath) could have a tough time dealing with Jordan Reed (if healthy) and Vernon Davis. Davis had an excellent touchdown grab against the Eagles, so the Redskins figure to target him and Reed primarily to move the chains in this contest.

As for the rest of the passing game, Terry McLaurin will likely draw the attention of the Dallas secondary after recording 125 yards and a touchdown in his NFL debut. The speedster may be double covered, so Case Keenum will have to look Trey Quinn‘s way a bit more. Targeting Quinn, Reed, and Davis over the middle of the field may be his best chance of moving the ball.

Speaking of Keenum, he is coming off a terrific debut for the Redskins. Though he wasn’t quite as sharp in the second half as he was in the first against the Eagles, he still threw the ball very well and gave the team a chance to win. He’ll need to continue to play on a high-level if the team wants a shot at winning their home opener. If he can continue to avoid turnovers, that will also help the squad.

The Redskins have a way to beat the Cowboys defense this week, and it’s going to involve a run-heavy offense and an efficient Keenum. It will be interesting to see if they can accomplish that or if their momentum from that great first half against the Eagles has officially stalled.

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