Redskins vs. Cowboys: Keys to victory in Week 2 of the NFL season

5. Redskins’ defense must do better on third down

Before the season, there was some talk about the Redskins’ defense potentially being a top ten defensive unit. One characteristic that almost every great defensive unit has is the ability to get off of the field on third down. Getting off the field on third down was something the Redskins struggled mightily with on Sunday, and it was one of the main reasons why they lost, as the Eagles were 11 of 17.

Some of that was because of Carson Wentz’s ability to escape the pocket and extend the play, which he repeatedly did on Sunday. Wentz is an underrated athlete who can extend plays with his legs. Prescott is very similar. Some of that was also because Greg Manusky did not make the proper defensive adjustments. Washington has to be better this week.

So much of the ‘Skins winning formula last year was running the ball to control the clock while playing good defense and avoiding turnovers. Jay Gruden wants to win this way. If the Redskins are going to get back to their winning formula, the defensive unit is going to have to step and make the plays this week they failed to last week.

If Prescott can extend drives and Dallas finds similar success on third down, Washington will likely drop to 0-2.