Redskins vs. Eagles: Keys to victory in Week 15 of the 2019 season
By Kyle Hundley
3. Redskins must do a better job of stopping the run
Though they ultimately held Aaron Rodgers to just 20 points, the Redskins’ run defense was once again shredded, this time by Aaron Jones, who ran for 134 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. As a team, Green Bay ran for 174 yards on the day. They routinely set themselves up for second/third and short while converting short yardage on the ground when they needed to.
The drafting of Daron Payne, Jonathan Allen, and Montez Sweat meant to shore up the run defense. That hasn’t happened this year as they have continually been getting gashed upfront. They are currently 27th in the league, giving up almost 135 yards a game.
In their first matchup, the Eagles were close to that, rushing for 123 yards on 30 carries as they kept an excellent run/pass balance. Philly had moderate success against the Giants Monday night, rushing 32 times for 118 yards and a touchdown. They’ve been making a concerted effort not to abandon the run too early and keep a healthy balance on offense, even if they aren’t having a ton of success right away.
The Washington run defense must do better this week. If they can limit the Eagles on the ground and make them one-dimensional, they have an excellent chance of slowing the Eagles’ offense down.