Washington Football Team: Five bold predictions vs. Lions in Week 10

No. 4 – Cornelius Lucas continues his no-pressure streak

Don’t look now (Actually, you’ve had to watch bad offensive line play for a while now, so go ahead and look), but free agent acquisition and long-time NFL backup Cornelius Lucas is actually playing well at left tackle. In two starts, including one which pitted him against the resurgent Aldon Smith, Lucas has allowed not only zero sacks, but also zero pressures.

That’s right: 123 snaps as the left tackle, and no penetration allowed by the journeyman. Lucas, who’s midway through his age-29 season, was widely viewed as the swing tackle when he was signed, and even through Geron Christian’s up-and-down start to the year, Lucas remained on the bench. But now, an injury to Christian has unearthed Lucas, and he’s proving himself to be a viable blocker on the line.

The odds are relatively strong that Lucas will continue his solid play in Week 10, too. The Lions are one of the league’s worst pass rushing teams for a second straight year; they’re getting pressure on just 18.3 percent of opposing drop backs, a figure good for sixth-worst in the league. They traded for Everson Griffen in an attempt to fix that, but so far, the 32-year old hasn’t moved the needle.

Cornelius Lucas is riding high right now; his massive frame allows him to get his hands on his targets early, and two games into his starting career with the Washington Football Team, he looks strong, smooth, tactical, and laser focused. Can he use his early momentum to put together another dominant showing?