Dissecting Most Crucial Matchups in Washington's Week 9 Contest with Minnesota

The Washington Redskins hadn't won two consecutive games since 2012 when they went on a seven-game winning streak to win their division and make the playoffs. Fresh off victories over the Tennessee Titans and the Dallas Cowboys, the Redskins will look to extend their streak to three games.

Standing in their way are the Minnesota Vikings, who sport a similar 3-5 record following a victory of their own.

Two teams that have done more losing than winning over the last year prepare for a head-to-head matchup that will move one closer to .500 and the other closer to a top-10 draft pick next year.

Minnesota is a franchise in a rebuilding phase, while Washington is in more of a retooling phase. Either way, matchups will be key in this contest, and whoever wins the battles will likely win the game.

Ryan Kerrigan and Trent Murphy vs. Phil Loadholt and Matt Kalil

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Against the Dallas Cowboys, Ryan Kerrigan and Trent Murphy combined for seven total tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and a pass deflection that was nearly a pick-six.

They pushed the Cowboys tackles around more than anyone expected, particularly since it was the first game without All-Pro linebacker Brian Orakpo.

Against Matt Kalil, a 2012 Pro Bowl selection who replaced Washington's own Trent Williams, and Phil Loadholt, one of the best right tackles in the game, Murphy and Kerrigan will have to bring their best.

Both Kerrigan and Murphy are high-motor players who rely more on wearing down their opponents with persistence than explosive athleticism to outclass them.

Kalil and Loadholt will have to account for Kerrigan's and Murphy's active hands, as the former has 16 career pass deflections and two interceptions, while only an overzealous Frank Kearse kept Murphy from turning his first deflection into a touchdown.

Redskins Kick Coverage vs. Cordarrelle Patterson

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Cordarrelle Patterson is having a down year as a returner. He has 19 returns for 470 yards and no touchdowns, averaging less than 25 yards per return. As a rookie, he returned 43 kicks for 1,393 yards and two touchdowns at a clip of 32.4 yards per return.

Washington's kick coverage has allowed the sixth-most return yards (516) and the sixth-highest yards-per-return average (27.2).

The Redskins are susceptible to giving up big yards on kick returns, but they've managed to keep their last four opponents under 25 yards per return. Aside from the 153 yards and a touchdown the Philadelphia Eagles piled up, the Skins have held strong on kickoffs.

They will be tested against Patterson, even though he is nursing an ankle injury following Minnesota's victory over Tampa Bay.

David Amerson and Bashaud Breeland vs. Cordarrelle Patterson and Greg Jennings

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Bashaud Breeland and David Amerson are coming off a game where they limited Dez Bryant and Terrance Williams, who had averaged a combined 133 yards per game through Week 7, to just 99 yards.

It may not seem like much, but considering Breeland is a rookie and Amerson is in his second season, no one expected the young corners to eliminate two serious threats in the Cowboys passing game.

Cordarrelle Patterson and Greg Jennings are similarly important to Minnesota's passing game and pose similar threats for Washington, though there will be more emphasis on forcing rookie quarterback Teddy Bridgewater into bad throws.

Breeland is more physical than Amerson and will likely match up with Patterson, so expect some battles on the outside. If Patterson can't find any room to work, expect Jennings to rely on his veteran savvy to force Amerson into some bad spots.

Neither corner can allow his receiver to get comfortable, and every pass needs to be contested in order to shake Bridgewater's confidence a bit.

Redskins Run Defense vs. Jerick McKinnon

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The Vikings' run game is not quite as terrifying as it once was with Adrian Peterson, but the Redskins' run defense has been exposed as inconsistent against the run.

Washington gave up 103 yards to Arian Foster, 141 yards to DeMarco Murray, 122 yards to quarterback Russell Wilson and 154 team rushing yards to the New York Giants.

Minnesota is still eighth in the NFL in team rushing with 974 yards, and it owes 392 of them to rookie Jerick McKinnon. McKinnon has been the featured back in three of the last five weeks, averaging 14 carries per game since Week 4 for 385 yards.

McKinnon, however, has no touchdowns on the season and started the month with two games where he finished with 18 carries for 64 yards against the likes of Green Bay and Detroit. The Lions boast the third-best rush defense, while the Packers have the worst rush defense.

The Redskins have a middling rush defense, with the potential to shut opponents down or get gouged for big yards. If they allow the Vikings to set the pace of the game, they could have some difficulty.

Alfred Morris vs. Vikings Defensive Line

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Alfred Morris is off to a slow start this season, which many attribute to the poor offensive line play as well as the recent absence of Robert Griffin III. He has 513 yards and four touchdowns on the season, but he's only gaining yards at a subpar 3.9 yards-per-carry clip.

That is well below the 4.7 yards per carry he averaged in his first two seasons. Furthermore, he's on pace for 266 carries this season (10 below last season's total) and just over 1,000 yards on the season, which is 200 yards shy of last season's total and 600 yards short of his rookie total.

Luckily for Morris, Minnesota isn't much better at defending the run than Dallas was, and Morris found a little bit of running room against the Cowboys.

It doesn't all fall on Morris, though he could stand to be more patient and set up his blocks better. The offensive line has struggled with consistency without Mike Shanahan's guidance in the zone-blocking scheme.

Here are some stats that favor Morris:

• Career vs. NFC North opponents: five games, 92.2 yards per game
• Career vs. Minnesota Vikings: two games, 93 yards per game
• Career in domed stadiums: four games, 105.5 yards per game

Redskins Offensive Line vs. Vikings Pass Rush

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Washington's offensive line has yielded eight sacks over the last three games, which is shockingly low considering the inconsistency of everyone who isn't Trent Williams. Redskins quarterbacks have been sacked 17 times this season.

Minnesota is second in the NFL with 25 team sacks and will bring serious pressure against the Redskins.

There is still some uncertainty as to who the starting quarterback will be for the Redskins, which could greatly affect the pressure the Vikings can apply.

If Colt McCoy gets his second start of the season, and he probably should, the Vikings can rely on interior pressure, putting an extra man on the right side to exploit Tyler Polumbus or Tom Compton in order to hurry McCoy. His quick release and above-average mobility will make it more of a challenge, but McCoy is more of a traditional pocket passer.

If Robert Griffin III gets the start, the Vikings will have to account for his mobility, which will open up the ground game for Morris and Roy Helu when Minnesota commits an extra defender to the read-option threat.