Dallas Cowboys vs. Washington Redskins: What's the Game Plan for Dallas?

Two NFC East teams with losing records are set to face off on Monday Night Football, as the 3-8 Dallas Cowboys matchup with the 5-6 Washington Redskins. Most years, this would be a game between two teams who are out of contention, and playing out their seasons. But in 2015 in the NFC East, this game will be hosted by a Washington team that is leading the division.

Let’s take a look at some things that could show up in the Dallas game plan as they attempt to take down Washington on Monday night.

Offensive Game Plan

The strength of the Redskins defense is their front seven. Players like Stephen Paea, Jason Hatcher, Terrance Knighton, Chris Baker and Ricky Jean-Francois all take meaningful snaps along the defensive line, and present a very difficult group of players against the run and pass in their 3-4 scheme.

Along with his linemen, defensive coordinator Joe Barry has a very good group of linebackers at his disposal, led by Ryan Kerrigan. Joining Kerrigan on the outside are rookie Preston Smith and second year player Trent Murphy. Their best inside linebacker is Perry Riley who has been ruled out for the game. Washington is not nearly as talented in the secondary as it is on the front end of the defense.          

For the Cowboys to move the ball successfully, they’re going to need to get the ball to the outside to their wide receivers quickly, using efficient throws to get the ball out of Matt Cassel’s hands. If the Cowboys can force the Washington secondary to make tackles one-on-one in space, Dez Bryant, Terrance Williams and Cole Beasley should be able to generate some explosive plays and points.

Defensive Game Plan

The key to stopping the Washington offense is getting quick pressure on quarterback Kirk Cousins. The Washington running game is not particularly effective, averaging only 3.8 yards per carry, but the team will commit to the run, as they average 25.5 attempts per game. If the Cowboys are able to keep Washington in long down-and-distance situations they can create opportunities to get after Cousins in the pocket.

The Redskins offense features a few dynamic weapons to go along with Cousins, and when they are clicking they can be difficult to stop. Running back Matt Jones is a threat to break a big run on a hand off or short pass, and receiver DeSean Jackson can run behind a defense on any snap. Tight end Jordan Reed has been a leading receiver for them throughout the year also.

If Morris Claiborne is able to play on Monday night, the game plan on defense for Dallas will likely feature a great deal of man coverage, allowing Claiborne to match up with Jackson, rookie Byron Jones with Jordan Reed and Brandon Carr on Pierre Garcon. This would allow the linebackers to focus on slowing down the run game and short passes to the running backs, to keep them bottled up.

Prediction:

The Cowboys defense has been on the verge of producing dominant performances several times in the last few months, and this could be the game in which they push over the hill.

They’ll hold Washington to 10 points and find a way to generate a turnover that scores points, which will be the difference in the game.

Prediction: Cowboys 17, Redskins 10