Washington Redskins: What You Need to Know Heading into Week 2

Losing at home to a divisional rival is probably the worst way to start a season. But that is the reality the Washington Redskins face heading into Week 2, following a limp 33-27 defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles.

It doesn't help that their second game is a trip to Green Bay to battle Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. The NFC North powerhouse also suffered an opening-day defeat, but the Packers pushed the 49ers all the way in San Francisco.

What the Redskins can expect from the Packers is for Rodgers and his cast of talented receivers to be as dangerous as ever. That means 2012's NFC East champions need a strong rebound from a defense that was worn down by the Eagles on Monday night.

If the Redskins can contain the Packers enough to keep things close, they should be confident about exploiting the Green Bay defense. The 49ers were able to do just about anything they wanted en route to scoring 34 points.

Altogether, San Francisco amassed 502 yards of offense. If the Redskins can get key playmakers like quarterback Robert Griffin III and running back Alfred Morris back on track, they can damage the Packers.

Facing the Packers in Green Bay is a daunting task, but after their Week 1 horror show, the Redskins cannot afford to fall further behind in the East.

Division Standings

The early standings don't make good reading for the Redskins, and things could look even worse following the second week of action.

Both division front-runners will likely be favored in their Week 2 games—although the Dallas Cowboys' trip to take on the Kansas City Chiefs is tougher than it appears.

The New York Giants face a tricky challenge from Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos. However, Tom Coughlin's Big Blue have had the happy knack of playing their best football against the better teams.

So the pressure is really on the Redskins even at this early stage. The NFC East may look like a wide-open division, but an 0-2 start would be difficult to recover from.

Injury Report

To beat the Packers, the Redskins need to head into this game with a clean bill of health. At the time of writing, NFL.com shows the Redskins with no reported injuries.

Of course, if that is how things stay, it will mean making the trip to Green Bay with the same cast that was overrun by the Eagles. The Redskins need to freshen up some positions, particularly safety.

One of the key omissions from Week 1 proved to be veteran Brandon Meriweather. The former New England Patriots and Chicago Bears starter was ruled out with a groin injury.

Meriweather has struggled for fitness since he arrived in Washington last offseason. But Week 1 proved how much the Redskins need him. He might be the closest thing to a competent safety on the roster.

Other mild knocks were noticed against the Eagles. Defensive linemen Kedric Golston and Chris Baker were both ailing at times.

With Jarvis Jenkins still suspended and Adam Carriker seemingly permanently injured, the Redskins cannot afford to lose more members of their rotation.

Perhaps the most encouraging news for the defense is the reported full health of Ryan Kerrigan. The outside linebacker is available to put pressure on Rodgers this Sunday, according to Grant Paulsen:

Offensively, wideout Pierre Garcon was limited by leg cramps in the second half against Philadelphia. He is seemingly good to go against the Pack. That is, of course, unless he stubs a toe running onto the field this Sunday.

Mike Jones of the Washington Post reports the Redskins are confident they won't be missing any key players for Week 2:

That at least is cause for optimism preparing for such a difficult road game. But even with a clean bill of health, the Redskins still have plenty to fix before kickoff this Sunday.

What Must Improve

Oddly enough, what the Redskins need to improve most ahead of Week 2 are the three things they did best last season. Head coach Mike Shanahan needs better decision-making from his quarterback, more production from a usually dominant ground game and stouter run defense.

As they often do, things start with Griffin. He clearly was not himself against the Eagles. The fear that being limited to the pocket more often might produce more mistakes proved to be true.

Griffin threw a pair of interceptions against the Eagles, both of which could have been avoided. The first was a late pass snared by Brandon Boykin.

Griffin broke a cardinal rule by delaying his pass over the middle. Santana Moss was the intended target, but Griffin's delay left him well bracketed by the Eagles' coverage scheme.

This hesitance in the pocket defined much of Griffin's Week 1 performance. It was clear to many, including former pro quarterback Rich Gannon, that Griffin was understandably rusty:

Shanahan needs Griffin to be more assured and decisive. The best way to help him do that will be to get the running game back to its usual high level.

It was alarming to see how much Morris and the rushing attack struggled against Philadelphia. Granted, the Eagles took most of the threat of the run away simply by dominating the clock.

However, that could not alter the fact that when the Redskins did run the ball they struggled. What was particularly disturbing was how tough the Redskins found it running behind the left side of their O-line.

That is normally the strength of the run-blocking schemes, behind tackle Trent Williams and guard Kory Lichtensteiger. But the Redskins could not find any room over there on Monday night.

Their problems were especially evident when they ran toss and stretch plays to that side, usually a guarantee of positive yardage. But the Eagles frequently managed to stuff Morris for minimal yardage or even no gain at all.

It is not often defenses get behind Washington's zone-blocking so easily. But look at the penetration the Eagles gained on this play:

Trent Cole destroyed the block from tight end Fred Davis, immediately forcing Morris into a quick cutback. Normally, attacking a cutback lane is just what Shanahan wants his runners to do.

However, look what Morris was cutting back into here. Both interior D-linemen had broken through their blocks. Morris was dropped for no gain, symbolizing the failures of the ground attack in Week 1.

Shanahan knows that even with Griffin's dual-threat skills, his offense is dependent on the success of the zone-running game. He must find ways to get that part of the system functioning again.

As much as the Redskins need to run the ball successfully, they also need to stop opponents from doing the same. Last season, the Redskins were the fifth-stingiest run defense in the NFL.

However, they had their share of issues this preseason, and those issues were ruthlessly exposed by Philadelphia's star runner LeSean McCoy.

He finished with 184 of the Eagles' 263 total rushing yards. One of the biggest problems was missed tackles.

Granted, McCoy is not the easiest to tackle. But there was no real discipline in the Redskins' approach to stopping the run. Few members of the defense seemed to maintain their pursuit lanes and then converge on the ball-carrier.

Both individually and collectively, the Redskins failed as a run defense in Week 1. But with players like linemen Stephen Bowen and Barry Cofield, along with linebackers Perry Riley Jr. and London Fletcher, things should improve.

The Packers are by no means a prolific rushing team. But that does not mean the Redskins can ignore the threat posed by rookie Eddie Lacy.

Any hint of balance from the Green Bay offense and the game will be over for the Redskins.

The key to beating the Packers will be keeping Rodgers and his multi-talented receivers on the sideline. That means the only running game that matters this Sunday is the one that dominated the league a year ago.

Falling to 0-2 would not necessarily doom the season this early. However, the Redskins' opponents for Weeks 3 and 4 look tougher than first anticipated.

The Detroit Lions would be a lethal team if they could ever cut out the senseless penalties. Meanwhile, the Oakland Raiders showed enough on offense in Week 1 to indicate they won't be pushovers this season.

As much as anything else, confidence was dented by the Eagles. The best way to restore belief is for the Redskins to prove they can best one of the strongest teams in the NFC.

All screen shots courtesy of ESPN and NFL.com Gamepass