8 Bold Predictions for Washington's Week 7 Matchup
There are few things in the world that matter more to the Washington Redskins, or their fans, than Dallas week. They can be, and currently are, in the middle of a losing season, yet facing the Cowboys will still feel like the Super Bowl.
The Redskins have nothing to lose and can afford to take some chances heading into Cowboys country for Monday Night Football.
While all of these predictions may not come to fruition, it is within the realm of possibility that some of them may. Go big or go home, right? The Redskins are coming off a win and have split the last four meetings with their NFC East rivals.
Here are some bold predictions for the Redskins vs. Cowboys, which set to take place under the bright lights of prime time on Monday.
Colt McCoy Throws Two Touchdowns, Has a Passer Rating over 100
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How can you talk about this game without making mention of Colt McCoy? Last week's hero off the bench completed 11 of 12 passes with a 70-yard touchdown and led the offense on a drive that set up the game-winning field goal.
Until further notice, McCoy's career as a starter does not exist. Cleveland didn't give him the protection or the playmakers to succeed, and it led to the unremarkable career that McCoy's statistics show.
McCoy won't get much more protection behind Washington's offensive line, but at least he has weapons to work with. DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon can stretch the field as well as take any short catch and turn it into a big gain.
Add in Jordan Reed's threat at the tight end spot and Andre Roberts' contributions as a slot receiver, and McCoy has a veritable arsenal compared to anything the Browns gave him.
Dallas has forced 12 turnovers this season, but it doesn't have the players to stop each and every threat the Redskins have on offense. McCoy has the quick release necessary to get the ball to his receivers and the wherewithal not to force throws into tight spots with multiple defenders.
Redskins Defense Holds DeMarco Murray Under 100 Yards Rushing
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At this point, holding DeMarco Murray to less than 100 yards rushing seems impossible. He has been the focal point of the Cowboys offense, which has been more of a passing unit for much of the last decade.
It isn't all Murray, though, as the Cowboys offensive line has paved his way in spectacular fashion.
What everyone seems to overlook in Murray's success is the three fumbles he has lost this season. It hasn't been an issue yet because Dallas hasn't lost a game because of his turnovers, but Murray has ball-security issues.
Ryan Kerrigan, Chris Baker, Jason Hatcher and Keenan Robinson will be gunning for the ball on each and every tackle. They may not force a fumble with every hit, but it just takes one to change the game.
Only Arian Foster and Russell Wilson have rushed for 100 yards or more against the Redskins. No other player has rushed for more than 75 in a game, and Marshawn Lynch had only 72 yards to go with Wilson's 122.
The Redskins defense suffers from playing with the Redskins offense, which has turned the ball over 15 times. That means the defense is on the field more and will give up more points and yards over the course of the game because the players are tired.
Murray will get punched in the mouth, metaphorically speaking, and be out of rhythm for the rest of the day, putting the game on Romo's shoulders.
Special Teams Scores a Touchdown
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Perhaps the prediction with the longest odds is the one dependent upon the worst unit the Redskins have to offer.
Washington's special teams are mediocre, at best, in almost every aspect of the game save for punting, where late-preseason addition Tress Way has excelled despite having been a practice-squad punter for most of his career.
Andre Roberts has yet to break a big return, though he has shown himself capable of doing so, but that has more to do with the non-existent blocking than his abilities.
He has been productive on his few chances. Roberts has just seven 12 punt returns this season against 16 fair catches. But with those 12 carries, he has 114 yards for 9.5 yards per return. It isn't exactly stellar, but it puts him in the top 10 in yards per return.
It only takes one, and while Dallas has given up just 80 return yards this season, Roberts will find his way into the end zone this week.
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Bashaud Breeland and David Amerson Shut Dez Bryant and Terrance Williams Down
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Dez Bryant is the primary threat in Dallas' passing attack, followed by Terrance Williams. They have combined for 64 catches, 928 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Outside of Bryant and Williams, the Cowboys only have Jason Witten as a reliable target.
David Amerson and Bashaud Breeland lack the experience to be considered a top cornerback duo. However, Breeland has progressed week in and week out in his new role as a starter, and Amerson has been more good than bad since the start of the season.
Bryant has shown he can be frustrated, and Williams isn't much of a threat if Bryant isn't drawing extra coverage.
Williams is averaging 17.8 yards per catch, which may jump off the page as an excellent stat, but it ignores the fact that he has just 19 catches. When he gets the ball, he's productive, but most of the passes are going to Bryant, which makes Williams an easier nut to crack in the scenario.
Bryant is the real threat, which means keeping the ball out of his hands by either harassing him at the line or making sure Romo doesn't have the time to get him the ball.
Expect Breeland to handle Williams fairly easily, keeping him to a catch or two, while Amerson will give up more catches but keep Bryant from breaking anything deep or picking up yards after the catch.
Trent Murphy Surpasses Brian Orakpo's Season Sack Total
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Not to take a shot at Brian Orakpo after he landed on injured reserve with a torn pectoral, but for a player who was angling for an elite-level contract this past offseason, having half a sack is pitiful.
Yes, he's been productive in other ways: He's drawn holding calls, pressured the quarterback, so on and so forth.
But All-Pro, max-contract players make plays week in and week out. They change games with their play and can shift the balance for their team. For Orakpo, that means sacks, forced fumbles and tackles for loss.
In six seasons, Orakpo never evolved from a bull-rushing linebacker. He never developed a repertoire of moves to get to the quarterback or worked in coverage to improve his ball skills.
Rookie Trent Murphy isn't the freak athlete Orakpo is, but he has the kind of motor that can exhaust offensive tackles over the stretch of a full game. More importantly, he hasn't been cemented in a role yet, which means Jim Haslett may be more willing to move him around the formation to overload a side or stunt with one of the down linemen.
Murphy will put pressure on Romo from somewhere, and he will come away with a full sack.
Alfred Morris Will Rush for 100 Yards Against the Cowboys
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It is no secret that Alfred Morris has struggled in recent weeks. He carried the ball 59 times in the first three weeks of the season, churning out 253 yards and two touchdowns and averaging 4.3 yards per carry and 84.3 yards per game.
In the last four weeks, he carried the ball 56 times for 187 yards and one touchdown, averaging 3.3 yards per carry and 46.8 yards per game.
All of that will change against Dallas, whose defense is giving up 113.4 yards per game and 4.9 yards per carry to opposing running backs.
Even though only Houston's Arian Foster has rushed for more than 100 yards against Dallas this season, Morris has had outstanding success in four career games against the Cowboys.
Morris has rushed for 482 yards and six touchdowns against Dallas, averaging 4.97 yards per carry.
With Colt McCoy at quarterback, the Redskins may have to lean on the run, both to take pressure off McCoy and to break Morris out of his slump.
Redskins Defense Forces Three Turnovers
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More often than not, the team that wins the turnover battle wins the game. The Redskins have not won the turnover battle this season, and it is troubling to think it could actually be worse.
Washington's defense has forced just six turnovers (three interceptions and three fumble recoveries), while the team has turned the ball over 15 times. They stand alone as the worst team in the NFL with a minus-nine turnover differential, worse than even Jacksonville at minus-eight.
That will change against the Cowboys. Why? Tony Romo.
He has been average this season. He's 10th best in the NFL in passing yards but also 10th worst in interceptions. All of Dallas' success has been on the legs of DeMarco Murray as opposed to Romo's arm.
The Redskins are due for a big game of turnovers, and Romo is as susceptible as any quarterback these days. Ryan Kerrigan and Jason Hatcher have been excellent with applying pressure, while David Amerson has a history of being a ball hawk.
Monday Night Football could be the perfect time for the Redskins to generate turnovers.
Redskins Beat the Cowboys
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How much bolder can you get than predicting a victory over the 6-1 Cowboys, in prime time no less? It seems like a daunting task for the lowly 2-5 Redskins, right?
Dallas has already proved it can be beaten, at home no less, as it lost its season opener to San Francisco. Tony Romo threw three interceptions against the Niners, which was his 11th career game throwing three or more interceptions in a single game.
The last time Romo threw three interceptions in a single game? It was the 2012 regular-season finale against the Redskins. In fact, over the last two seasons, Romo has thrown eight touchdowns and seven interceptions against the Redskins.
Go back to 2008 and Romo has thrown 18 touchdowns to 13 interceptions, proving he has a history of being average against the Redskins despite being 7-4 over that span.
It is a combination of Dallas being due for a letdown and the Redskins coming off a win and ready to unleash a ton of pent-up frustration and anger. That doesn't even begin to factor in the bitterness of the rivalry with the Cowboys.
Post-Game Recap
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1 - McCoy rushed for a touchdown, but failed to throw a touchdown. He threw an unfortunate interception on a great play by J.J. Wilcox in the endzone. He finished with a passer rating of 94.3. Miss
2 - DeMarco Murray had a field day against the Redskins with 141 yards on the ground plus another 80 receiving yards. He was held out of the endzone and fumbled twice, losing one. Miss
3 - Andre Roberts had a big return early, but was bottled up for most of the game. Miss
4 -Bashaud Breeland played lights out football against Dez Bryant. He and David Amerson held Bryant and Terrance Williams to 99 total yards and one touchdown. Breeland in particular was outstanding, tallying four pass deflections and a forced fumble. Bryant was held to a season-low 30 yards on three catches. Hit
5 - Trent Murphy didn't register a sack, but he looked good against Pro Bowl left tackle Tyron Smith. He showed a more varied attack than Brian Orakpo, throwing bull rushes, spins, inside and outside rush on Smith. He got his hands on one pass that could have led to a pick-six, if not for an overzealous Frank Kearse, who collided with Murphy and knocked the ball loose. Miss
6 - Morris had five first half carries for 11 yards, which continued the three-game streak of registering less than four yards per carry. He registered 11 carries for 52 yards in the second half plus two carries for 10 yards in overtime. Even with the second half resurgence, Morris fell short of the century mark with 73 rushing yards and a touchdown. Miss
7 - It wasn't Tony Romo throwing interceptions, but the Dallas running backs coughing up the ball. Murray and Joseph Randle each fumbled once, losing both. Two turnovers is excellent, but still falls short of the predicted three. Miss
8 - The Redskins threw the Cowboys offense enough to keep them off the board and manged to keep pace on offense. A 20-17 victory in overtime over the 6-1 Cowboys is a huge win. Hit
Final Results - 2 out of 8
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