Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Washington Redskins: Week 11 Preview for Washington
Looking to win consecutive home games for the first time this season, the Washington Redskins will take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFL's Week 11 slate of games.
Coming off of its bye week, Washington suffered a 29-26 loss at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings last time it took the field.
With its 27-17 loss to the Atlanta Falcons in Week 10, Tampa Bay fell to 0-6 against NFC foes in 2014.
In a matchup of teams sporting a combined 14 losses, which unit will improve its draft fortunes with yet another loss?
Let's find out. Here is the Week 11 preview for Washington.
Week 9 Recap
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The Redskins couldn't have entered their bye week in worse fashion. Despite the positive omens the team entered with—a two-game winning streak and the return of Robert Griffin III—the outcome of its matchup with the Vikings was a familiar one.
Similar to last season's meeting, the Redskins blew a first half double-digit lead en route to a 29-26 defeat.
Completing 18 of 28 passes for 251 yards, Griffin exhibited the rust you'd expect from a player who hadn't played in over a month. He had flashes, like a pair of deep connections with DeSean Jackson, but it was his negative plays that stood out.
Griffin was sacked five times and threw a game-altering interception near the end of the first half.
Looking at Jim Haslett's defense, the unit regressed to the mean after a stellar showing against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 8.
Rookie Teddy Bridgewater threw for 268 yards on 42 throws, but he was only hit or sacked seven times. Stout against the run in the first half, the Skins allowed Minnesota to run for 86 yards on 20 carries after the break.
With the postseason a pipe dream at this juncture, the focus for head coach Jay Gruden centers on identifying the players who will be cornerstones for the next contender in Washington.
News and Notes
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Leonard Hankerson's Return
Sidelined since Week 11 of the 2013 season with a torn ACL, Leonard Hankerson will make his return to the gridiron this week:
"Leonard Hankerson lands on #Redskins active roster after long injury absence http://t.co/Q717MZ33xL #RedskinsTalk pic.twitter.com/j7MSpnRi2z
— CSN Redskins (@CSNRedskins) November 4, 2014"
Still, although the team cleared a roster spot for Hankerson with the release of Chase Minnifield, it remains to be seen where he'll fit in on Washington's receiving depth chart.
While the receiving hierarchy of DeSean Jackson, Pierre Garcon and Andre Roberts has been consistent all season, the bottom of the depth chart featuring Santana Moss, Ryan Grant and Aldrick Robinson has remained in flux.
Speaking with ESPN's John Keim about the logjam at wideout, Gruden discussed the conundrum on his hands:
"The receiving room is very full, and they’re all very good. Santana can be productive in a lot of offenses. Same with Aldrick, and now you throw Leonard into the mix, and he’s another one [who] is a big receiver that has great hands and runs good routes. So, how we are going to use him, I don’t know yet.
"
In light of the Skins' struggles at finishing drives, Hankerson's standing as the biggest Washington receiver makes him a player the team should utilize in the red zone.
Barry Cofield's Recovery
Placed on injured reserve—with the designation to return—following the team's season-opening loss to the Houston Texans, Barry Cofield was initially thought to be sidelined with a severely sprained ankle. As it turns out, though, Cofield's ankle wasn't his only ailment:
"Turns out #Redskins NT Barry Cofield had groin surgery to go with his high ankle sprain. He's ready to return Sunday. http://t.co/mt4V4LrI34
— Brian McNally (@bmcnally14) November 12, 2014"
Expected to make his return against the Buccaneers, it's a bit premature to expect Cofield to command ample playing in his first game back.
Speaking to Gruden about this very issue, 106.7 The Fan's Brian McNally relayed that Cofield will be used more as a rotational player early on.
Redskins in Familiar Territory
They've been here before. In 2012 and 2013, the Redskins exited their first nine games with a 3-6 record, and the 2014 campaign has been no different.
The question is, though, which path will the franchise go on to close the year? You probably remember Washington's close to the 2012 season quite fondly. It won its final seven games and made the playoffs.
Last year, though, the opposite happened. The Skins didn't register another win and watched again as the St. Louis Rams benefited off their misery in the NFL draft.
Looking at Washington's remaining schedule, the two extremes are unlikely to occur again. Including Tampa Bay, the Skins play three teams with losing records, two of which are at home.
With a ceiling of six wins, the remainder of the team's season will amount to a tryout for RG3 to validate his standing as a franchise quarterback.
Injury Report
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| Player | Position | Injury Status |
| Ryan Clark | S | Probable |
| Robert Griffin III | QB | Probable |
| Ryan Kerrigan | LB | Probable |
| Logan Paulsen | TE | Questionable |
| Silas Redd Jr. | RB | Probable |
| Keenan Robinson | LB | Probable |
*All injury statuses from CBSSports.com.
Saddled with an extensive injury list all season long, the bye week has done wonders for the team's health outlook. With the return of Cofield, DeAngelo Hall and Brian Orakpo are the lone starters Washington is missing on account of injury.
Seeing Tracy Porter's omission from this injury report in particular is noteworthy. For all the strides that Bashaud Breeland and David Amerson have made, blown coverages have occurred too frequently in the secondary.
It remains to be seen if Porter can be an impact player, but, at the very least, he brings experience and a veteran presence to a cornerback position that's in dire need of both.
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X-Factor and Matchups to Watch
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Washington Offensive Line vs Tampa Bay Defensive Line
Question of the game: How will Washington defend Gerald McCoy?
It's no secret that the Skins offensive line is a weak spot, particularly in the interior. With McCoy having five sacks and five tackles for loss on the season, he has the potential to derail both Washington's running game and passing attack.
Sending a double-team in McCoy's direction would seem to be the easy answer, but with the variety of stunts the Bucs utilize, this could prove to be difficult.
Ultimately, as much as Gruden wants to see Griffin develop into a pocket passer, the pressure McCoy generates could force his hand and make him move the pocket in an effort to placate his porous offensive front.
Alfred Morris vs. Buccaneers Front Seven
Washington has only made subtle changes to its offensive line in Alfred Morris' three NFL seasons, and now, Griffin is back under center. With that said, it's time for Morris to throw back the clock.
You know the last time Morris eclipsed 100 yards rushing? November 7th, 2013!
Yeah, that long—16 games to be exact. Mind you, this was a player who eclipsed this barrier 10 times in his first 25 games.
So, while Morris' rushing output against Minnesota was a solid start—92 yards on 19 carries—the team needs this type of performance to become the norm in the latter half of the season.
Going against a Tampa Bay defense that surrenders 3.8 yards per carry, those type of numbers could be tough to come by. Still, with the Bucs ranking as one of the worst NFC teams in rushing gains allowed over 20 yards, there's big plays to be had and Morris needs to deliver them.
X-Factor of the Week: Robert Griffin III
No surprise here. As long as he remains an unknown, this is a spot Griffin will remain in.
Consistency has long been an issue for the quarterback, but facing the Bucs' leaky secondary could be the perfect remedy.
Not only is their defense the NFL's second-worst against the pass from a yardage standpoint, but opposing quarterbacks complete 68 percent of their throws.
For RG3 to replicate these numbers, though, patience will be key. This is because a staple of head coach Lovie Smith's defense is the Tampa 2. It's a zone-heavy scheme that takes away an offense's vertical concepts with two deep safeties, vulnerabilities exist up the seam in the middle of the field and on underneath routes.
With weapons like Garcon, Roberts and Jordan Reed who excel in garnering yards after the catch, Griffin can pick this defense apart if, for once, he moves quickly through his progressions.
Prediction
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The bye week may have answered the team's prayers and improved Washington's outlook from a health perspective, but many questions remain.
How comfortable is Griffin in Gruden's offense? Which Jim Haslett will be calling plays on Sunday? The guy who blitzed Tony Romo into oblivion, or the guy who sat on his hands and watched Teddy Bridgewater carve up his defense?
So many questions. The reality is, though, only one needs to be answered. Will the Redskins beat the Buccaneers? The answer is a resounding yes.
As you've likely come to learn, the majority of NFL games aren't won, but lost. Watching Washington blow game after game, Redskins fans are all too familiar with this reality.
Even with that said, it's worth mentioning that the Bucs top the Skins when it comes to dysfunction.
Tampa Bay may boast an All-Pro player like McCoy on defense, but it also has a cast of players that haven't found their footing in Smith's Tampa 2 defense.
Shifting to its offense, is Josh McCown or Mike Glennon the best option at quarterback? All told, the game plan should be simple for Gruden and company—avoid turnovers and wait for the Bucs to self-destruct.
Unless Kirk Cousins finds his way into the game, that shouldn't be a difficult task for the Redskins to accomplish. Behind an efficient showing from Griffin and an aggressive defense, Washington will win this contest by a comfortable margin.
Prediction: Buccaneers 14, Redskins 26
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