Redskins vs. Colts: Complete Week 13 Preview for Washington

A contest that will feature the top two picks from the 2012 NFL draft, the Washington Redskins' Week 13 matchup with the Indianapolis Colts is lacking in hype because of the team's differing directions.

With their 17-13 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, the Skins are once again at the bottom of the NFC East. As for Indianapolis, its 23-3 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars has it positioned to win the AFC South for the second straight year.

Enough of the past, though. Here is the Week 13 preview for Washington.

Week 12 Recap

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It seems the Redskins find new ways to lose every week. Such was the case in their 17-13 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

Turnover-prone and known to surrender the big play, Washington averted both these shortcomings in Week 12. The team had a plus-two turnover differential and allowed just three plays of 20 yards or more. 

But behind a feeble passing attack, the Skins were never able to create the distance necessary to stave off the Niners' comeback bid. 

Without stalwart Trent Williams in the lineup, Robert Griffin III was relegated to short throws and was under constant duress all game. On 19 pass attempts, RG3 was sacked or hit 13 times. As a result, the team had just 77 net passing yards.

But while pass protection was a struggle for the guys up front, the team had little trouble running the football. Headlined by Alfred Morris' first 100-yard rushing of the season, the Skins averaged five yards per carry in route to running for 136 yards. 

It wasn't enough, though. Stymied by Washington's defense all game, the Niners engineered a 75-yard touchdown late to provide the winning margin.

Running out of options to turn around his team's misfortunes, head coach Jay Gruden's leash with Griffin will only get shorter if the team continues to struggle on offense going forward.

News and Notes

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David Amerson's Return

How dire was Washington's need at cornerback against San Francisco? With Tracy Porter and E.J. Biggers succumbing to injury, the team was forced to use its safeties at cornerback. The injury-prone Redskins secondary was the subject of a 106.7 The Fan tweet:

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The Redskins secondary sustained so many injuries, Brandon Meriweather was forced to play corner late in the loss. http://t.co/eN5BHyrgse

— 106.7 The Fan (@1067thefandc) November 24, 2014"

Healthy, but sidelined because of a violation of team rules, David Amerson bears some of the blame for what went down in the team's secondary.

Not to say that the Skins would've shut down the 49ers' passing game with Amerson in tow, but with Bashaud Breeland being the lone starting-caliber corner, Colin Kaepernick hardly had to leave his first read. Only four players caught passes for San Fran, and just two were receivers.

Slated to return this week, Amerson will have to be on the top of his game going against Indy's high-powered aerial attack; George Wallace feels Amerson will bounce back, and he "will be back in the lineup next week":

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David Amerson will be back in line up next week, the incident is in the past. #Redskins

— George Wallace (@GWallaceWTOP) November 24, 2014"

Alfred Morris' Renaissance

Morris has been near the top of the NFL's rushing leaderboard all season long. On pace for the worst season of his career, though, his standing was never representative of his declining play.

Then November hit. In the past three games, he's tallied 313 yards, three touchdowns, and, most importantly, he's averaged 5.2 yards a carry.

While you could point to Griffin's return as a reason for Morris' renaissance, the truth is his increase in production is tied the yards he's now accumulating after contact.

As ESPN.com's John Keim notes, he's averaged 3.17 yards after contact during this stretch. Mind you, for the season, his average is just 1.95 yards. 

Banged-up along its offensive line, Washington will need Morris to continue this trend in Week 13, as the Indianapolis Colts have allowed just two backs to eclipse 100 yards in 2014.

Robert Griffin III vs. Andrew Luck

Looking at the career trajectories of Griffin and Andrew Luck thus far, it's hard to imagine that there was at one time a debate on who was the better quarterback prospect.

In Luck, you have a player being compared to greats such as Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers. Sad as it is to say, with Griffin there's a weekly debate on whether Colt McCoy is the better option at quarterback for Washington. Can it get much worse than that? IndyStar Sports noted how the decision regarding starting quarterback has evolved over the past three years:

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Three years ago the big question was: Andrew Luck or RG3? This week, it's: Will RG3 even start vs. #Colts? http://t.co/Pwx0dlhn9a

— IndyStar Sports (@IndyStarSports) November 25, 2014"

So, what else is there to say? In the win-loss business that is the NFL, Griffin falls well short of the mark. Sporting a 5-14 record since his rookie campaign, Griffin has the same amount of losses in roughly half a season that Luck has in his career!

Resembling Vince Young more and more, Griffin's first matchup with Luck could be his last.

Injury Report

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Player	Position	Injury Status
Adam Hayward	LB	Out
Tracy Porter	DB	Doubtful
Jordan Reed	TE	Questionable
Trent Williams	LT	Questionable
Chris Baker	DT	Questionable
E.J. Biggers	CB	Questionable
Greg Ducre	CB	Questionable

With a win predicated on the team's ability to stop Indy's passing game, this injury report is a nightmare scenario for Washington.

Maligned all season, Colin Kaepernick had one of his better games going against the Skins' battered secondary in Week 12. So what do you think Luck, the NFL's leading passer, will do if a Chase Minnifield or Trenton Robinson are seeing significant snaps at cornerback?

Further complicating matters if the likes of E.J. Biggers, Tracy Porter and Greg Ducre are indeed out, are the statuses of Jordan Reed and Williams. Because if Washington can't slow down the Colts offense, it's going to need to match it point-for-point in a shootout. But minus its top offensive lineman and a tight end of Reed's caliber, it's hard to envision that happening.

*All injury statuses from ESPN.com's John Keim.

X-Factor and Matchups to Watch

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Washington Pass Rush vs. Indianapolis Offensive Line

One of the best outfits in the NFL in terms of sack allowed, Indy's offensive line was vulnerable last week against the Jacksonville Jaguars. In the first half alone, Luck was sacked five times.

Looking at who was missing for various stretches of that game, though, it's easy to see why the team struggled. Starting right tackle Gosder Cherilus missed the game, and guard Hugh Thornton left early with an injury.

While Thornton's status remains up in the air, Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star is reporting that Cherilus will return from the shoulder injury that sidelined him in Week 12:

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Looks like Gosder Cherilus will be back, Pagano said.

— Stephen Holder (@HolderStephen) November 24, 2014"

Fielding a secondary that's banged-up, Washington's only shot at slowing down the NFL's top passing offense is with its pass rush. A unit that's garnered 27 sacks on the year, the Skins can't rely on their front four to get pressure this week. 

Following the script that was effective against the Dallas Cowboys, it's in defensive coordinator Jim Haslett's best interest to implement a blitz-heavy scheme that forces Luck to get the ball out quickly. Knowing that his secondary is at risk regardless of how many players he drops in coverage, this is Haslett's only play to stymie the Colts' passing game.

Bashaud Breeland vs. T.Y. Hilton

With the pressure Washington's going to have to send to slow down Andrew Luck, you can expect the team's cornerbacks to find themselves in many one-on-one matchups with Indy receivers.

Boasting game-changing speed, T.Y. Hilton's impact has to be limited if the Skins are to have a chance at winning. Emerging as the team's best corner, that responsibility will likely fall on the shoulders of rookie Bashaud Breeland.

While he's shut down some notable receivers—Dez Bryant, anyone?—he's also given up his share of big plays—Mike Evans ring a bell? 

Looking at Hilton's performance in losses, it'll be crucial for Breeland to shore this area of his game up. According to NFL.com, Hilton has just three receptions of 20 yards or more in defeat, opposed to 14 catches in his team's wins. Already lacking a running game, the absence of Hilton's big-play ability would paint a grim picture for the Colts offense.

X-Factor of the Week: Alfred Morris

Evidenced by their 7-4 record, the Colts haven't been on the losing end of games too often in 2014. Still, in those losses there's been one common thread: the threat of a running game.

It's a given that success has been hard to come by against their defense—only two backs have eclipsed 100 yards—but for the teams that have beaten the Colts this year, it hasn't deterred them from running the ball.

In its four losses, Indy's opponents have averaged 34 carries a game. Enter Morris.

Averaging a paltry 156 yards per game through the air since the bye week, Washington can count on the Colts loading the box to entice it to pass the ball. The Skins can't relent, though. While the team should still take its shots downfield in the passing game, if it doesn't exhibit a balanced attack, this game could get out of hand quickly.

Prediction

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Out of the playoff picture, the role of playing spoiler is all the Redskins have as a motivating factor this late in the season. Unfortunately for them, though, they're playing an Indianapolis team that has thrived in this spot.

Dating back to the start of the 2013 season, Indy has just one loss against teams with a losing record. Factor in its bid to garner a first-round bye in the postseason and the team has plenty of motivation to win this game.

Fielding an offense that scores 19.7 points per game, the Redskins will have a tough time keeping pace with an opponent that's fourth in the league in scoring at 30.3 points per contest. Ultimately, while the Colts defense has had bouts of inconsistency, Washington has shown little with RG3 under center to think that it will break out of its season-long scoring slump.

An offense that emphasizes ball control may keep the Skins close for an half, but by game's end, it's the Colts who will come out on top.

Prediction: Colts 27, Redskins 19