Philadelphia Eagles vs. Washington Redskins: Creating Washington's Game Plan
Owning a top-five pick is like discovering gold for a struggling team. But that shouldn't convince the Washington Redskins to avoid ending a dismal season on a winning note.
The motivation to do the latter is even stronger when you finish with two games against bitter division rivals. First up is the Philadelphia Eagles, a team the Redskins should've beaten in Week 3.
Instead, Washington found itself on the wrong end of a 37-34 shootout. But the return game mustn't resemble a similar offensive explosion.
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In fact, the Redskins ought to turn this into a war of attrition. It should be a war based on wearing down an aggressive Eagles pass rush while forcing the Philly offense to live and die on the arm of struggling quarterback Mark Sanchez.
The first step toward achieving the latter will be to limit the effectiveness of the fast-paced and versatile Eagles ground attack. That'll mean slowing down speedsters LeSean McCoy and Darren Sproles while resisting the power of Chris Polk.
Stopping any running game depends on getting into the backfield and wrecking rushing plays at their source. The Redskins can do that by targeting the weak point of the Philadelphia offensive line.
Target Center Jason Kelce
Washington defensive boss Jim Haslett must exploit slight center Jason Kelce. The 27-year-old lacks might in Eagles green, something Haslett can undermine by consistently putting a player over Kelce.
That's exactly what the Dallas Cowboys did during their 38-27 win in Week 15. The tactic paid dividends against both the run and the pass.
For the former, the Cowboys used Terrell McClain. The beefy 300-pounder caused havoc against Sproles and McCoy.
In this example, McClain took a shaded alignment over Kelce. From this position he could slant across Kelce's face or shoot through an A-gap:
The other benefit of McClain's alignment is that it quickly drew a double-team. He soon split that tandem block to cross the line of scrimmage:
McClain was just too powerful for Kelce. He was soon halfway into the backfield, perfectly positioned to fill Sproles' running lane:
McClain tripped Sproles behind the line for a loss:
Kelce consistently failed to match McClain for power whenever the former Carolina Panthers draft pick was lined up over him. After derailing a Sproles run, McClain destroyed a McCoy rush.
This time McClain took a tilted alignment. He was positioned to attack either guard or any one of three gaps:
At the snap, McClain once again slammed into Kelce. He wasted no time shoving the overpowered anchor man into the handoff between Sanchez and McCoy:
After using Kelce to blot out McCoy's running lane, McClain shrugged him to one side and engulfed the running back for a two-yard loss:
On both plays, McClain was able to stop Eagles runners before they turned sideways and attacked the edges of the defense.
Both McCoy and Sproles are terrors on the perimeter. The Redskins have to corral them before they turn lateral.
Putting 6'2", 325-pounder Chris Baker over Kelce would be a good start. But Haslett should also use wide-framed Jarvis Jenkins as a 0-technique.
In fact, mixing it up to present Kelce with different challenges will be the best approach. But Haslett must keep a player aligned over Kelce and attack him from multiple angles.
That will be the best way to stifle the league's eighth-ranked running game. It's no coincidence that the Cowboys won big by limiting the Eagles to just 75 yards on the ground.
If the Redskins do the same, they'll force Sanchez to beat them.
Challenge Mark Sanchez with Pressure and Man Coverage
If the game ends up in the hands of Sanchez, Washington can't waste that advantage. The defense must make an already nervy quarterback reckless.
The best way to do that is to challenge Sanchez at every level. That means pressure up front and tight man coverage down the field. It's a combination that will force errant throws into small windows.
The Cowboys used this devilish double whammy early and often in Philadelphia. It worked wonders on this first-quarter sack.
Dallas blitzed middle linebacker Rolando McClain and combined his rush with a twist stunt by underrated end Jeremy Mincey:
McClain's blitz helped split the Eagles line in two. While he and Anthony Spencer occupied blockers on one side, Mincey took advantage of a double-team against Tyrone Crawford on the other.
McClain and Mincey soon collapsed the pocket, one from the outside, one through the interior. They quickly converged on Sanchez:
Mincey got the sack, dropping the under-fire signal-caller for a seven-yard loss.
It wasn't just the pressure that unnerved Sanchez. He hesitated to get rid of the ball quickly because of the plaster-style coverage in the Dallas secondary.
The Cowboys adopted a Cover 1 shell to lock up each of Sanchez's receivers in press coverage. Meanwhile, a single-high safety patrolled behind it to help take away any deep ball:
The combination of five-man pressure and single coverage behind it is certainly a bold one. But it's a risk worth taking with Sanchez under center.
Many teams are often hesitant to attack the Eagles with blitzes for fear of being exposed deep. But since Sanchez took over for Nick Foles, Philly lacks the strong-armed passer who can launch vertical strikes.
It's also a good idea to attack the exposed corners of the spread-style sets Eagles head coach Chip Kelly often favors. Whenever an offense spreads the field it naturally leaves its line vulnerable to pressure concepts designed to send more rushers than five blockers can pick up.
Given Sanchez's recent struggles, he's likely to wilt in the face of that kind of pressure. Philadelphia Daily News sports columnist Marcus Hayes detailed those woes:
"At issue: Is Sanchez healthy? Can he recognize and defeat blitzes? Are his fundamentals crumbling? After five games, did teams catch up with him in Chip Kelly's scheme?
The answers: maybe; sometimes; you would hope not; and, probably.
...
In his first five games, Sanchez completed 63.4 percent of his passes, compiled an 89.3 passer rating and helped the team go 4-1.
In his last two games, losses to visiting Seattle and Dallas, he dropped to 56.3 percent with a 67.0 rating and was the worst player . . . at least, he was the worst player on offense.
"
Challenge Sanchez's receivers and speed up his decision-making process, and the ex-New York Jets starter will make critical mistakes. It will take a run-first offense to make the most of those errors.
Run to Protect the Ball
If Jay Gruden doesn't want Robert Griffin III doing too much, then he must take the game away from his wildly erratic young quarterback. Only a heavy dose of running back Alfred Morris can do that.
Gruden must, for a rare occasion, call a run-first game. That approach can work against an Eagles defensive front that can be moved and is sometimes guilty of overplaying lateral runs.
That's worked wonders for the Eagles in the past against Washington's trademark zone-stretch runs. But this defense can be exploited by cutback runs aimed more at attacking the middle.
The Cowboys proved that by freeing DeMarco Murray for a 21-yard gain on the first play of the fourth quarter. Dallas adopted a three-tight end set and ran Murray on an inside zone play:
The eight-man strong line executed stretch-style blocking before securing blocks at the second level. Left guard Ronald Leary and tight end Jason Witten would absorb linebacker Mychal Kendricks and cornerback Bradley Fletcher, respectively:
With those blocks secured, the Cowboys trusted Murray to make inside linebacker Casey Matthews miss:
Murray quickly sent Matthews tumbling as Witten and Leary maintained his second-level, inside rushing lane:
The Eagles were their typical feast-or-famine selves against the Dallas running game. They dumped Murray for several losses. But they also yielded multiple big gains, including a 14-yard scamper from Joseph Randle on the final play of the first quarter.
The Eagles are a big-play defense, but those big plays go both ways. But the Redskins have given up on the run too easily in many recent meetings.
Washington can't make that same mistake again. That means trusting Morris to eventually establish a rhythm.
CSN Washington reporter JP Finlay has encouraged Gruden to ignore Morris' recent issues and follow a similar approach to the one that worked earlier this season:
"Morris has not had much going this month, as he has not rushed for more than 50 yards in two games. The Redskins offensive line is beaten up and performing poorly, which also leads to Morris' struggles.
...
In the Redskins Week 3 loss to the Eagles, Morris had a productive if bland day, running 23 times for 77 yards. The Redskins remained committed to the run in that game, a good idea against the Eagles fast-paced offense. For the Redskins to knock off the Eagles, a strong run game would go along way.
"
But it doesn't have to be a one-back approach this time. If Gruden only wants to give Morris 12 carries, that's fine, as long as he gives 10 to solid rookie Silas Redd. Another six apiece for Chris Thompson and fullback Darrel Young also couldn't hurt.
The overall numbers for Washington's ground attack aren't great. However, the individual performances of runners such as Morris and Redd prove there's plenty of talent ready to be used more often, per statistics via StatMilk:
Consistent runs from Morris and Redd will wear down an Eagles D that remains vulnerable on the ground:
But those runs should be aimed more toward the inside. Players such as Kendricks and end Fletcher Cox are just too quick laterally to rely on the familiar stretch concept.
The main point is that a heavy dose of running is the key to beating the Eagles. It will keep Griffin from being at the mercy of a pass rush that's tallied 47 sacks, second-most in the NFL.
A strong ground attack will also create opportunities to target a very vulnerable member of the Philadelphia pass defense.
Target Fletcher with Deep Passing
The Eagles secondary loves to travel on a diet of single, bump-and-run coverage. The only problem is the unit has a very obvious weak link in the form of cornerback Fletcher.
The 28-year-old was burned for three touchdowns by Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant in Week 15. The alarming thing was how similar the second and third scores were.
They both relied on a double move and Fletcher being beaten after first contact. That combination led to a 26-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter:
Fletcher began the play almost stitched to Bryant. But his initial bump wasn't strong enough, and he was soon tossed aside:
That quickly put Bryant behind Fletcher and open down the field:
Amazingly, Fletcher was beaten by an identical play—same route, same double move and same throw—when Bryant reeled in a 25-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter.
The Eagles' stubborn willingness to persist with Fletcher, who will still start, per ESPN Eagles reporter Phil Sheridan, is great news for Washington. It's great news because the Eagles aren't just defiant about sticking with Fletcher; they also tend to keep him on one side of the field.
It took three touchdown catches from Bryant before defensive coordinator Billy Davis finally altered that policy, per CBS Sports reporter Ryan Wilson:
"Just how bad was it for Fletcher on Sunday night? Dez Bryant had three touchdowns with Fletcher supposedly in coverage. When it was over, Tony Romo had targeted Fletcher five times, thrown five completions for 88 yards, and had a perfect passer rating of 158.3 against the cornerback.
So, yeah, Fletcher had an awful game. It was so bad, in fact, that the Eagles eventually had Cary Williams follow Bryant, even though they almost always have their cornerbacks play on one side of the field.
"
The beauty for Washington is even if the Eagles have Williams trail DeSean Jackson, the Redskins' premier deep threat, a receiver as skilled as Pierre Garcon can still exploit Fletcher.
So could Andre Roberts and even tight end Jordan Reed, who Gruden should split out against Fletcher whenever he can.
Targeting Fletcher can provide a decisive matchup advantage for Washington's passing game. It's one Gruden and Griffin can't afford not to maximize.
Washington's dysfunctional quarterback-coach partnership needs to play things smart this week. That'll mean leaning on the run and not giving Philadelphia's opportunistic defense any big plays.
If that necessary caution is combined with a smothering approach from Washington's own defense, the Redskins can secure a welcome win to at least add a spot of gloss to this tough season.
All statistics via NFL.com unless otherwise stated.
All screenshots courtesy of NBC Sports and NFL.com Game Pass.
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