Miami Dolphins vs. Washington Redskins: Full Washington Game Preview
Following yet another losing campaign, the Washington Redskins will look to start things anew in 2015.
This isn't any more evident than at the quarterback position. In place of Robert Griffin III, Kirk Cousins is now the starting quarterback. This is one of many changes the team's made to the starting lineup under new general manager Scot McCloughan.
Unfortunately, not all of the changes have been by choice. Potential starters Junior Galette and Niles Paul were lost for the year to injury during the preseason, striking a blow to the Skins' bid to be the latest team to go from worst to first in its division.
Led by Ryan Tannehill, the quarterback selected after Griffin in the 2012 draft, the Miami Dolphins' climb back into contention won't have to be as steep. For a second consecutive year, Miami finished 8-8 in 2014.
Enough of the past talk, though. Here is the Week 1 preview for Washington.
Location: FedEx Field, Landover, MD
Time: 1 p.m. ET, Sunday
TV: CBS
News and Notes
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New Starters
Quarterback isn't the only position with a new starter in place.
Led by the changes in the secondary and in the trenches, Washington's opening-day lineup will feature nine different starters. Coming off a 4-12 season, you can't say the team's changes weren't warranted.
Even so, with what little work the starters receive in the preseason, cohesiveness and chemistry will be something to watch going forward.
Welcome to the NFL, Brandon Scherff
Speaking of new starters, No. 5 overall pick Brandon Scherff will receive quite the NFL welcoming in his debut. Standing across from him will be the menacing Ndamukong Suh.
Following an uneven preseason, it goes without saying this isn't an ideal matchup for the former Iowa product. As if the NFL transition weren't hard enough, Scherff has split his time playing tackle and guard.
While the improved play of Morgan Moses played a part in Scherff's being bumped inside, his pass-protection issues surely were also a factor.
With a matchup against the St. Louis Rams' stacked defensive front following this one in Week 2, in the words of head coach Jay Gruden (h/t Tarik El-Bashir of the Washington Post), "we'll see how ready he is."
Divvying Up Running Back Touches
Even with the loss of Silas Redd, the Redskins have an assortment of talent at running back. The starter will once again be the steady Alfred Morris. He'll be flanked by the speedy Chris Thompson and powerful Matt Jones.
With such talent, the team has a dilemma on its hands on how to divvy up the workload. Looking at the skill set of each respective back, Washington could simply utilize Thompson on passing downs and Jones in short-yardage situations. This would be selling them short, though, particularly Jones.
He didn't demonstrate it much this preseason with just two receptions, but Jones has soft hands and is more than a capable receiver. Furthermore, evidenced by his three gains of 18-plus yards, he has big-play ability.
Running the football will be a staple of the offense regardless. But going forward, it'll be interesting to see how the coaching staff distributes the workload.
Latest Injury News
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| Player | Position | Injury Status |
| Jamison Crowder | WR | Questionable |
| DeSean Jackson | WR | Questionable |
| Robert Griffin III | QB | Questionable |
| Jordan Reed | TE | Questionable |
*All injury statuses from CBSSports.com.
On the sidelines all preseason, Ryan Kerrigan's absence from the injury report has to be the biggest takeaway here.
Washington's secondary remains a weak point. This is especially true knowing Bashaud Breeland will miss this contest because of a suspension.
With a healthy Kerrigan headlining a stout front seven, the team has the means to mask this deficiency by applying pressure to Tannehill.
On the offensive side of the ball, the statuses of DeSean Jackson and Jordan Reed loom large. Like Washington, the Miami secondary is less than stellar. Knowing Jackson's shoulder injury was deemed minor at the time of its occurrence, his impact shouldn't be limited in this one.
This makes Reed the only true question mark. He did test his hamstring in Week 3 of the preseason. But looking at his extensive injury history to date, his health is always a concern. Truth be told, though, down Logan Paulsen and Paul for the year, the Redskins would take a limited Reed at this point.
Key Matchups
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Washington Running Game vs. Miami Front Seven
All offseason, the Redskins preached on how they wanted a physical running game. After a solid start, the team's rushing production tailed off in the preseason. Overall, it averaged 3.8 yards per carry.
It wasn't for a lack of trying, though, and that looms large here. The Skins ran the football an NFL-high 36.2 times a game this preseason. With Gruden quick to abandon the run, the team finished 21st in this category in 2014, with roughly 25 carries a game.
We've heard the talk and seen it followed through in the preseason, but Sunday's game will be the true test. Facing a front highlighted by Suh, Cameron Wake and Earl Mitchell, success in this arena will be hard to come by for the Skins.
Will they ride it out? Breaking in a new offensive line, the last thing Washington wants to do is become one-dimensional. This is especially true for a team with a mistake-prone quarterback under center—more on that later.
All told, for the Skins to win, balance is a must here.
Redskins Pass Rush vs. Dolphins Offensive Line
The names have changed, but the talent Washington has on hand in the secondary gives one little reason to believe the pass defense will be much improved.
Like his predecessor, Dashon Goldson routinely misses tackles in the open field. Chris Culliver is a starting-caliber cornerback, but because of an injury, DeAngelo Hall is as much of a question mark as the player he's replacing as the No. 2 corner, David Amerson.
With that said, the onus will be on the team's pass rush to stymie Miami's passing attack. Knowing the struggles the Dolphins had up front a season ago, the Skins are more than capable of accomplishing this feat.
Miami surrendered 46 sacks in 2014 with star left tackle Branden Albert injured. He's set to return for this matchup, according to ESPN's James Walker, but after sitting out all preseason, it'll be his first game action since tearing his ACL.
Then there's the youth Miami has up front. The Dolphins will be starting Dallas Thomas and rookie Jamil Douglas at guard. Following the additions of Terrance Knighton and Stephen Paea, the beefed-up defensive line should dominate this matchup.
With Trent Murphy and rookie Preston Smith unknowns at this point, look for the pressure to come from the interior this week.
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Matchup X-Factor
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Redskins X-Factor: QB Kirk Cousins
It remains to be seen if Cousins can carry a team on his back and lead it to victory. What we know for sure, though, is he can lose a contest by his lonesome.
Both of Cousins' past turns in the starting lineup have been highlighted by turnovers. In his last 11 games, he's turned the ball over an astounding 20 times. And it gets worse.
According to ESPN Stats & Information (h/t ESPN's John Keim), Cousins has turned the ball over about once every 29 snaps during this time span. Of the 46 quarterbacks with at least 500 snaps since 2013, Cousins' mark is the worst.
Washington will need more than a turnover-free performance from Cousins to win this contest. But should he revert to old habits, unlike the preseason, the team will face a deficit it won't come back from.
Prediction: Dolphins 16, Redskins 10
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This will be a defensive contest all the way.
With the stout front sevens both teams possess, points will be hard to come by. As a result, special teams and ball security will prove pivotal.
Unfortunately, neither is a strength of the Redskins, particularly the latter. Cousins' shining in the preseason is nothing new.
While on occasion he's had his moments in real games, a constant for him has been poor decision-making. Another year in Gruden's system could help him in this area. The same goes for his being named the starter for the 2015 campaign. With the likes of Suh and Wake bearing down on him, though, this won't change in Week 1.
Done in by a pair of Cousins' miscues, a valiant defensive effort from the Skins will go to waste.
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