St. Louis Rams vs. Washington Redskins: Full Washington Game Preview

In their Week 2 matchup with the St. Louis Rams, the Washington Redskins will enter without a victory and, most importantly, without the quarterback responsible for the Rams' resurgence.

The Redskins' now fateful trade for Robert Griffin III ultimately netted St. Louis four starters, three on the defensive side of the ball.

Replacing Griffin, Kirk Cousins will start opposite new Rams starter Nick Foles in a matchup of former NFC East backups. 

Following a year in which both of these teams finished in the cellar of their respective divisions, the outcome of this contest will loom large in the scope of their 2015 fates.

Of the six teams to start last year 2-0, four went on to make the playoffs. In contrast, all six of the teams with an 0-2 record missed the postseason.

Moving on, here is the Week 2 preview for Washington.

Location: FedEx Field, Landover, MD

Time: 1 p.m. ET, Sunday

TV: CBS

Week 1 Results and Recap

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NFC EAST	W	L	HOME	ROAD	DIV	CONF	PF	PA	DIFF	STRK
Dallas Cowboys	1	0	1-0	0-0	1-0	1-0	27	26	+1	W1
New York Giants	0	1	0-0	0-1	0-1	0-1	26	27	-1	L1
Philadelphia Eagles	0	1	0-0	0-1	0-0	0-1	24	26	-2	L1
Washington Redskins	0	1	0-1	0-0	0-0	0-0	10	17	-7	L1

The quarterback was different, but the result was the same for the Redskins in their 2015 opener. The team's 17-10 loss at the hands of the Miami Dolphins was the team's third consecutive loss in season openers.

Staked to an early 10-point lead, Washington was done in by miscues from its special teams and new starting quarterback. 

Jarvis Landry's 69-yard punt-return touchdown in the fourth quarter broke a 10-10 tie. With Cousins' second interception thwarting the team's final drive in Miami territory soon after, Landry's score would provide the final margin.

On the game, Cousins threw for 196 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. For most of the afternoon, it was the Skins' rushing attack picking up the offensive slack. The team tallied 161 yards on the ground and held a 15-minute advantage in time of possession.

In the loss, the Skins' defense did its part. Miami scored on just one of its three trips to the red zone and finished with a meager 256 yards of total offense.

As the standings reflect, though, Washington caught a break in Week 1. Outside of the Dallas Cowboys, its NFC East rivals too exited the opening week with a loss.

With the Philadelphia Eagles and Cowboys squaring off this week as well, a win by the Redskins would put the team in a tie atop the standings.

News and Notes

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Special Teams Changes

Solid showings on offense and defense for Washington were undone by a porous performance on special teams.

Landry's 69-yard touchdown via punt return was the game-winner. In addition, Kai Forbath missed a 46-yard field goal.

Looking to make a change here, the team released Forbath in favor of Dustin Hopkins. An accurate kicker during his tenure in D.C. (87 percent), Forbath owes his unemployment to his shoddy performance on kickoffs.

Head coach Jay Gruden confirmed as much, per NFL.com's Marc Sessler, when he announced the move.

Drafted in the sixth round of the 2013 NFL draft, Hopkins is particularly strong in this area, with SB Nation's Michael Purinton deeming him to be a kickoff specialist.

With the Rams boasting explosive return men, Washington will be counting on Hopkins to produce touchbacks.

Reinforcements in the Secondary

Washington suffered more than just a loss on the scoreboard. In the secondary, safety Duke Ihenacho and nickelback Justin Rogers suffered injuries.

Sporting the more serious injury of the two, Ihenacho was placed on injured reserve with a wrist injury, ending his season.

Making matters even worse, top signee Chris Culliver found himself in the NFL's doghouse following the opening loss. Stemming from his involvement in a hit-and-run incident in March of 2014, Culliver was handed a one-game suspension under the NFL's personal-conduct policy, according to Mike Jones of the Washington Post.

Fortunately for Washington, reinforcements are on the way. As ESPN's John Keim notes, the team signed traveled veteran Will Blackmon to bolster the ranks at cornerback.

A part-time starter for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2014, Blackmon saw his bid to make the Seattle Seahawks this preseason come up short because of a groin injury.

While Blackmon will serve as an insurance policy for Rogers, Bashaud Breeland has a much more important role awaiting him.

Sidelined during the preseason by a knee injury, Breeland actually missed the opener because of suspension. Against the Rams, and possibly the remainder of the season, he'll be in line to start.

Capable of playing on the outside and over the slot, Breeland can be used by defensive coordinator Joe Barry in a variety of ways.

Welcome Back, Frank Kearse

Rounding out an active week on the transaction wire, the Redskins welcomed back Frank Kearse into the fold.

With Jackson Jeffcoat limited by a hamstring injury, Kearse was cut to make room for linebacker Houston Bates.

Kearse wasn't missed in Week 1, but with his 2014 season serving as a backdrop (three sacks), he can make an impact along the defensive line and, at the very least, spell Jason Hatcher and Stephen Paea.

Injury Report

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Player	Position	Injury Status
Jackson Jeffcoat	LB	Questionable
DeSean Jackson	WR	Out
Justin Rogers	CB	Questionable
DeAngelo Hall	CB	Questionable

*All injury statuses from CBSSports.com and ESPN.com.

The hits keep on coming for Washington on the injury report. DeSean Jackson became the latest starter to go down with a significant injury.

Down the big-play element Jackson brings, the team was forced to nickel and dime its way down the field. The Skins averaged only 5.9 yards per pass in Week 1.

With Jackson expected to miss three to four weeks with his hamstring injury, the team will need young receivers Ryan Grant and Jamison Crowder to step up, particularly Crowder. He's no Jackson, but looking at his explosiveness, he's the most capable receiver at churning out big plays.

Key Matchups

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Redskins Pass Rush vs. Rams Offensive Line

Similar to the Dolphins, St. Louis is flush with youth and inexperience up front. On 27 dropbacks, Foles was sacked or hit nine times.

With its secondary licking its wounds, Washington will need to supply significantly more pressure on the quarterback. Foles had better weapons at his disposal with the Eagles, but with zero sacks against him, he threw for 325 yards and three touchdowns in 2014.

This is in contrast to his outings against the Redskins in 2012 and 2013. He was sacked 12 times and posted only one touchdown to three interceptions in these matchups. Furthermore, his team averaged only 16.6 points per game in losing two of three contests.

It'll be part of the winning formula all season, but the Washington pass rush will have to carry the defense in this bout.

Washington Running Backs vs. St. Louis Front Seven

With Cousins sporting a 2-8 record as a starter, not to mention countless turnovers, it's safe to say the opposing quarterback isn't the only signal-caller the Redskins will look to play keep-away with.

After rushing for 161 yards in the opener, Washington's running backs will be tested by a loaded Rams front seven.

Against the Seahawks last week, St. Louis held Marshawn Lynch to 73 yards and Seattle as a team to 3.9 yards a carry. And if you recall, in their meeting with the Redskins last year, the Rams allowed all of 29 yards on 12 carries.

Alfred Morris and company may not be able to match the yardage from Week 1. But knowing how fierce the St. Louis pass rush can be, the team has to make a concerted effort to duplicate the balance it displayed on offense (37 runs, 31 passes).

Redskins vs. Tavon Austin

With Tavon Austin being a threat to score at running back, receiver and as a returner, the task of stopping him will not belong to one position group; it'll be a team effort.

In last season's matchup, Austin accounted for 203 all-purpose yards, with a 78-yard punt-return touchdown standing as the highlight.

Following what Landry did against Washington's return unit, the best course of action to defend Austin on special teams is to not kick him the ball. 

Known for his strong leg, Tress Way, if he's not kicking the ball out of bounds, will have to focus on putting more air on his punts so the return unit can get to Austin early.

As for when Austin is on offense, the Skins have to be on the lookout for gadget plays. With Austin lacking bulk as a runner and polish as a receiver, St. Louis' goal on offense will be to get him the ball in space.

On screens and outside runs/reverses, it'll be important for Washington's defenders to funnel him to the middle of the field. Austin will be used on occasion as a decoy. But looking at the Rams' other weapons, there isn't a one-on-one matchup the Skins should fear.

Matchup X-Factor

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Redskins X-Factor: Entire Offensive Line

With the likes of Robert Quinn, Chris Long, Aaron Donald, Michael Brockers and Nick Fairley standing across from it, the entire Washington offensive line comes in as the X-factor in Week 2.

Last week's six-sack performance aside, St. Louis' pass rush tormented the Redskins in their shutout loss a season ago.

The Rams tallied seven sacks and nine quarterback hits against Colt McCoy and Robert Griffin III in the victory.

Should new additions Brandon Scherff and Morgan Moses not turn the tide in Washington's favor in this arena, like his predecessors, Cousins too could find it difficult to put points on the board.

Prediction: Rams 20, Redskins 9

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Change may have dominated the Redskins' offseason, but in their opener, it appeared the ones on defense were the only ones that netted positive results.

In Week 2, expect much of the same.  Without Jackson to worry about, the Rams can commit additional defenders to slow down Washington's rushing attack.

By doing so, it'll be free season on Cousins on third down. To his credit, Cousins was efficient here against Miami, converting six of 14 third downs. But pressure breeds mistakes. Looking at his history, this is especially true of Cousins.

Another solid showing from Washington's defense will keep this game close. Five sacks will be on the docket for its pass rush, all while holding St. Louis under 300 yards of total offense. 

But behind a blown assignment or two in the secondary, in addition to Cousins' inevitable turnovers, the Redskins will fall to 0-2.