St. Louis Rams vs. Washington Redskins: What's the Game Plan for Washington?

The start of the Kirk Cousins era was eerily similar to the one that preceded it. With the offense not pulling its weight, the Washington Redskins fell 17-10 to the Miami Dolphins.

In comparison, their Week 2 opponent, the St. Louis Rams, is coming off a thrilling 34-31 victory over the defending NFC champs. 

With its playoff hopes already hanging in the balance—no playoff team in 2014 started 0-2—what game plan will Washington develop to avoid losing to the Rams for a second consecutive year?

Let's find out:

Offensive Game Plan

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

In the words of former Arizona Cardinals head coach Dennis Green, Cousins is who we thought he was.

Against its best efforts, Washington was unable to mitigate Cousins' penchant for turnovers, as he threw two interceptions in the opener.

The team dominated in time of possession (a 15-minute advantage) and churned out 161 yards on the ground. A rarity in 2014, the Skins were even efficient on third down, converting six of 14 attempts.

Upon closer examination, though, you'll notice both of his turnovers came on third down. Going back to the start of last season, you'll see this as a common theme for Cousins.

Per ESPN.com, Cousins has one touchdown (last week) to five interceptions on third downs. Furthermore, he has the NFL's worst third-down total QBR (12.7) during this span. 

What does this mean going forward against the Rams? To prosper against St. Louis, the offense will need the running game to be in play on third down.

Knowing the likes of Chris Long, Aaron Donald and Robert Quinn will be bearing down on him, these numbers aren't likely to improve for Cousins without the ruse of the play-action pass. 

Keeping this in mind, Cousins will have to look for spots on first and second down to attack the Rams secondary. In Week 1, Russell Wilson did this to great success against St. Louis.

With the Rams loading up to stop the run, Wilson completed over 85 percent of his passes while throwing for 241 yards on first and second down, according to ESPN.com.

The Seattle Seahawks only converted on eight of 19 third downs. But for what it's worth, they only attempted three passes on 3rd-and-long (more than six yards to a first down).

With Washington failing to convert on 3rd-and-long against Miami, with both of Cousins' turnovers occurring here, this strategy is the team's best bet to attack the St. Louis defense.

Defensive Game Plan

Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

The Rams may sport a new quarterback in Nick Foles, but truth be told, the key for Washington's defense will be to neutralize St. Louis' ground attack.

After missing out on Week 1's action, rookie Todd Gurley and Tre Mason could be in play to make their 2015 debuts. And let's not forget about Tavon Austin. A receiver in name only, Austin romped for 46 yards on five carries in last season's matchup.

With the Rams having both speed and power to throw at the Redskins, gap discipline will be pivotal for the team's front seven. 

Fortunately, with Terrance Knighton, Stephen Paea and Ricky Jean Francois joining Chris Baker and Jason Hatcher up front, Washington has the horses to accomplish this feat. 

St. Louis is young up front, starting two rookies and sophomore Greg Robinson at left tackle. As such, should their running game be taken out of play, the Rams would be vulnerable in pass protection.

Against Seattle, Foles was hit or sacked on nearly a third of his dropbacks. The Skins tallied four sacks and six hits on the quarterback in their 2014 meeting. 

But with Chris Culliver suspended and both Justin Rogers and DeAngelo Hall nursing injuries, Washington will have to generate this pressure without the aid of additional rushers.

As ESPN's John Keim notes, this was the case for the team in the season opener. It sent additional rushers on just five occasions. With Foles completing five of six passes against the blitz in the opener, including a touchdown, the Redskins have little choice but to duplicate their Week 1 effort.

Key Players and Matchups

T Trent Williams vs. DE Robert Quinn

Ron Schwane/Associated Press

Darrelle Revis isn't the only one with an island.

With Brandon Scherff, Morgan Moses and the rest of his cohorts set to be under siege by the Rams' bounty of pass-rushers, Trent Williams will find he's the only thing standing between Quinn and the quarterback. 

Williams won his matchup last week with Olivier Vernon—he was injured, though—but consider that as a minor tune-up for Quinn. Of his 47 career sacks, 1.5 came in 2014's bout. 

Just ask yourself, if Williams can't keep Cousins' jersey clean on Sunday, what hope does the rest of the offensive line have?

WR Pierre Garcon

Evan Vucci/Associated Press

Jackson's injury creates a large void in the team's passing game. Lacking alternatives to supplement what Jackson brought to the table as a deep threat, Washington needs Pierre Garcon to jump-start the offense—especially when you consider Jordan Reed's penchant for injury. 

Different from Jackson, Garcon's production is tied to the number of targets he receives. A battering ram in the open field, can cause havoc for a defense after the catch. As such, the coaching staff will have to implement a steady supply of bubble screens and crossing routes into the game plan to set things in motion.

LB Trent Murphy/Preston Smith vs. LT Greg Robinson

With the attention Ryan Kerrigan warrants, Trent Murphy and Preston Smith will be afforded opportunities to go against Robinson one-on-one.

Neither pass-rusher is polished at this point, but the same could be said about their opponent. While loaded with raw ability—he was the No. 2 pick for a reason—Robinson is just earning his stripes at left tackle after playing guard as a rookie. 

Case in point, the season opener:

If the rush is to get to Foles without blitzing, Murphy and Smith will have to win this matchup.

Prediction

It comes down to who you trust more?

Cousins or Foles, who is more likely to be mistake-free?

St. Louis' pass rush or Washington's, which will be more productive?

You're going with the Rams, right?

The Redskins are simply outflanked here. A St. Louis letdown is possible following its emotional win over the Seahawks. Looking across the board, though, even that may not be enough for the Skins to pull out a win.

At quarterback, the skill positions and across the defense, the Rams are better. The offensive lines are practically a wash.

And let's not even compare the special teams units—Austin, anyone?

In another low-scoring affair, St. Louis will come out victorious. Unlike the Dolphins, its opportunistic defense will translate two Cousins turnovers into points.

To no fault of the team's rushing attack—which will again cross the 100-yard barrier—the Skins will come away with just field goals in the red zone.

That's all she wrote, folks.

Final Score: Rams 20, Redskins 9