Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Washington Redskins: Full Washington Game Preview
With their season teetering on the brink, the Washington Redskins will look to end a two-game losing streak in Week 7 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Not only that, Washington will be seeking revenge for last season's 27-7 defeat at the hands of the Bucs.
Tampa Bay earned its second and final win of the 2014 campaign in the Week 11 contest. Returning home after a two-game road trip, the 'Skins will look to improve to 3-1 at home.
To do so, Washington will have to throw back the clock to the first two weeks of the season. The team averaged over 170 yards on the ground to start the year. In the past two weeks alone, though, it's mustered just 85 yards combined.
For the defense to remain opportunistic will also be key. Led by Bashaud Breeland, Washington's undermanned defense has forced three turnovers in consecutive weeks.
Opposed by rookie quarterback Jameis Winston, will its defense extend this streak?
Let's find out. Here is the Week 7 preview for the Redskins.
Location: FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland
Time: 1 p.m. ET on Sunday
TV: Fox
Week 6 Results and Recap
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| Philadelphia Eagles | 3 | 3 | 2-1 | 1-2 | 1-2 | 2-3 | 144 | 110 | +34 | W2 |
| New York Giants | 3 | 3 | 2-1 | 1-2 | 1-2 | 2-3 | 139 | 136 | +3 | L1 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 2 | 3 | 1-2 | 1-1 | 2-0 | 2-2 | 101 | 131 | -30 | L3 |
| Washington Redskins | 2 | 4 | 2-1 | 0-3 | 1-1 | 2-2 | 117 | 138 | -21 | L2 |
Week 6 provided a familiar scene for the Redskins. Blowing a first-half lead for the third time this season, Washington fell to 2-4 after losing 34-20 to the New York Jets on Sunday.
The loss extended the team's losing streak on the road to seven games. After holding a 13-10 lead, the 'Skins allowed New York to rack up 24 unanswered points in the second half.
Key to the team's demise was a nonexistent running game and yet another multi-interception effort from Kirk Cousins.
With the running game manufacturing just 34 yards, Cousins was forced to throw 43 passes. Predictably, he completed two such passes to the opposing team.
Not to be forgotten, Washington's defense also laid an egg. The Jets' Ryan Fitzpatrick accounted for three touchdowns, registering a near-perfect quarterback rating (99) in the process.
Behind Chris Ivory's 146 yards on the ground, the Jets posted 221 yards on the ground against Washington's once-stout front seven.
The distinct possibility existed for Washington to finish Week 6 in a first-place tie atop the division. With the loss, though, the team is in an all-too-familiar position: the division cellar.
News and Notes
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Week 7 Is "Code Red" Game for Washington
Following his team's defeat to the Jets, head coach Jay Gruden said, "It's a code red for us," per Mike Jones of the Washington Post.
Looking at what's ahead, it's hard to argue that Week 7 isn't a must-win game for Washington. Following their bye week, two of the Redskins' first three games back are on the road.
Under Gruden, the team has just one road win on its resume. Worsening matters, the opponents on these road treks are none other than the undefeated New England Patriots and Carolina Panthers.
Yikes!
Knowing the team has four division games remaining as well, the Redskins can't afford to slip up and lose against a rebuilding team in their own house.
Injuries Continue to Wreak Havoc on Redskins' Season
In the aftermath of injuries to the Dallas Cowboys' Tony Romo and Dez Bryant, the NFC East race became wide-open.
Following a strong start to the season, the thinking was Washington could thrust itself into the division conversation.
Unfortunately, the football gods had another idea. Before the real games even began, the Redskins were hit with serious injuries. Starters Niles Paul and Junior Galette were lost for the year to injury.
Regardless if it was Robert Griffin III's poor play that opened the door, his concussion in Week 2 of the preseason was the unofficial beginning of the Cousins era in D.C.
The bleeding only continued once the real games began. Just last week, the 'Skins were without three starting offensive linemen, their top wideout and three of four starters in the secondary.
Taking notice of the teams hit the hardest by injuries in 2015, ESPN.com found Washington to be the second most banged up team in the NFL. Not even halfway through the season, the Redskins have already lost 63 starts to injury.
Eight wins could very well be enough to win the NFC East crown. But in its current state, Washington simply lacks the depth to reach that total.
Injury Report
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| Player | Position | Injury Status |
| Trent Williams | OT | Questionable |
| DeSean Jackson | WR | Doubtful |
| Matt Jones | RB | Questionable |
| DeAngelo Hall | CB | Questionable |
| Chris Culliver | CB | Questionable |
| Pierre Garcon | WR | Probable |
| Jordan Reed | TE | Questionable |
| Chris Thompson | RB | Questionable |
Another week, another packed injury report for Washington. Starting things off, DeSean Jackson is likely to miss this contest, per ESPN's Britt McHenry.
The team's top offseason addition, Chris Culliver, is still ailing with a knee injury that's sidelined him in three of six games.
Still, there's reason to be optimistic here. In the case of Culliver, his injury won't require surgery, according to ESPN's John Keim.
Jordan Reed, absent the past two weeks because of a concussion, returned to practice, according to Redskins.com's Stephen Czarda. So too did star tackle Trent Williams, per CSN's Tarik El-Bashir.
The playing statuses of running backs Matt Jones and Chris Thompson are still up in the air.
Alfred Morris hasn't elicited much confidence with his play in 2015. But taking into account his performance against the Bucs in 2014 (97 yards) and Williams' return, Washington's running game should find success against a Tampa defense allowing over 122 yards per game.
Injury statuses courtesy of ESPN.com and CBSSports.com.
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Key Matchups
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Washington Pass Rush vs. Tampa Bay Offensive Line
Dismal in pass protection a season ago, the Bucs invested heavily in offensive linemen this past offseason.
Looking to the draft in particular, the team utilized two second-round picks on tackle Donovan Smith and guard Ali Marpet. Both will play in Week 7 as starters.
But what about the elder statesman of the offensive line, Logan Mankins?
According to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, the 33-year-old's hamstring injury is still keeping him from practicing.
Knowing sophomore Kevin Pamphile filled in for Mankins in Week 5, the Bucs would be trotting out three starters with limited experience if Mankins failed to play in this contest.
Advantage, Washington. True, the team's pass rush has been hit-or-miss in 2015. Against veterans Eli Manning and Fitzpatrick, the Redskins didn't so much as sniff the quarterback.
This won't occur in Week 7, though. Between Winston's elongated delivery and the Bucs' youth up front, Washington will have its shots to get to the quarterback.
Redskins Secondary vs. WR Mike Evans
Forget about Mike Evans' struggles in 2015 for a second and just cue the tape to last year's meeting with the Redskins.
Capitalizing on Washington's maligned secondary, Evans tallied seven receptions, 209 yards and two touchdowns in a Tampa win.
Fast forward to his sophomore campaign, and outside of receptions, Evans hasn't surpassed these totals in four games of action. He has 13 receptions, 174 yards and zero scores thus far.
Delve deeper, and you'll find Evans has yet to build chemistry with the No. 1 overall pick. Winston has three interceptions and is completing just 39 percent of his throws intended for Evans.
For the Redskins' sake, this can't be the week the two connect.
Matchup X-Factor
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Redskins X-Factor: QB Kirk Cousins
A winning formula for Washington doesn't involve Cousins throwing interceptions. It's really that simple. The disparity of his play in wins and losses in 2015 tells us this much.
In two wins, Cousins has three total touchdowns to zero interceptions, all while completing 74 percent of his throws, per ESPN.com.
In four losses, his accuracy falls to 62 percent, with eight interceptions and just four scores.
Two turnover-prone quarterbacks will line up under center in this matchup. To the signal-caller with the fewest amount of mistakes goes the victory.
Prediction: Redskins 23, Buccaneers 20
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Scoring and running the football have been problem spots for the Redskins offense of late.
It can't be against Tampa Bay, though. The Bucs are 31st in the NFL in scoring defense and 25th against the run. Despite their recent bye week, they are still in the bottom third of the league in giveaways (10).
With inexperience and a dearth of talent standing as the main reasons for Tampa's shortcomings here, there's little reason for Washington not capitalize on this matchup.
Even in their injured state, the Redskins have been able to force turnovers. The team has forced six the past two weeks alone.
Given favorable field position, Washington's offense will be able manufacture just enough points to hold off a late Tampa Bay rally.
Prediction: Redskins 23, Buccaneers 20
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