Washington Redskins vs. New England Patriots: Full Washington Game Preview
The Washington Redskins entered their bye week on a high note, defeating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-30 in comeback fashion.
Now for the reality check. As if winning on the road weren't hard enough (1-10 since 2014), the Skins have the daunting task of beating the undefeated New England Patriots.
According to Football Outsiders' Aaron Schatz (h/t ESPN.com), Week 9's bout is the first of many difficult games to come for Washington in the second half of the season. The team has the fourth-hardest remaining schedule in the league.
Will it pull the upset?
Let's find out. Here is the Week 9 preview for the Redskins.
Location: Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts
Time: 1 p.m. ET on Sunday
TV: Fox
Week 8 Results and Recap
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| New York Giants | 4 | 4 | 3-1 | 1-3 | 2-2 | 3-4 | 215 | 208 | +7 | L1 |
| Washington Redskins | 3 | 4 | 3-1 | 0-3 | 1-1 | 3-2 | 148 | 168 | -20 | W1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 3 | 4 | 2-1 | 1-3 | 1-2 | 2-4 | 160 | 137 | +23 | L1 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 2 | 5 | 1-3 | 1-2 | 2-1 | 2-4 | 133 | 171 | -38 | L5 |
Washington had good fortune on its side in overcoming a 24-point deficit to the Buccaneers in Week 7. Behind a career performance from Kirk Cousins, the team engineered the largest comeback in team history.
Even though the Skins were on bye, the team continued to make gains in the standings in Week 8.
The Dallas Cowboys continued their struggles without Tony Romo. Their 13-12 loss at the hands of the Seattle Seahawks put them squarely in the cellar of the NFC East.
At the top, the New York Giants' slipping defense put them on square ground in the loss column with both the Redskins and Philadelphia Eagles. New York surrendered 52 points and 608 yards to the New Orleans Saints.
Life will get tougher for Washington in the second half of its season. Five road games remain, and starting with the Patriots, two undefeated opponents are on the docket.
In light of this, a double-digit win total isn't really attainable for the Redskins. In the downtrodden NFC East, though, this isn't a prerequisite for the division winner.
Assuming the team can finally get off the schneid in the win department on the road, Washington can remain in the playoff picture if it merely hovers around the .500 mark.
On to New England.
News and Notes
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Silence at the Trade Deadline
Inactivity at the NFL trade deadline isn't a new phenomenon. Even so, looking at the state of Washington's roster, one could argue the team had ample motivation to get a deal done.
Starting at tight end, where Vernon Davis was available, a trade made sense. Jordan Reed, while productive, has availability issues. He's missed two games already in 2015 and a total of 14 over the course of his brief career.
The Redskins aren't in win-now mode, a la the Denver Broncos (who traded for Davis). But looking at the current state of the NFC East and the team's offense, Davis' potential impact as a receiver/blocker outweighed the compensation it took Denver to acquire him.
Then there's Robert Griffin III. According to ESPN's John Keim, the team received no offers for the star-crossed quarterback.
With a $16 million 2016 option attached to him, this isn't the least bit surprising.
Going with the status quo, Washington will instead look for a boost from the starters it has returning from injury.
Welcome Back, DeSean Jackson
Speaking of starters returning from injury, DeSean Jackson is in line to see his first game action since Week 1.
Following Monday's practice, per Liz Clarke of the Washington Post, Jackson relayed his intent to suit up for this week's contest against the Pats. "Everything is a green light," he said.
For an offense averaging a meager 6.4 yards per attempt (third worst in the NFL), Jackson's return is just what the doctor ordered.
One of the premier deep threats in the league, Jackson had 13 receptions of 40-plus yards in 2014.
Knowing the Patriots have allowed just two receptions of 40-plus yards, Jackson will have to be on top of his game in this one.
Injury Report
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| Player | Position | Injury Status |
| DeSean Jackson | WR | Probable |
| Bashaud Breeland | CB | Questionable |
| DeAngelo Hall | CB | Questionable |
| Chris Culliver | CB | Questionable |
| Chris Thompson | RB | Questionable |
| Ryan Kerrigan | LB | Questionable |
When it comes to New England, you can throw balance out the window. Only two teams have fewer rushing attempts. With that said, Washington's injury situation at cornerback looms large.
DeAngelo Hall and Chris Culliver have both missed four games, while Bashaud Breeland left the Tampa Bay game with a hamstring injury.
Stand-ins Will Blackmon and Kyshoen Jarrett have been serviceable, but to combat the Pats' No.2-ranked passing attack the Skins need all hands on deck.
In the case of top pass-rusher Ryan Kerrigan, while he has returned to practice, according to CSN's Tarik El-Bashir, his playing status will be determined by the surgeon who repaired his broken hand.
Injury statuses courtesy of CBSSports.com.
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Key Matchups
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Washington Pass Rush vs. New England Offensive Line
As it is for every Tom Brady opponent, the pass rush is the key to stopping the Patriots' prolific quarterback.
In light of their injury situation at cornerback, this is especially true for the Redskins.
Look across the board and you'll find the team is at a distinct disadvantage when it comes to dealing with the likes of Rob Gronkowski, Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola.
With the defense needing to commit extra defenders in coverage, blitzing Brady is out of the question—if it wasn't already. According to ESPN.com, defenses have tallied just five sacks in 74 dropbacks when blitzing Brady.
This puts the onus on Washington's front four to get a rush on Brady. Given the Pats' injury situation up front, this is an attainable goal.
Left tackle Nate Solder is out for the season, and starting right tackle Marcus Cannon missed last week's contest with the Miami Dolphins.
Brady may be lauded for his quick release, but he's still been sacked 18 times in 2015. For the Skins to stay within striking distance, a pass rush headlined by Kerrigan will have to add to this number.
Redskins Running Game vs Patriots Front Seven
Both were eyed as strengths entering the season, but as the schedule has moved forward Washington's running game and New England's run defense have turned into weak points.
After a brief stay atop the NFL's rushing leaderboard, the Skins have fallen all the way to 26th in rushing. In case of the Pats, they're allowing 4.2 yards per carry, 21st in the league.
Evidenced by its undefeated record, New England can prosper still despite this shortcoming. Washington isn't as fortunate.
The team's struggles running the football have exposed a defense short on depth to fatigue and made it difficult to establish any type of consistency on offense.
The Redskins don't have to average 171.5 yards per game like they did to start the year to make this a game. But with it being pivotal they win the time of possession battle, they can't post 42 yards rushing either (their average the past two weeks).
Matchup X-Factor
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Redskins X-Factor: QB Kirk Cousins
Cousins' now-famous postgame rant wasn't posed to the Redskins after the Tampa Bay game. If it were, though, the answer would be a resounding yes.
For the third time this season, although he did fumble, Cousins had zero interceptions in Week 7. Far from a coincidence, the end result of all three occurrences is a Washington win.
There you have it, the Redskins' winning formula.
Unlike previous contests, though, conservative play-calling won't aid Cousins in this cause. To compete with a New England team averaging 35.6 points per game, Washington will need explosive plays in the passing game.
Per ESPN.com, Cousins is just 4 of 26 on throws 20-plus yards downfield. With a full complement of weapons, Cousins has to turn around this statistic if the Skins are to keep pace.
Prediction: Patriots 38, Redskins 23
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Don't let Washington's season-high point total prior to the bye fool you. Cousins had a career day, but the offense also benefited from 142 yards in penalties against the Bucs. The team benefited from playing a Tampa team 28th in scoring defense.
The Redskins will receive no such favors in Foxborough. Their offense has steadily improved in the scoring column and should continue to do so following Jackson's return. It won't be enough to match New England's offensive attack, though.
The Pats are first in scoring and fourth in total yards. And as it's presently constituted, Washington doesn't have the horses on defense to slow their attack.
With New England coming off a mini-bye itself following its Thursday night tilt, the Skins don't even have much of an edge in the preparation department.
Being that the Patriots aren't particularly adept at forcing turnovers (19th in NFL), Cousins will have some success against their middling secondary and make this a competitive game, albeit for a half.
Behind another masterpiece from Brady, in the realm of 300-plus yards passing and three touchdowns, New England protects its home turf by a comfortable margin.
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