7 Keys to Victory in Washington Redskins' Week 6 Matchup
A heavy dose of Chris Thompson running, along with shutting down a play they know well and double-covering a franchise-record holder, will be the keys to victory for the Washington Redskins when they host the San Francisco 49ers at FedExField in Week 6.
Thompson's speed—both around the corner and through the middle—will cause problems for a San Francisco defense struggling to contain nifty runners this season.
Of course, the 49ers have their own credible rushing attack, one built on the zone-stretch play former Redskins offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan and his father, Mike, brought to Washington in 2010.
While it can overwhelm many defenses, the Burgundy and Gold are more qualified than most to snuff out the stretch play. Not only do they know it so well, the Redskins now have the defensive linemen dynamic enough to play downhill and stop the play at its source.
It won't be easy to stop Pierre Garcon. The wide receiver, who set a single-season record for receptions while a member of the Redskins in 2013, remains a formidable target over the middle and after the catch.
Not having injured shutdown cornerback Josh Norman to rely on means Washington defensive coordinator Greg Manusky has to commit to doubling up on Garcon every play.
Read on for a full list of things the Redskins must do to beat the winless Niners in Week 6 and improve to 3-2.
Involve Chris Thompson More as a Runner
1 of 7
The Redskins' running game is likely to again be without Rob Kelley, who is dealing with a sprained ankle, according to ESPN.com's John Keim.
Rookie Samaje Perine is expected to shoulder the load on the ground in Kelley's absence, but the Redskins would be wise to review the game tape from Week 5 and give Thompson the lion's share of the carries instead.
Looking back on the 49ers' narrow overtime loss to the Indianapolis Colts last week will show Washington head coach Jay Gruden how effectively a speed rusher can gash the San Francisco defense. It was rookie Marlon Mack who did the damage in Indy, swiftly scooting his way for 91 yards and a score off a mere nine carries.
Mack's speed through the hole routinely proved too much for the 49ers, who also struggled to deal with the South Florida graduate's shiftiness in tight spaces. Fortunately for the Redskins, Thompson also embodies those qualities.
No. 25 has been a game-breaker as a receiver this season, but his chops in the passing game often belie his talent as a runner. Thompson set career-best marks for carries, yards and rushing average in 2016, records he appears ready to break this season.
Through four games, Thompson has 20 carries for 142 yards, good enough for an eye-popping 7.1 yards per carry average, as well as a pair of rushing touchdowns.
Freeing Thompson on some sprint draws, sweeps and toss plays designed to exploit the edges will gas a 49ers defense loaded with size up front but lacking lateral speed in their ill-fitting 4-3 scheme.
6-8 Catches for Jamison Crowder
2 of 7
Gruden's desire to get Jamison Crowder more catches in the offense can't just be bland chin music. Instead, the wide receiver needs to have his breakout game in Week 6.
Getting No. 80 the ball more often is a priority, according to Gruden, per Master Tesfatsion of the Washington Post:
"I think you'll see more of Jamison Crowder, hopefully. He is one of our best skill players. We have got to get him more involved in the offense. That is partly my fault, to get more balls targeted for him."
It shouldn't be too difficult to involve Crowder more against a Niners' D vulnerable to quickness over the middle. It's a weakness exposed by the Los Angeles Rams during a wild shootout in the Bay Area in Week 3.
Led by another former Redskins offensive coordinator, Sean McVay, the Rams routinely flooded the middle with shallow crossing patterns and quick slants. It led to big days for Sammy Watkins, who caught six passes 106 yards—including two touchdowns—as well as Robert Woods, who turned six grabs into 108 yards.
Crowder can enjoy similar success against a Niners defense content to keep safeties deep and pass receivers off over the middle. The problem is San Francisco no longer boasts the athleticism at inside linebacker to make their underneath zone schemes work.
Specifically, NaVorro Bowman can't stay with receivers on crossers the way he did in the days when Patrick Willis was alongside him. The linebacker is now 29 and diminished by injury woes.
He found himself on the fringes against the Colts, while Brock Coyle took snaps on the inside, per Everett Cook of SFGate.com. Whoever plays in the middle, the 49ers don't have the move skills at either linebacker or safety to track Crowder underneath.
Double-Team DeForest Buckner
3 of 7
It won't matter how the Redskins plan to attack the San Francisco defense, or who they use to do it, if they don't keep DeForest Buckner quiet. The second-year trench warrior is quickly becoming one of the most consistently disruptive D-linemen in the NFL.
He has 24 tackles and 1.5 sacks through five starts, but the numbers aren't a true reflection of his ability to wreck an offense. Buckner's massive 6'7" and 300-pound frame regularly allows him to both set the edges and split inside gaps.
He can change the direction of a play and alter its timing on every snap. His overall contribution has been recognized by Pro Football Focus, who rate the 23-year-old as the second-highest graded interior D-lineman in football after the Rams' Aaron Donald.
Buckner is the player up front teams need to run away from and pay special attention to in the passing game. Special attention for the Redskins will mean regularly double-teaming the player taken seventh overall in the 2016 NFL draft.
The need becomes greater with standout left tackle Trent Williams a doubt to play on Sunday, according to Gruden, per Rick Maese of the Washington Post. Wherever Buckner lines up, the man over him will need some help.
Keeping a tight end over No. 99 every snap would be a smart move by the Redskins.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
Create Manageable Third Downs
4 of 7
Creating manageable third-down situations is part of the to-do list for every game, but it's going to be particularly important against a 49ers D loaded with dangerous, situational edge-rushers.
It still beggars belief that a San Francisco unit loaded with natural D-tackles and quality outside pass-rushers chooses to play a 4-3 base instead of a 3-4. Fortunately for the Redskins, going with a four-man front of Buckner, Arik Armstead, Earl Mitchell and rookie Solomon Thomas keeps Aaron Lynch and Elvis Dumervil off the field, except in third-and-long situations.
Obvious passing downs are when the Niners wisely choose to turn Lynch and Dumervil—still one of football's best edge-rushers in his 11th season—loose. The latter in particular is a major threat, having collected 3.5 sacks in his last two games.
One of the advantages of using Dumervil in a specialized role is the greater freedom it affords defensive coordinator Robert Salah to move the 33-year-old around. Dumervil has been lining up on either side of the defense, sometimes with his hand down, sometimes standing up.
Salah could use him to exploit Washington's left side if Williams is out. Dumervil's presence will demand attention, but such attention will increase the stress on the blocker assigned to deal with Lynch, who is a capable pass-rusher in his own right.
Washington's best answer to the 49ers' menacing edge-rushers is to keep them off the field. Using steady running and smart, short passing to Crowder, Ryan Grant and tight end Jordan Reed will keep the chains moving and keep the Redskins out of 3rd-and-long.
Blitz the Middle Against Brian Hoyer
5 of 7
Earlier this week, I wrote about how Manusky and his staff can use double A-gap blitz pressure to improve Washington's third-down defense. Blitzing the middle will be especially effective against immobile 49ers quarterback Brian Hoyer.
The 31-year-old passer likes to stand in the pocket and doesn't boast the natural move skills often needed in the Shanahan offense. It can make him a static target for the Redskins if they are bold enough to regularly attack the middle with blitzes through the A-gaps.
Rushing the middle proved effective during Week 4's defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football. Manusky often sent inside linebackers Zach Brown and Mason Foster on delayed blitzes.
Thanks to their improved talent up front, the Redskins have the potential to be one of the league's most effective defenses when blitzing the A-gaps. Rookie Jonathan Allen, Stacy McGee and Matt Ioannidis can all draw double teams inside and create natural rush lanes for blitzing middle linebackers to exploit.
Pressuring the interior of San Francisco's offensive front offers another advantage for the Redskins. It will reduce the need to win battles on the edge against left tackle Joe Staley, the 49ers' best O-lineman.
Double Pierre Garcon
6 of 7
The Redskins shouldn't need a refresher on why they should double Garcon. Yet, if they do, ESPN.com's John Keim has pointed out exactly why Garcon was so effective in Washington:
"Garcon’s beauty in Washington was his reliability. He was going to run his routes the same way each time, giving Kirk Cousins a reason to trust him. He was going to make tough catches in crucial situations. Who do you trust now to make a catch on, say, fourth-and-1 with a defensive back all over them? That’s what Garcon did against Philadelphia last year. If a quarterback needs to throw with anticipation, then he must trust the receiver."
Keim also noted how Shanahan is moving Garcon around more often, something he did in 2013 when the player caught a franchise-record 113 passes for the Redskins.
In fairness, Gruden appears to know all about the type of threat Garcon will bring back to FedExField this Sunday. Speaking to NBC Sports Washington (h/t Kyle Tasman of 247Sports.com), the head coach said this about Garcon and the challenges he'll pose:
"Pierre plays hard, Pierre plays physical. If you don't bring your physicality to him then it's going to be a long day for whoever is covering him. I'm sure (Bashaud) Breeland will be ready to roll. I'm sure (Quinton) Dunbar, (Kendall) Fuller or whoever has to go out there and cover him—Fabian (Moreau)—they'll be ready to roll, but they have to understand that he brings it on every play. That's the one thing you have to respect about Pierre Garcon is that he plays very physical and tough every snap."
The problem with Gruden's remarks comes from the suggestion one single person will have to "go out there and cover him." Effectively covering Garcon simply can't be a one-person job for the Redskins, especially with Norman out.
Washington's premier cover man will miss time dealing with a fractured rib and a punctured lung. Without Norman, there isn't anybody on the roster who can credibly handle Garcon's toughness over the middle and deceptive vertical speed alone.
Bashaud Breeland can get scrappy on the outside, but Garcon will beat him deep. Meanwhile, second-year cornerback Kendall Fuller has impressed this season and is certainly physical. However, 31-year-old Garcon will have too much savvy for the inexperienced slot corner.
As the Niners' leading receiver, Garcon needs to be shadowed by two people on every play. Manusky can mix up the looks, but he mustn't alter the attention paid to the veteran wideout.
Press coverage with a safety over the top will likely discourage Hoyer from looking Garcon's way too often on deep routes to the outside.
When Garcon is released underneath, he needs to be pressed and trailed toward an inside linebacker who must lay a wallop on him to prevent yards after the catch and punish his talent for exposing defenses on crossing patterns.
Garcon is older and not surrounded by the same talent he played with in Washington. Yet he's still good enough to win this game if the Redskins don't show him enough respect.
Play Downhill to Stop the Zone-Stretch Run
7 of 7
One of the simplest and most effective ways to limit zone-stretch runs is to play downhill and quickly split inside gaps. Slants don't work against a play designed to take a front seven out of formation and break back against the flow of pursuit.
Instead, the Redskins must attack downhill, behind the blockers who fan out one way or the other to set up stretch blocking. Getting behind these blockers and into the backfield quickly can take away the cutback lanes the outside zone plays are hoping to exploit.
The good news for Manusky is his defense is loaded with linemen who can tread quick paths downhill. Ziggy Hood can do it from the middle, while Allen and Terrell McClain will also have key roles to play.
McClain is Washington's best run defender up front, and it would be a good idea to match him up against Staley, San Francisco's focal point for run-blocking. Putting McClain over Staley will prevent the 49ers from targeting a soft side, a ploy favored by most zone-running teams.
The important thing will be to get underneath and inside blockers to take away the cutback lanes through the middle. Keeping Carlos Hyde and rookie Matt Breida running laterally is the Redskins' best bet for keeping the San Francisco rushing attack under wraps.
The 49ers may be 0-5, but four of those losses have come by a combined 11 points, so Washington can't afford to take Shanahan, Garcon and Co. lightly.
If the Redskins show respect for what the 49ers do well and commit to taking those things away, they will have too much on both sides of the ball not to improve to 3-2.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
.png?w=480)
