Washington Redskins: 5 Keys to Victory Over the New York Giants
The Washington Redskins are in a tough spot at 5-6. They still have three division games to play and will need some type of miracle to win out and have some chance at a playoff berth.
Before we get caught up in what ifs and the like, the Redskins have a tough test ahead of them as they head to New York for the first meeting with the Giants.
It is going to take a lot for the Redskins to overcome the numerous threats that the Giants pose. It will take a near perfect game to stop the Giants from asserting dominance, but the Redskins have shown flashes of their ability to do just about everything on the field.
With injuries restricting their capabilities on both sides of the ball, the Redskins are going to have to play a near perfect game to overcome the Giants this Sunday.
Work to Establish the Run Early; Do Not Abandon It
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The Redskins are going to find it tough to get their offense going if they can't take pressure off the passing game.
They are 26th in the NFL with 90.7 rushing yards per game. Much of that total is a product of injuries that have riddled both the offensive line and the backfield. Clinton Portis is out for the season, and Ryan Torain hasn't participated in practices.
That leaves rookie Keiland Williams to shoulder the load as the best option among the healthy running backs available for Washington.
The Giants are ninth in the NFL in rush defense, allowing just over 100 yards per game. They have allowed back-to-back 100 yard rushers in their last two games with LeSean McCoy rushing for 111 yards and Maurice Jones-Drew for 113. Half of McCoy's yardage came on one 50-yard run, but it proves the Giants can be beaten.
Assuming William gets more touches than the recently added James Davis, the Redskins are in for a battle on the ground.
Williams is more of a power back than either McCoy or Jones-Drew, which means he is more likely to run right at the strength of the Giants defense. Ideally, the Redskins would use Williams to soften the defense up a bit and then let their speed back run around the tired line. However, they do not have that option and may have to rely on a combination of power with Williams and Davis taking turns fighting for yards.
If the Redskins give up on the run too early, the Giants will be able to drop back and sit on every pass play. Williams has just 200 yards on the season but leads the team in touchdowns with five. He'll need to score at least once to give the run game some credibility against New York.
Open Up the Playbook to Get Playmakers Involved
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If there is one thing the Redskins have shown their offense to be, it is bland. It is as if Mike and Kyle Shanahan never got themselves out of preseason mode and are still calling a vanilla game. It has left Washington ranked 21st in the NFL in total offense.
With the season on the line and very little left to lose, the Redskins can't afford to be shy with the play-calling.
With Joey Galloway recently cut and Terrence Austin promoted to the regular roster, the Redskins have increased their playmaking ability by leaps and bounds.
Galloway could still move, but Austin is an elusive runner who excels after the catch. While he was expected to take on special teams duties when he was drafted, he presents an interesting option behind Santana Moss and Anthony Armstrong.
With Brandon Banks and Austin, there are a lot of opportunities to create yards on offense.
It is absurd to think Austin will be completely up to speed by Sunday, but it doesn't take much to set up a quick screen and let him run with it. Moss runs a lot of routes underneath, and with teams focusing on him, it may open up a lot of plays down the field for Armstrong. In turn, that opens up the run game and more quick passes to Austin or whomever the Redskins put in that third receiver spot.
Again, it isn't guaranteed that Austin will play any pivotal role in the offense. But he presents a new wrinkle that Washington should try to exploit.
It doesn't mean the Redskins need to send more routes deep more often. Rather, they should not repeat the three-and-out on three running plays. Get Mike Sellers involved; get Fred Davis involved. There are plenty of players who can help the cause. Why not let them?
Force Turnovers and Mistakes on Defense
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Washington is ninth in the NFL with 21 takeaways. The Giants have a turnover differential of minus-six, meaning they are susceptible to turnovers.
Now is the time to test every ball carrier's ball security and look to punch it out on every play.
One of the things the Redskins defense did early in the season was stand ball carriers up and allow their teammates to finish the job. DeAngelo Hall scored a touchdown on a fumble forced by a player who had been stood up.
It just takes one turnover to change a game, and the Redskins will need every opportunity to slow the Giants offense.
It helps that two key players for New York have had ball security issues this season.
Ahmad Bradshaw and Eli Manning have both lost five fumbles this season. Manning has thrown 16 interceptions already and has had trouble adjusting to life without his favorite targets in Hakeem Nicks and Steve Smith. Nicks has already been ruled out of the game, and Smith is questionable.
Manning will make mistakes, and it is up to the secondary to exploit them.
If the pass rush can collapse the pocket and make Manning uncomfortable, the turnovers should be plenty. However, Manning has only been sacked 12 times this season because of great play from the offensive line.
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Stop the Run; Don't Let Manning Win the Game
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The Giants are averaging 138 rushing yards per game but have scored most of their points through the air. They use their punishing run game to set up their passing game, and Washington stinks at stopping both the pass and the run.
As the last-ranked defense in the NFL, the Redskins can't afford to let Bradshaw, Brandon Jacobs or Manning to hurt them.
With his biggest playmakers in Nicks and Smith out, Manning will have to rely on Kevin Boss, Bradshaw and Manningham to make the passing game function. Manningham has scored in four of his last six games and is the clear favorite for Manning.
The Giants only have a passing game if their ground game is running on all cylinders.
It will be difficult to derail either Bradshaw or Jacobs because when one is stopped, the other gets the job done. The Redskins have not done well stopping the run but limited Jacobs to an average of 3.1 yards per carry on 32 attempts last season. Bradshaw hurt the Redskins to the tune of 120 yards on 21 carries for 5.9 yards per carry with two touchdowns.
The Redskins will have to attack the line of scrimmage without leaving the secondary exposed.
With safety LaRon Landry unlikely to play, it will be up to the defensive line and linebackers to contain whoever is running the ball. If Washington can force the game into Manning's hands, they have a better chance at forcing turnovers. With Carlos Rogers questionable for Sunday, it will fall to Phillip Buchanon alongside DeAngelo Hall to keep the receivers out of sync.
Protect Donovan McNabb from Hits and Sacks Alike
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The Giants are known for their ability to get to the quarterback. They are fifth in the NFL with 31 sacks, fourth in takeaways with 24 and are allowing just 186.4 passing yards per game. Washington is 10th in passing offense, but only by virtue of having no run game to speak of.
New York thrives when its defense wreaks havoc in the backfield and creates turnovers.
The Redskins are hurting up front with all five regular starters fighting some ailment or poor play. McNabb has been sacked 31 times this year and 15 times in the last four games as a result of the poor offensive line play. This week may prove to be the anvil that breaks the camel's back.
It is setting up to be an ugly Sunday for Washington, and a painful outing for McNabb.
Washington has to hope that Osi Umenyiora doesn't break his streak of five straight games without a sack. At the same time, the Redskins will have to contain Justin Tuck, who has 3.5 sacks and two forced fumbles in his last two games.
McNabb has played well against the Giants in the past, but this isn't Philadelphia, and the Redskins don't have the playmakers the Eagles do.
If Casey Rabach steps on McNabb's foot like he has in far too many games this year, it will be just one more drop in the bucket of things that could go wrong in this game. The interior is falling apart, and only Trent Williams is pulling his weight each week. If the Redskins can't keep McNabb out of harm's way, the Giants will have the game well in hand before halftime.
McNabb is already hurt, and the Redskins don't have the players to make up for losing him.
The Redskins need to make sure McNabb isn't forced into any bad throws. He has been prone to throwing interceptions when pressured, and the Giants will look to exploit that by keeping linebackers in the middle of the field.
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