Patriots vs. Redskins: 5 Keys to a New England Victory

Bill Belichick's record against Mike Shanahan hasn't exactly been sterling, but he has a great opportunity to improve that mark on Sunday against a 4-8 Washington Redskins team.

The Patriots are currently riding a four-game winning streak and looking to capture the division crown this weekend with a win and a Jets loss. To focus on that goal before getting through the next opponent would be a complete diversion from the Patriot way.

As proven in Sunday's near-meltdown against the winless Indianapolis Colts, no win should be taken for granted and no team should be taken lightly. There are still several things the team must do in order to emerge victorious in the nation's capital.

Erik Frenz is the co-host of the PatsPropaganda and Frenz podcast. Follow Erik onTwitter.

Wait for the Mistakes

For those of you familiar with the modus operandi in New England, that is "bend, don't break."

No three-word phrase may be less welcome than that one after watching the Patriots nearly give away a 28-point lead in the fourth quarter against the Colts. However, New England can find solace in knowing that the Redskins have a streak of 26 games with at least one turnover, according to Mike Jones of The Washington Post.

The Patriots are currently fourth in the NFL in defensive turnovers, and are 6-1 when winning the turnover battle this season.

Protect the Ball

After a rough start in which Brady matched his interception total from 2010 in one game, the Patriots have turned the ball over just once in their four-game winning streak.

Bill O'Brien addressed this in his conference call on Tuesday, saying, "[Brady's] done a really good job in drill work, in practice, of reminding himself...to take care of the ball...I think over the last four weeks he's really improved."

That, coupled with the aforementioned 6-1 record when winning the turnover battle should be good enough reasons for ball security to be the point of focus this week and going forward.

Look for high-percentage throws against a pass defense that has been very average this year, despite its overall rankings. They allow 60.5 percent completions and an 86.1 defensive passer rating.

None of Washington's corners have been very adept at intercepting passes this season, having grabbed just eight of them all season long.

Contain Brian Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan

The Redskins have landed themselves a pair of ultra-talented pass-rushers in Brian Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan. The two have 12.5 sacks between them, but unlike some pass-rushers, their production is not a product of the scheme.

"They don't move [Kerrigan and Orakpo] around a whole lot," said Bill Belichick on a conference call Tuesday. "They have a couple of looks, but for the most part, it's not hard to find them. The problem is blocking them. It's kind of like [Colts defensive ends Robert] Mathis and [Dwight] Freeney."

After surrendering 12 sacks in four games from Week 5 to Week 9, the Patriots have given up just five sacks in the past four games. They are a bit thin on the offensive line, and were without Sebastian Vollmer on Sunday against the Colts, while also starting Nick McDonald at center in the absence of Dan Connolly.

The Patriots may have to leave tight end Rob Gronkowski in to chip a little more than usual, which would certainly impact his role in the offense.

If it means keeping Brady upright and healthy, it's a worthy sacrifice to make.

Shut Down the Running Game

How could this possibly be a factor? The Redskins rank 31st in total rushing yards average 3.8 yards per carry. Despite those numbers, the Redskins are 3-1 when rushing for 100 yards or more. The only loss came to the New York Jets this past week, in what was a much more hard-fought game than the 34-19 final score would indicate.

Plus, shutting down the running game ultimately puts the ball firmly in Rex Grossman's hands.

Though he may rack up the yards (as almost every quarterback has against New England this year), he will likely also put the ball in the hands of the wrong team at least once or twice. He has thrown 15 interceptions in nine games this season.

Score in the Red Zone

The Patriots have been lauded for a mediocre red-zone defense because nothing else is worthy of lauding. The Redskins, however, rank a very respectable seventh in red-zone defense (42.1 percent conversions allowed).

Brady has led the offense to one of the best percentages in red-zone scoring (66 percent conversions, ranks third in the NFL).

One of the big reasons they have been so effective has been their big tight end, Gronkowski. He leads all tight ends in red-zone targets (19), red-zone catches (13), red-zone reception percentage (68.4 percent), red-zone yards (138) and red-zone touchdown catches according to Gary of Nuggetpalooza via WEEI.com.

So yeah. Get that guy the ball.