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The Washington Redskins are coming off of a disappointing Week 1 regular season-opening loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. The Redskins led the Eagles 17-0 in the second quarter and 20-7 at halftime.
The wheels fell off for the Burgundy and Gold after the halftime lead and they were soundly defeated by the second half rejuvenated Eagles 32-27.
Now the Redskins will enter a Week 2 home opener against their arch-rival, Dallas Cowboys as six point underdogs.
The Cowboys come into FedexField feeling confident after an impressive 35-17 home victory over the New York Giants last Sunday.
Injuries have again become part of the theme among the Redskins. Over the past two seasons, few teams have been hit with the injury-bug the way the Redskin have and now just two weeks into the start of a new campaign the same issues have resurfaced.
The Redskins will be without starting running back Derrius Guice with a meniscus injury and also starting defensive lineman Jonathan Allen. Starting All-Pro tight end Jordan Reed will miss his second straight contest since suffering a concussion in the teams’ third preseason game.
The Redskins have already needed to make several roster moves this past week because of the injuries.
On Tuesday, Washington waived second-year cornerback Greg Stroman who was designated as injured. On Friday the team placed Guice and defensive lineman Caleb Brantley on the reserve/injured list and signed veteran free agent cornerback Aaron Colvin.
Despite injuries pilling up, Washington will have to find a way to contain Dallas’s new look and explosive offense when on defense. When on offense the Redskins ust find a way to strike balance between running back Adrian Peterson and passing expolits of QB Case Keenum.
While speaking to the media from the INOVA Sports Performance Center at Redskins Park, coach Jay Gruden mentioned what he has seen from Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott over the years.
“Dak [Prescott] has always been a very poised quarterback,” Gruden said. “He does a great job with his eyes down the field, creating plays with his legs, his strength in the pocket. We’ve had many of times we’ve had him corralled and he gets out of the grasp of our defenders and makes a play. He had one last, he had two last year at their place that really cost us. He’s an excellent quarterback. He can do it all, he can get outside the pocket, he can stand in the pocket and then he hurts you with his legs within the pocket.”
Defensive coordinator Greg Manusky spoke of the importance of creating pressure against Prescott after last week allowing Eagles QB Carson Wentz time to get comfortable in the pocket.
“[Quarterback] [Carson Wentz] is a pretty good quarterback of course,” Manusky said. “The have a pretty good offensive line from a protection standpoint. [Wentz] can hold the ball, he can scramble and get around. We have to make sure that we get after the same guy in Dallas. [Quarterback] [Dak Prescott] is very similar. We got to make sure we get off on third downs, so we get off the field.”