There’s no getting around it — a win on Sunday is improbable for the Washington Redskins, as they play host to the undefeated San Francisco 49ers. Bill Callahan seems to have the team rolling in a new direction since taking over almost two weeks ago, but in order for the Redskins to make a big enough shift into relevance, a lot needs to change, and not much time has passed.
The 49ers, coached by Kyle Shanahan, who used to be an offensive coordinator in Washington, have been made highly successful thanks to their dominant defensive front this season, and tight end George Kittle and running backs Tevin Coleman and Matt Breida have helped to spur on this offense. So how exactly can the Redskins pull off this improbable upset? Let’s take a look.
Find a way to establish the run
San Francisco has one of the best defenses in the league, and they are incredibly stout against the run. So far this season, they’ve given up on average just 87 yards per game, with one touchdown allowed on the ground. Overall, they have the second-ranked defense in the NFL, behind only the New England Patriots. It may sound like a daunting task, but if Washington wants to have any chance of keeping this game close, they’ll have to get something going between the tackles.
A bulk of that responsibility lies with Adrian Peterson, but he won’t be able to do it alone. With imposing defensive lineman like Arik Armstead, DeForest Buckner, Dee Ford, and Nick Bosa, the offensive line in Washington will have their work cut out for them, but they can get the job done. With Ereck Flowers — who is having a career year — getting a push up-front alongside Chase Roullier and Brandon Scherff, they might be able to open up some running lanes for Peterson. Unfortunately, as is always the case with the Redskins, they are dealing with some injuries in the backfield that may restrict their production. RB Chris Thompson has been ruled out with a foot injury, and Derrius Guice is still on the IR awaiting his imminent return.
It’s no small task, but it’s imperative to finding success for Washington. If the Redskins hope to stay competitive, they’ll have to get it done between the tackles.
Put a cap on the 49ers offense
“San Francisco is undefeated? How did that happen?”
You aren’t alone in asking yourself that question, as the 49ers unprecedented success this season has flown relatively under the radar. They don’t have many super-star players if any at all, and the best player on their team just may be at the tight end position in Kittle, who burst onto the scene just last season. Nonetheless, the 49ers have been highly-successful on offense this season, managing to get chunk plays at a premium. They average 408 yards of offense per game, and they currently have 11 passing plays that have gone for 25 yards or more. Just a couple of weeks ago, Breida displayed this big-play ability by breaking off an 83-yard touchdown run on the first offensive play from scrimmage.
The Redskins defense has thankfully progressed to the mean after an abysmal start to the season, but they’ll have a big challenge on their hands come Sunday. With QB Jimmy Garoppolo leading the charge, Washington needs to do everything they can in order to limit the chunk plays against them. If Matt Ioannidis and Daron Payne can continue to get some pressure up front, and Shaun Dion-Hamilton and Jon Bostic can limit the yards on the ground, Washington may be able to keep the clock rolling and keep the scoring at a low.
Convert on big-play opportunities
A few times this year, Case Keenum has had a streaking Terry McLaurin wide open down the field early in the game, and he overthrew him. That can’t happen if the Redskins want to have a chance at winning this game. Washington’s rookie standout has shown an impressive ability to create separation in the secondary, and Keenum needs to take advantage of that. So far this season, McLaurin has caught 23 of his 38 targets for 408 yards and five touchdowns, leading all rookie receivers. Additionally, Keenum has completed 105-of-160 passes with nine touchdowns. Both players have shown the ability to succeed, but if they want to keep this game close on Sunday, they’ll need to convert on some of those home-run balls early in the game.
