By now, much has been said by both sides of the upcoming game between the San Francisco 49er and Washington Redskins.
For the Redskins, the task is stopping an elite Kyle Shanahan-directed offense and taking down an undefeated team.
And for the defense, the chatter has centered on the basics.
Defensive coordinator Greg Manusky served up the main talking point.
“We’ve got to be physical up front and be physical on the edge,” Manusky said, according to Zach Selby of Redskins.com. “We’ve got to be physical inside and they’re to [use] play-action to try to get up the field with the wide receivers. So, we’ve got to protect both ends.”
Easier said than done against a team like the 49ers, which has drummed up at least 20 points in every game so far, including a win over a contender like the Los Angeles Rams.
Washington, meanwhile, is a defense two weeks removed from letting up 33 to New England and 16 more to winless Miami in a one-point escape.
Written another way, it isn’t any wonder the talk centers on going back to basics for the defense — just as the offense has with the running game under Bill Callahan.
