By: Wes Roop
This Sunday, the 3-1 Panthers roll into the nation's capital to battle the 2-2 Washington Redskins. The Panthers come in on a 'high' after a historic win last week over the New York Giants. The Redskins are coming in frustrated after being handed a loss by New Orleans.
The Redskins lead the all-time series versus the Panthers 7-6, however, our squad has won the last five. The last time we lost to the Redskins was during the Delhomme era. Much like last week, we cannot become complacent; the Redskins defense is currentloy ranked #2 in the NFL. They also have a defensive scheme versus the pass that could give us headaches. Below are my three keys to success versus the Redskins.
CONTROL TIME OF POSSESSION
One of the biggest reasons the Redskins rank #2 in all-purpose defense is they're not on the field as much as other teams. Their offense currently ranks #3 in the NFL in average time per drive. They have the 4th ranked run defense but the 4th fewest attempts against them. Obviously this leads to less yards. This also shows up in their pass defense; they currently rank #1 in all-purpose pass defense, yet they're allowing QB's to toss a 67.6 completion percentage, rating 8th worst in the league. If the Panthers can solidify the run game and play action, we can keep their defense on the field and improve our chances for winning.
LIMIT JORDAN REED AND CHRIS THOMPSON
Alex Smith is a game-managing style of QB, often dumping the ball off to his safety valves. This season, those valves are TE Jordan Reed and RB Chris Thompson. Jordan Reed hasn't lit us up in his two games against Carolina, although he has had decent success. In the two games against Carolina, he has 9 targets, 7 catches, and 52 yards. This Redskins team doesn't have the receiving core it used to, so expect Reed to see some targets this Sunday. If our linebackers and safeties can cover well, we will take a safety valve away from Smith. As for Chris Thompson, he not only leads the team in targets and catches, but also in yards per rush (players over 20 attempts). He can be shifty. We have to wrap up when tackling him on screens and underneath routes to ensure he doesn't squirt out into the open field.
EXPLOIT THEIR COVERAGE WITH SPEED
The Redskins use a unique version of the cover 3. When defending the pass, they give a mirage that they're playing soft underneath, their corners actually squat in this scheme and there is only one safety over the top.
There could potentially be one-on-one coverage deep. If our linemen hold protection and Cam reads the safety correctly, we can use our speed to exploit this scheme. This could lead to some big plays down field. Everyone wants to see more of MOORE, so here's a chance to give him or Samuel some looks deep.
In closing, this is another tough match-up. I'm sure their defense will be trying to eliminate our short and intermediate passing, so if we are able to get the run game rolling, throw in some play action plays, there should be some opportunities deep. I think Cam comes in hot and has a big day down field.
Final Score Prediction:
Panthers: 27
Redskins: 13
Let me know what you think! As always, KEEP POUNDING!
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