Washington Redskins: Running game key against Patriots

By Andrew Long | Nov 6, 2015

The Washington Redskins, who are coming off of their bye week, will square off against the New England Patriots on Sunday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. The Redskins are sitting at 3-4, only half of a game behind the New York Giants for the NFC East crown, while the New England Patriots are an impressive 7-0, and lead the AFC East.

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If Washington is going to have success down the stretch, they’re going to have to ramp up their game. They’ll have to find ways to beat, or at least stay competitive, with teams of New England’s caliber. While pulling off a win against the Patriots at home is extremely unlikely, it is important for the Redskins to keep up with them.

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For the Redskins’ momentum moving forward, they have to at least stay competitive this Sunday against New England. If they can manage to do that, I truly believe that it will help their self-esteem moving forward. If they’re going to win, or at least stay competitive with the Patriots, they’ll have to control the flow of the game by way of the rushing attack.

Alfred Morris and Matt Jones looked nearly unstoppable earlier in the season, but, whether or it be because of the score or lack of effectiveness, the Redskins have all but abandoned the run-game in recent weeks.

Over the course of the first four games of the season, the Redskins carried the ball a total of 126 times for 558 yards, which equates to 139.5 rushing yards per game. Washington’s strong rushing attack took them to 2-2. Since then, though, the Washington coaching staff has called far fewer runs, and their offensive production and win-loss ratio has suffered, as they now sit at 3-4.

Despite having a good bit of success on the ground early on in the year, the Redskins have opted to carry the ball very little in their last three games. After carrying the ball 126 times in the first four games, or 31.5 times per game, Washington has carried the ball only 71 times, or 23.6 times per game, over the course of their last three contests.

Oct 25, 2015; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins running back Matt Jones (31) runs with the ball during the third quarter Tampa Bay Buccaneers at FedEx Field. Washington Redskins defeated Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-30. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

That’s a total 7.9 less carries per game, and while Kirk Cousins has had some success throwing the football this season, the Redskins won’t be able to make an actual playoff push or build a steady offensive attack with him dropping back 40+ times per game.

If the Washington Redskins want to defeat the Patriots, or at least stay competitive with them, they’ll have to revert back to the running game. This is important when playing a team like New England because they possess a quarterback that is capable of dissecting opposing defenses.

The more time that Tom Brady has the football, the more likely the Patriots are to run up the score, meaning Washington has to get back to running the football. If they’re able to establish a running attack early, they have a chance at beating New England; they have a chance at being competitive.

And while the Redskins aren’t likely to leave the game with a victory, they have to keep it close. They have to stay competitive. If Washington can keep things close with – or beat – the defending Super Bowl champions, the better chances they have at building a playoff run moving forward.

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In my personal opinion, the best way that Washington can stay competitive is by running the ball. If the Redskins can do that, they might be able to steal one from New England.

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