Washington Redskins must get after Aaron Rodgers

Kirk Cousins is the main story for the Washington Redskins this postseason, but if the Washington Redskins want to make it to the divisional round, harassing an angry Aaron Rodgers will be a priority.

The Washington Redskins will welcome the Green Bay Packers to town this Sunday, as they will play host to Aaron Rodgers and company in the wild-card round of the NFL playoffs. With the large amount of success that the Packers have enjoyed over the years, they’re not a team that you can take lightly, especially with a quarterback who has two MVPs and a Super Bowl victory running the plays.

Even with Green Bay coming to FedEx Field as visitors, many people are still counting the Redskins out of this game, largely in part because of the presence of Rodgers. If Washington is to defeat the two-time MVP in their wild-card matchup, the team is going to have play near-perfect football on both sides of the ball.

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The Redskins’ defensive front will have to find ways to make Aaron Rodgers uncomfortable in the pocket. If they can do that, which shouldn’t be all that hard considering Green Bay allowed 47 sacks this season, they have a solid chance of winning the contest.

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With the Packers being so susceptible against the pass-rush,  players like Ryan Kerrigan, Chris Baker, Trent Murphy, and Preston Smith will have a solid chance of registering a sack in the game. As of right now, Kerrigan is the team’s best pass-rusher, and he will be expected to lead the pack when it comes to getting after the quarterback.

His 9.5 sacks led the team, with the rookie Smith finishing slightly behind him with eight on the year. Smith’s abilities began to shine as the season went on, accumulating five of his eight sacks in the last three weeks of the season. The fact that he’s entering the playoffs playing so well should be a big confidence booster for him.

Smith will also benefit from being so low key. Coming into this contest as a rookie with pass rushers like Kerrigan, Baker, and Terrance Knighton on the squad should provide him with a good opportunity to reach the quarterback. If Smith and the cast of characters that I mentioned can get after Rodgers, Washington’s chances at winning the game will increase exponentially.

While Washington will surely need to generate a solid pass-rush in order to defeat Green Bay, the Redskins’ offensive line must also find a way to fend off the Packers’ pass-rush. I feel confident that they’ll be able to do so, I say this because their offensive line has only allowed 27 sacks all season, which is good for fourth best in the league.

The Redskins’ offensive line has proven to be a dependable group, and Kirk Cousins has flourished because of it. If Washington’s offensive line can keep Cousins upright and allow him to get in a rhythm, the chances of him leading the team to a victory is far greater.

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Cousins showed that much in a victory against the Dallas Cowboys in week 17, as he completed 12 out of 15 passes for three touchdowns in the first quarter. If the Redskins’ offensive line can provide him with similar protection against Green Bay, I believe that he can post similar numbers.

If the Washington Redskins can adequately protect Cousins, while also putting pressure on Aaron Rodgers on defense, I think they come out of the game with a playoff victory.