The Washington Redskins are coming off of one of the biggest upset wins of the season, as they handed the Philadelphia Eagles a playoff-eliminating loss behind a positive performance from Robert Griffin III, who is turning the corner at the right time. There’s no doubt that the main focus will be on RG3 tomorrow against the Cowboys, but there are a few other players worth watching closely when both teams face off. The Cowboys are already locked into the playoffs after huge wins over the Eagles and the Indianapolis Colts, but an upset of their biggest rivals would still be huge for the Redskins. It would also have the added benefit of shooting down the Cowboys hopes at a playoff bye, though the ‘Boys would also need the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals to lose in order to clinch a week off.
QB Robert Griffin III
RG3 played well in a game that was incredibly important to his career, and it now looks like he has a good chance of sticking around in D.C. for another season. It seems weird, but he’s completed 69.4% passes on the season and should have a very nice looking completion percentage tomorrow against one of the NFL’s worst pass defenses. There’s no doubt that the Eagles have their issues in the secondary, but the Cowboys are in even more dire straits.
DeSean Jackson has been a monster all season long, and he played an exceptional game against his old team to eliminate Chip Kelly’s squad. There’s less venom in Jackson to beat the Cowboys, but he is still in-line for a big day against a soft matchup. RG3 throws a good deep ball, and it would be a disappointment for him to fail to take advantage of a bottom-five pass D.
That said, the Cowboys are surprisingly good at picking off passes, as they’ve done so 16 times this season, and they don’t allow that many passing touchdowns. Since RG3 has just three TDs compared to four picks, this is something that could be worth watching. He’ll have to show that he can make good decisions, but there’s no excuse for him to be inefficient. It isn’t a must-win game for the Redskins, but it’s still a must-play-well scenario for RG3, since his situation is very much in flux.
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Physical rookie cornerback Bashaun Breeland looks like a real building block for the Redskins defense, and he’s one defensive back this organization can feel happy out fielding on a week-to-week basis. Back in their Week 8 overtime win, the Redskins held Bryant to just three catches for 30 yards and a touchdown. Breeland played a huge role in the suffocation of the Cowboys clear top weapon, as, per Pro Football Focus, Bryant caught no passes on three targets in the Clemson rookie’s coverage. The CB was brilliant in that late October MNF outing, and he might have to play at that level again. Bryant is one of the most physical receivers in the game, but that’s the kind of game Breeland relishes playing.
RB Alfred Morris
Alfred Morris has quietly gone over the century mark as a rusher in each of his first three seasons in the league, as he currently sits at 1,031 yards and eight touchdowns after pounding out 83 on the Eagles last week, including an impressive 28-yard touchdown. The Cowboys run defense is fairly mediocre, allowing 4.2 yards per carry, so Morris could take advantage of their front seven.
In their last meeting, the 26-year-old Florida Atlantic product had 73 yards and a TD on 18 carries in an average outing, and it will be interesting to see if he does better with RG3 at the helm.Morris is averaging the lowest yards per carry and yards per game of his career, and he’s only run for more than 100 yards on occasion this season. Will he go over the century mark tomorrow? The numbers say that he most likely won’t, but hopefully we’ll see a strong performance from him.
Everyone on the interior OL
The Cowboys have done a very good job of getting after the quarterback this season, as great coaching and new faces on the defensive line have helped the Cowboys achieve a bend-but-don’t-break pass defense. Their two best pass rushers are Henry Melton and Tyrone Crawford, who line up at the defensive tackle spots and are constant menaces up the middle. Melton missed last season with an ACL tear, but he’s always been regarded as a top-notch interior pass rusher and has lived up to the billing this season in Dallas. Crawford received plenty of positive buzz in the offseason, and wise Cowboys fans who were bullish on him feel vindicated by his performances this season.
The Redskins offensive line has received plenty of deserved criticism this season, as the right tackle position has been a revolving door with neither Tyler Polumbus nor Tom Compton giving the team any sort of confidence. Chris Chester and Kory Lichtensteiger can hold their own as decent veterans, but Shawn Lauvao is a turnstile and an awful offseason signing who could be exposed badly by the Cowboys explosive interior. RG3 has the ability to leave the pocket up the middle, but that can lead to a negative cascade of events if this consistently happens throughout the game.
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