Game Preview, Week 2: Colts at Redskins
September 14, 2018
by Steve Thomas
Last week was a heck of a way to start the new season. I’ve never been so happy to be so wrong in my life – if you predicted such a dominating performance by the Redskins over the Cardinals on the road, you ought to start investing in lottery tickets, because a game like that wasn’t on many people’s radar scopes. Not only did the Redskins win, but they did it by featuring a strong rushing attack, which has been missing from this team for quite a long time. Thanks to game one, the Redskins now have an opportunity to really start strong thanks to another winnable contest, this time in the form of the home opener against the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts feature a fully rehabbed Andrew Luck (who most likely has a robotic shoulder by now), receiver T.Y. Hilton, and not much else in the way of offensive talent that should put fear into the Redskins. The history of the Redskins recent performance after a big win isn’t positive, so Washington has the chance to buck another trend this week. Let’s hope that they do. Here’s our preview.
Game time & location: Sunday, September 16, 2018, 1:00 p.m. ET, Jack Kent Cooke Stadium, Raljon, MD; Gates open 11:00 a.m. ET; Red Zone parking lots open 8:00 a.m.; all other parking lots 9:00 a.m.
Television: CBS
Television announcers: Spero Dedes, Adam Archuleta
DC-area radio: The Team 980
Redskins radio network: Click here
Colts radio network: Click here
Satellite radio: XM: 233 (Redskins broad.) Sirius: 94 (Redskins broad); internet: 831 (Redskins broad.)
Redskins roster: Click here
Redskins depth chart: Click here
Colts roster: Click here
Colts depth chart: Click here
All-time head-to-head record vs Colts: 10 – 20 (last 5: 1 – 4)
Last meeting: L, November 30, 2014, 27 – 49
Early odds: Redskins, -5.5
3 KEYS TO THE GAME
Prevent Andrew Luck from being great
So goes Andrew Luck, so go the Colts. Despite his rash of injuries and questionable roster around him, he’s an elite quarterback. This is not a team with a ton of offensive talent, and in the past, Luck has been the principal playmaker – in other words, before his injury, he was doing a whole lot without much help, and he was taking sacks at an alarming rate. If the Redskins can prevent Luck being an efficient and effective high-volume passer, and can repeatedly put him on the ground, the Redskins have a good chance of winning. He had 53 attempts last week against the Bengals, which is a ton for a guy who hasn’t played in a year and a half. Keeping Luck in check is pretty critical to Washington’s win chances for a win.
Continue to pound the ball, successfully
Washington had something of a culture change moment last week in that for the first time in a long time, the running game was consistently successful. The idea that the Redskins could run a ground and pound offense is something that seemed very unlikely even last year, but now, we’ve seen it work. The best way to keep a player like Luck from taking over a game is to keep him on the bench. The Redskins need to continue the pattern established in the Cardinal game feature the rushing attack. If Washington can find success on the ground again, they’re going to be tough to beat.
Let Jordan Reed exploit the defense
Jordan Reed, when healthy, is an elite-level talent who is a matchup nightmare for many teams. The Colts will be no exception. Reed only had 5 targets last week, and the Redskins need to feature him more against an Indianapolis team that will have a hard time covering him. Reed should have plenty of opportunities this week.
3 KEY MATCHUPS
Daron Payne vs Quenton Nelson
Both of the Colts’ starting tackles are banged up, but the stud of this group is the left guard Quenton Nelson, who was the Colts’ first round pick this year. Redskins need to be able to put pressure on Andrew Luck, which means that rookie tackle Daron Payne needs to be able to have some success against Nelson. Watch for this as the key matchup in the trenches.
T.Y. Hilton vs Josh Norman, Quinton Dunbar, and Fabian Moreau
Hilton is one of the few offensive playmakers on the Colts roster outside of Luck, maybe the only one. The Colts will look for Hilton to get more targets and make more of an impact this week than he did against the Bengals. Hilton has the body type of a slot receiver, but is good enough that Indianapolis lines him up both on the outside and the slot. Therefore, all three corners – Norman, Dunbar, and Moreau – will most likely have Hilton at times. Smaller, speedy, shifty receivers have given Norman fits in the past, so it might not be the best week to have Norman travel all day and follow Hilton all around the field. It’ll be a group effort, likely with safety help slanted towards Hilton as well.
Alex Smith vs the Colts secondary
Smith had a very typical Alex Smith game last week – an efficient, mistake-free, short passing attack. The Redskins should be able to exploit the Colts secondary this week as long as Smith continues to perform as he usually does. The combination of a strong Redskins running game and Smith picking part a fairly weak secondary would bode well for Washington’s chances for a win this week.
OFFICIAL INJURY REPORT (as of Friday (active roster only)) (starters in bold)
LP – limited practice FP – full practice DNP – did not practice
NIR – not injury related Q – questionable O – out
D – doubtful
| Redskins | Cardinals |
| S T. Apke, hamstring; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: O | T D. Good, knee/wrist; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: O |
| WR M. Harris, concussion; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP; Fri: LP; game: Q | CB C. Milton, concussion; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: O |
| T M. Moses, knee; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP; Fri: LP; game: Q | DL D. Autry, ankle; Wed: LP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: O |
| LB Z. Brown, oblique; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP | T A. Castonzo, hamstring; Wed: LP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: O |
| QB C. McCoy, right thumb; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP | S C. Geathers, knee; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP; Fri: DNP; game: Q |
| WR P. Richardson, Jr., shoulder; Wed: not listed; Thurs: FP; Fri: DNP; game: Q | RB M. Mack, hamstring; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP; Fri: FP; game: Q |
| T T. Williams, knee; Wed: not listed; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP | DT G. Stewart, shoulder; Wed: LP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP; game: Q |
| WR R. Grant, chest; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP |
TEAM STATISTICS
Redskins:
The Redskins offense produced in a major way in week 1. Washington’s 24 points scored against the Cardinals was tied for 12th in the NFL, which is clearly mediocre; however, the rushing numbers tell a different story: 1st in attempts and 1st in yardage. The Redskins averaged 4.3 yards per carry, which was middle of that pack, but the average also fell dramatically in the second half after the Cardinals started stuffing the box to stop what was a dominating Washington ground game. In the air, quarterback Alex Smith’s 118.1 quarterback rating was 4th best in the NFL last week, and his 70% completion percentage was good for 8th, but the 30 pass attempts was only 25th in the NFL. What we saw was something that has been woefully absent in the Jay Gruden era – a ball control, running offense that was a predicate for an effective short passing attack. The Redskins currently lead the NFL in time of possession by nearly 3 minutes. Whether Washington can continue to produce like this remains to be seen.
On defense, the Redskins surrendered just 6 points, behind only the Baltimore Ravens for 2nd in the NFL. Washington allowed the Cardinals to generate only 145 yards in the air, which was ranked 4th in week one. The Redskins run defense is currently ranked 4th in the NFL with just 68 yards gained, but allowed the Cardinals 4.5 yards per carry, which is fairly poor and good for just 20th in the NFL. Washington was fortunate that the Cardinals had to transition to an aerial attack due to the score, because, although the Redskins defense played a quality game, the run defense appeared to be softer than pass defense, and the numbers bear this out.
I’ll start tracking the Redskins stats in earnest next week.
Record: 1 – 0 (1st (tied)) (Home: 0 – 0; AFC: 0 – 0)
All-time franchise record: 594 – 581 – 28
Offense
| Offensive rankings (2017) | 16 (points) / 16 (total yards) / 17 (yards per game) / 14 (yards per play) / 12 (passing yards) / 9 (passing yards per att.) / 28 (rushing yards) / 29 (rushing yards per att.) |
| Points for (2017) | 342 |
| Yards per game (2017) | 324.9 |
| Passing (2017)
|
540 att (18th); 347 comp; 64.3% comp per. (8th); 7.6 Y/A; 3751 net yds; 27 TD; 13 Int |
| Passing leader (2017) | Cousins (540 att, 4093 yds (7th), 64.3% comp perc., 27 TDs / 10 Int, 93.9 QB rating (12th) |
| Receiving leader (2017) | Crowder (789 yds (34th), 103 targets (33rd), 66 rec (27th), 3 TD, 12.0 Y/C) |
| Rushing (2017) | 401 att (24th); 1448 yds; 3.6 Y/A; 90.5 Y/G (27th); 10 TD |
| Rushing leader (2017) | Perine (175 att, 603 yds (32nd), 1 TD, 3.4 Y/A (43rd), long 30) |
| Sacks surrendered / rank (2017) | 41 / 21__ |
| Ave time of possession / rank (2017) | 29:40 / 20 |
| 3rd down conversion rate / rank (2017) | 32.4% / 31 |
| TD percentage in red zone / rank (2017) | 54.35% / 16 |
Defense
| Defensive rankings (2017) | 28 (points) / 21 (total yards) / 22 (yards per game surrendered) / 15 (yards per play) / 9 (passing yards) / 16 (passing yards per att.) / 32 (rushing yards) / 29 (rushing yards per att.) |
| Points against (2017) | 388 |
| Yards per game surrendered (2017) | 347.9 |
| Opponent’s passing (2017) | 531 att (12th); 306 comp; 57.6% comp perc. (3rd); 7.0 Y/A; 3420 net yds; 23 TDs; QB Rating 81.0 (10th) |
| Opponent’s rushing (2017) | 472 att (29th); 2146 yds; 4.5 Y/A; 13 TD; 134.1 Y/G (32nd) |
| Sacks / rank / Sack leader (2017) | 42 / 7 / Kerrigan (13.0) |
| Tackles leader (2017) | Brown (84) |
| Int / rank / Int leader (2017) | 16 /9 / Fuller, Swearinger (4) |
| Opponent 3rd down conv rate / rank (2017) | 36.73% / 7 |
| Opponent TD percentage in red zone / rank (2017) | 50.88% / 12 |
Special Teams
| Kick returns (2017) | 19.8 Y/R (25th), 35 returns, long 35 yards, 0 TDs |
| Punt returns (2017) | 6.1 Y/R (27th), 29 returns, long 29 yards (22nd), 0 TD |
| Kick return defense (2017) | 18.7 Y/R (2nd), 24 returns, 0 TD |
| Punt return defense (2017) | 11.2 Y/R (31st), 39 returns, 1 TD |
| Punting (2017) | 45.7 Y/P (13th) |
Turnovers (2017) (lost by O / recv’d by D / net / rank) (2017): 27 / 23 / -4 / 23
Penalties (2017) (total accepted # / rank) (2017): 92 / 3
Colts:
In his first game back since the end of the 2016 season, quarterback Andrew Luck acquitted himself nicely in week one against the Bengals, going 39 for 53 for 319 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception, a 73.6% completion percentage, and a 93.2 quarterback rating. The Colts’ ground game was virtually nonexistent against the Bengals with only 76 yards (26th) on 22 carries (22nd). The Colts scored 23 points against Cincinnati, which was 16th in the NFL. Jordan Wilkins was the leading rusher with 40 yards, and former Redskin Ryan Grant led the way with 8 receptions for 59 yards, although tight end Jack Doyle had 60 yards on 7 receptions. Receiver T.Y. Hilton was Luck’s favorite target, with 11, but he only caught 5 for 46 yards.
On defense, the Colts allowed the Bengals to score 34 points, ranked 27th in the NFL. Indianapolis allowed 229 passing yards and a 75% completion percentage, ranked 17th and 30th, respectively. The Colts allowed Cincinnati’s Andy Dalton to post a 109.7 quarterback rating. The Colts surrendered 1 rushing touchdowns and 2 passing touchdowns. The Bengals gained 5.1 yards per carry against the Colts, which ranked 29th.
Record: 0 – 1 (4th (tied) (Away: 0 – 0; NFC: 0 – 0)
Offense
| Offensive rankings (2017)
|
30 (points) / 31 (total yards) / 31 (yards per game) / 32 (yards per play) / 30 (passing yards) / 22 (passing yards per att.) / 22 (rushing yards) / 27 (rushing yards per att.) |
| Points for (2017) | 263 |
| Yards per game (2017) | 284.6 |
| Passing (2017) | 487 att (30th); 285 comp; 58.5% comp per. (28th); 6.6 Y/A; 2892 net yds; 13 TDs; 9 Int |
| Passing leader (2017) | Brissett (469 att, 3098 yds (22nd), 58.8% comp per., 13 TDs / 7 Int, 81.7 QB rating (22nd)) |
| Reception leader (2017) | Hilton (966 yds (18th), 109 targets (25th), 57 rec (52nd), 4 TD, 16.9 Y/C); Doyle (690 yds (50th), 108 targets (26th), 80 rec (14th), 4 TDs, 8.6 Y/C) |
| Rushing (2017) | 451 att (10th); 1661 yds; 3.7 Y/A; 103.8 Y/G (22nd); 11 TDs |
| Rushing leader (2017) | Gore (261 att, 961 yds (12th), 3 TDs, 3.7 Y/A (34th), long 21 yds) |
| Sacks surrendered / rank (2017) | 56 / 32 |
| Ave time of possession / rank (2017) | 29:09 / 24 |
| 3rd down conversion rate / rank (2017) | 38.2% / 18 |
| TD percentage in red zone / rank (2017) | 40.0% / 31 |
Defense
| Defensive rankings (2017) | 30 (points) / 30 (total yards) / 29 (yards per game surrendered) / 28 (yards per play) / 28 (passing yards) / 32 (passing yards per att.) / 26 (rushing yards) / 8 (rushing yards per att.) |
| Points against (2017) | 404 |
| Yards per game surrendered (2017) | 367.1 |
| Opponent’s passing (2017) | 513 att (5th); 320 comp; 62.4% comp per. (18th); 8.0 Y/A; 3946 net yds; 23 TD; QB Rating 91.9 (20th) |
| Opponent’s rushing (2017) | 488 att (30th); 1927 yds; 3.9 Y/A; 15 TD |
| Sacks / rank / Sack leader (2017) | 25 / 31 / Sheard (5.5) |
| Tackles leader (2017) | Morrison (64) |
| Int / rank / Int leader (2017) | 13 / 15th / Melvin, Hooker (3) |
| Opponent 3rd down conv rate / rank (2017) | 44.7% / 31 |
| Opponent TD percentage in red zone / rank (2017) | 52.94% / 15 |
Special Teams
| Kick returns (2017) | 21.1 Y/R (18th), 28 returns, long 60 yards, 0 TDs |
| Punt returns (2017) | 6.0 Y/R (28th), 27 returns, long 30 yards (21st), 0 TDs |
| Kick return defense (2017) | 19.2 Y/R (4th), 23 returns, 0 TDs |
| Punt return defense (2017) | 4.2 Y/R (1st), 19 returns, 0 TD |
| Punting (2017) | 44.3 Y/P (21st) |
Turnovers (lost by O / recv’d by D / net / rank) (2017): 15 / 20 / +5 / 12
Penalties (total accepted # / rank) (2017): 92 / 4
* Statistics courtesy of www.pro-football-reference.com, www.nflpenalties.com, www.nfl.com, www.teamrankings.com, www.espn.com, www.sportingcharts.com