Game Preview, Week 3: Washington at Cleveland
September 25, 2020
by Steve Thomas
It’s week three of the 2020 season, and the Redskins Washington Football Team WFT the Team the Washington Whatevers the Football Team Washington needs a win to stay on track for a winning season, and also to keep the franchise above .500 all-time. Plus, the Cowboys are now also at 1 – 1 as a result of their big comeback win this past Sunday. So, yes, it’s just an AFC game, but this game matters. Fortunately, this contest is eminently winnable, with the Browns having to overcome some challenges of their own. While it’s true that Cleveland is favored, a victory is realistic for Washington if they can make some key improvements over the first two games. Losing a game on the road against an AFC team isn’t the end of the world, but still: this is sort of a game Washington needs to have. Our game preview is below.
Game time & location: Sunday, September 27, 2020, 1:00 p.m. ET, FirstEnergy Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio; fans are allowed and gates open 11:00 am ET
Television: Fox
Television announcers: Kevin Kugler, Chris Spielman, Laura Okmin
TV broadcast map: click here
DC-area radio: The Team 980
Washington radio network: click here
Browns radio network: click here
Satellite radio: XM: 229 (Browns broad.) Sirius: 134 (Wash. broad); internet: 831 (Wash broad.)
Redskins roster: click here
Redskins depth chart: click here
Browns roster: click here
Browns depth chart: click here
All-time head-to-head record vs Cleveland: 12 – 33 – 1 (last 10: 7 – 3) (streak: 3 – 0)
Last meeting: W, October 2, 2016, 31 – 20
Early odds: Browns, -7
3 KEYS TO THE GAME
Offensive progress
Quarterback Dwayne Haskins has taken criticism this week, including from The Hog Sty, for his less than stellar performances so far this season. In both games, Washington’s offense has started slow and picked up the pace at some point in the second half. Washington, and Haskins in particular, needs to figure out a way to start producing some consistent drives, or they just aren’t going to win many games. This means improvement on third downs, uptempo, shorter passes, and somehow, some way, a consistent run game. Cleveland’s defense has been good against the run and subpar against the pass, so it seems likely that this game may fall on the passing game. This is the most important key to a Washington victory.
Keep Cleveland’s running game in check
The Browns are a running team, pure and simple. Nick Chubb is averaging 5.8 yards per carry so far this season, and Kareem Hunt is up to an astounding 6.9 yards per carry. The Browns passing game under Baker Mayfield is inconsistent despite plenty of talent, so if Washington can at least slow down Chubb and Hunt, it will go a long way to keeping the score down. This is probably easier said than done, of course, but it’s the most important task for the Washington defense.
Take advantage of Browns mistakes
In two games, Cleveland has managed to rack up 16 penalties, which is the second-most in the NFL, and has also committed 4 turnovers for a -2 turnover ratio (ranked 29th). The point is, the Browns are a team that makes mistakes and has shot itself in the foot at times. Washington was able to take advantage of Philadelphia’s mistakes in week one and they’ll need to do that again against Cleveland in order to win this game. Washington cannot afford to squander turnovers and short field possessions and expect to win.
3 KEY MATCHUPS
This is a big-time, high profile matchup between Washington’s Generational Talent defensive end, picked 2nd in the draft, and the 10th overall pick by Cleveland, who was the second tackle picked in the draft, Jedrick Wills from Alabama. Ohio St. did not face Alabama last season, so this will be a new matchup for both players. Not only will this battle be closely watched by the national media, but it is also important to the game, because Baker Mayfield is athletic, but not at Kyler Murray’s level in terms of athleticism, and can be pressured. Mayfield will get frustrated and less effective against pressure, which can only help Washington.
Odell Beckham Jr. vs Kendall Fuller and Ronald Darby
Beckham hasn’t exactly set the world on fire during his time in Cleveland, but he’s had some big games against Washington over the years (136 yards in 2018). If Beckham gets rolling against Washington’s weak secondary, it would be a major boost to the Browns’ mediocre-at-best passing game. The good news is that Kendall Fuller should be back on the field for the first time this year. He’s the big money guy in the cornerback group, so he in particular needs to come through in a big way. I anticipate that Washington will be mostly in zone coverage, so Fuller will probably not be tasked with following Beckham, thereby placing some of the onus on the other starter, Darby. Keep an eye out for how much damage Beckham can do on Sunday.
Myles Garrett vs. Geron Christian Sr.
Myles Garrett – the guy who got himself suspended for half a season for attacking Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph with a helmet – is a talented pass rusher. Christian has been questionable at best as the starting left tackle, and with the struggles of Haskins, the last thing he needs is tons of blindside edge pressure in his face all day. Christian had a tough matchup last week, and another one this week. This battle is critical to Washington’s chances for success.
OFFICIAL INJURY REPORT (starters in bold)
LP – limited practice FP – full practice DNP – did not practice
NIR – not injury related Q – questionable O – out
D – doubtful NL – not listed
| Washington | Browns |
| DE R. Anderson, shin; Wed: DNP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP | DE A. Clayborn, hip; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: LP; game: Q |
| T S. Charles, thigh; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: O | LB J. Phillips, knee; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: O |
| LB T. Davis Sr., illness; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DP; Fri: FP | DE O. Vernon, abdomen; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: O |
| LB C. Holcomb, knee; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: O | T J. Conklin, ankle, finger; Wed: LP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP |
| DE R. Kerrigan, toe; Wed: DNP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP | CB K. Johnson, liver; Wed: LP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP |
| WR S. Sims Jr., toe; Wed: DNP; Thurs: LP; Fri: FP; game: Q | C J.C. Tretter, knee; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP; Fri: LP |
| T M. Moses, hip; Wed: LP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: FP; game: Q | CB G. Williams, shoulder; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP; Fri: LP; game: O |
| LB M. Wilson, knee; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP; Fri: LP; game: Q | |
| TE S. Carlson, shoulder; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP | |
| WR J. Landry, hip; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP | |
| LB S. Takitaki, shoulder; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP | |
| D D. Ward, groin; Wed: NL; Thurs: LP; Fri: DNP; game: Q |
TEAM STATISTICS
Washington:
From a statistical perspective, Washington’s offensive has been fairly atrocious so far this season. They are 31st in total yards, passing yards, and rushing yards per attempt, and last in both third down conversions and completion percentage. That isn’t a recipe for success and needs to improve. The run game has been slightly better in terms of total yards, but Washington is only averaging 3.3 yards per carry.
Defensively, Washington is doing moderately better from a statistical point of view. They are leading the NFL in sacks, 6th in opposing quarterback rating, 8th in yards per play, 13th in total yards, 18th in passing yards, and 12th in rushing yards. Of course, these medicore / decent stats are mostly due to the big victory against the Eagles in week 1, but still: big improvement over 2019.
Record: 1 – 1 (1st) (Away: 0 – 1); AFC: 0 – 0)
All-time franchise record: 604 – 604 – 28
Offense
| Offensive rankings | 24 (points) / 31 (total yards) / 31 (yards per game) / 31 (yards per play) / 31 (passing yards) / 29 (passing yards per att.) / 24 (rushing yards) / 31 (rushing yards per att.) |
| Points for | 42 |
| Yards per game | 277.5 |
| Passing
|
64 att (24th); 36 comp; 56.3% comp per. (32nd); 6.3 Y/A; 358 net yds; 2 TD; 0 Int |
| Passing leader | Haskins (64 att, 401 yds, 58.3% comp perc (32nd), 2 TDs / 0 Int, 85.5 QB rating (22nd)) |
| Receiving leader | McLaurin (186 yds (8th), 17 tgts (21st), 12 rec (18th), 1 TD, 15.5 YPC (20th)) |
| Rushing | 59 att (12th); 197 yds; 3.3 Y/A; 98.5 Y/G (24th); 3 TD |
| Rushing leader | Gibson (22 att (30th), 91 yds (33rd), 1 TDs, 4.1 Y/A (32nd), long 20) |
| Sacks surrendered / rank | 7 / 30 |
| Ave time of possession / rank | 27:48 / 25 |
| 3rd down conversion rate / rank | 30.0% / 32 |
| TD percentage in red zone / rank | 57.14% / 23 |
Defense
| Defensive rankings | 15 (points) / 13 (total yards) / 13 (yards per game surrendered) / 8 (yards per play) / 18 (passing yards) / 15 (passing yards per att.) / 12 (rushing yards) / 17 (rushing yards per att.) |
| Points against | 47 |
| Yards per game surrendered | 351.5 |
| Opponent’s passing | 80 att (24th); 50 comp; 62.5% comp perc. (9th); 7.0 Y/A; 486 net yds; 3 TDs; QB Rating 80.0 (6th) |
| Opponent’s rushing | 49 att (20th); 217 yds; 4.4 Y/A; 2 TDs; 108.5 Y/G (12th) |
| Sacks / rank / Sack leader | 11 / 1 / Young (2.5) |
| Tackles leader | Pierre-Louis (19) |
| Int / rank / Int leader | 3 / 1 / Moreland, Collins, Moreau (1) |
| Opponent 3rd down conv rate / rank | 38.71% / 7 |
| Opponent TD percentage in red zone / rank | 50.0% / 11 |
Special Teams
| Kick returns | 14.0 Y/R (29th), 3 returns, long 20 yards (28th), 0 TDs |
| Punt returns | 4.3 Y/R (22nd), 1 return, long 0 yards (1st), 0 TD |
| Kick return defense | 0.0 Y/R (1st), 17 returns, 0 TDs |
| Punt return defense | 3.8 Y/R (4th), 5 returns, 0 TDs |
| Punting | 47.2 Y/P (9th) |
Turnovers (lost by O / recv’d by D / net / rank): 2 / 4 / +2 / 8
Penalties (total accepted # / rank): 13 / 19
Browns:
The Browns offensive numbers show that this is a running team: 2nd in total rushing yards and rushing yards per attempt, whereas quarterback Baker Mayfield has a 59.7% completion percentage (ranked 27th). In spite of the offensive talent in the receiver groups, they are only 28th in passing yards. Turnovers have held this team back – they’ve already lost 4 turnovers in just 2 games. The low number points scored ranking (25th) is a bit of an aberration, as they were completely shut down in week 1 by the Super Bowl contending Ravens, but then put up 30 against the Bengals.
Defensively, Cleveland has been outstanding against the run – believe it or not, they are ranked 6th in the NFL in total rushing yards surrendered, and have only given up an average of 3.3 yards per attempt. Their pass defense is a different story, with the Browns allowing opposing quarterbacks to post an average quarterback rating of 109.4 (ranked 26th). Again, though, this is a bit of a statistical early-season aberration, as MVP candidate Lamar Jackson put up a rating of 152.1, whereas Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow posted a rating of 90.6. This is a mediocre defense that can be taken advantage of.
Record: 1 – 1 (3rd); Home: 1 – 1; NFC: 0 – 0
All-time franchise record: 523 – 505 – 14
Offense
| Offensive rankings
|
25 (points) / 16 (total yards) / 16 (yards per game) / 14 (yards per play) / 28 (passing yards) / 25 (passing yards per att.) / 2 (rushing yards) / 2 (rushing yards per att.) |
| Points for | 41 |
| Yards per game | 370.0 |
| Passing | 62 att (28th); 37 comp; 59.7% comp per. (26th); 6.6 Y/A; 387 net yds; 3 TDs; 2 Int |
| Passing leader | Mayfield (62 att, 408 yds (26th), 59.7% comp per. (27th), 3 TDs / 2 Int, 81.9 QB rating (27th)) |
| Reception leader | Landry (107 yds (51st), 9 targets (102nd), 8 rec (71st), 0 TD, 13.4 Y/C); Beckham (96 yds, 16 targets, 7 rec, 1 TD, 13.7 Y/C) |
| Rushing | 62 att (2nd); 353 yds; 5.7 Y/A; 176.5 Y/G (2nd); 3 TDs |
| Rushing leader | Chubb (32 att (15th), 184 yds (4th), 2 TDs, 5.8 Y/A, long 29 yds); Hunt (23 att, 158 yds, 1 TD, 6.9 Y/A (3rd), long 33 yds) |
| Sacks surrendered / rank | 2 / 6 |
| Ave time of possession / rank | 28:11 / 22 |
| 3rd down conversion rate / rank | 40.0% / 21 |
| TD percentage in red zone / rank | 45.28% / 29 |
Defense
| Defensive rankings | 29 (points) / 17 (total yards) / 17 (yards per game surrendered) / 8 (yards per play) / 27 (passing yards) / 10 (passing yards per att.) / 6 (rushing yards) / 5 (rushing yards per att.) |
| Points against | 68 |
| Yards per game surrendered | 367.0 |
| Opponent’s passing | 87 att (31st); 58 comp; 66.7% comp per. (19th); 6.9 Y/A; 555 net yds; 6 TD; QB Rating 109.4 (26th) |
| Opponent’s rushing | 54 att (26th); 179 yds; 3.3 Y/A; 2 TD |
| Sacks / rank / Sack leader | 5 / 15 / Clayborn (2.0) |
| Tackles leader | Goodson (16) |
| Int / rank / Int leader | 0 / 32 / none |
| Opponent 3rd down conv rate / rank | 48.28% / 22 |
| Opponent TD percentage in red zone / rank | 70.0% / 21 |
Special Teams
| Kick returns | 0.0 Y/R (32nd), 0 returns, long 0 yards (32nd), 0 TDs |
| Punt returns | 7.0 Y/R (19th), 2 returns, long 13 yards (15th), 0 TDs |
| Kick return defense | 37.8 Y/R (29th), 4 returns, 0 TDs |
| Punt return defense | 13.0 Y/R (24th), 2 returns, 0 TDs |
| Punting | 45.0 Y/P (16th) |
Turnovers (lost by O / recv’d by D / net / rank): 4 / 2 / -2 / 29
Penalties (total accepted # / rank): 16 / 31
* Statistics courtesy of www.pro-football-reference.com, www.nflpenalties.com, www.nfl.com, www.teamrankings.com, www.espn.com, www.sportingcharts.com