Game Preview, Week 17: Cleveland at Washington

December 31, 2022

by Steve Thomas

Washington got creamed by the 49ers in the second half of last week’s game, which wasn’t wholly surprising.  That could’ve been terrible for the Redskins Washington Football Team Commanders Washington, except that Detroit and the Seahawks also lost.  That means that Washington’s week 17 matchup against the Cleveland Browns has become a critically important game for playoff seeding purposes.  Obviously, Washington is no in the midst of yet another quarterback controversy; head coach Ron Rivera named Carson Wentz as the starter.  Will that succeed and lead to a Washington victory?  Who knows.  We’ll all find out on Sunday.  Our game preview begins below.

Game time & location:           Sunday, January 1, 2023, 1:00 p.m. ET, Fed Ex Field, Raljon, Maryland; 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:                               Fox

Television announcers:         Adam Amin, Mark Schlereth, Kristina Pink

TV broadcast map:                click here

DC-area radio:                         BIG-100 (WBIG FM)

Washington radio network:   click here

Browns radio network:          click here

Satellite radio:                        SiriusXM: 234 (Wash. broad.); internet: 831

 

Washington roster:                click here

Washington depth chart:      click here

Browns roster:                       click here

Browns depth chart:             click here

 

Records: Washington 7 – 7 – 1 (home 3 – 4); Cleveland 6 – 9 (away 2 – 5)

All-time head-to-head record vs Browns: 12 – 34 – 1 (last 10: 7 – 3; streak: 0 – 1)

Last meeting: L, September 27, 2020, 20 – 34

Early odds: Washington, -2

3 KEYS TO THE GAME

Carson Wentz needs to come through

The mediocre Carson Wentz has been named the new starter over the mediocre Taylor Heinicke.  My guess is that it will make zero difference to the ultimate result, but we’ll see.  Washington needs Wentz to earn his keep and look like a real, legit NFL franchise quarterback.  The odds of that happening are long, but possible.  In particular, Wentz needs to limit the turnovers, perform in a way that propels the offense, and do well in the red zone.  All of those things probably add up to a win.

Focus on Nick Chubb

Chubb, who was selected last week as the AFC’s starting running back in the 2023 Pro Bowl, has gained 1344 yards in 276 carries, for 4.9 yards per attempt.  The Browns have some significant assets in their receiving corps, but at the end of the day, Chubb makes the offense go.  Washington’s defense has been mostly bad against the run this year – opposing offenses have averaged 4.5 yards per carry – but this week, they’ll need to figure out how how to keep Chubb under control.

Get back to the power run game

One of Washington’s biggest success stories this year has been rookie running back Brian Robinson Jr.  On the year as a whole, he’s only averaged 3.9 yards per carry; however, he averaged 5.7 yards per carry in weeks 12, 13, and 15 against the Falcons and Giants.  The #1 ranked 49ers defense held him in check, but Cleveland’s run defense isn’t nearly the same.  It’s bad, as in 4.9 yards per carry level of bad.  This is game in which Washington needs to get back to dominating the time of possession and focus on taking advantage of the Browns’ weakness.

3 KEY MATCHUPS

Benjamin St-Juste vs Amari Cooper

Cooper has at times taken advantage of poor Washington secondaries.  St-Juste, if he’s healthy, will most likely be principally tasked with facing Cooper.  This is a high-visibility matchup that will be important to the game as well.  Has St-Juste moved up into the ranks of the better corners in the NFL?  We may just find out this week.

Charles Leno and Cornelius Lucas vs Myles Garrett

Another week, another elite pass rusher.  The 49ers’ Nick Bosa absolutely wrecked Washington’s offensive line, and Cleveland’s Garrett has the potential to do the same thing.  Whether Leno and/or Lucas can prevent Garrett from terrorizing Washington’s quarterback is a critical question.  This is a case of two average tackles facing an elite pass rusher, and it might not go well.  Again.

Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson vs. Denzel Ward

McLaurin vs. Ward is best on best and will be another high-profile, closely watched matchup.  McLaurin has on occasion been shut down by elite corners.  I wouldn’t necessarily put Ward in the same category as some of the best, but nevertheless, this will be an important battle.  Keep an eye out on how often McLaurin can break free from Ward throughout this game.

OFFICIAL INJURY REPORT (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                                        NL – not listed

Washington	Browns
LB J. Bostic, pectoral; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP	T J. Conklin, NIR (rest); Wed: NL; Thurs: DNP
T/G S. Charles, concussion; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP	DE J. Clowney, concussion/illness; Wed: LP; Thurs: DNP
S D. Forrest, illness; Wed: NL; Thurs: DNP	RB D. Felton, illness; Wed: NL; Thurs: DNP
RB A. Gibson, foot/knee; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP	T J. Wills, back; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP
G/C W. Schweitzer, illness; Wed: NL; Thurs: DNP	WR A. Cooper, NIR (rest)/hip; Wed: DNP; Thurs: LP
DE J. Smith-Williams, concussion; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP	S J. Johnson, thigh; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP
CB B. St-Juste, ankle; Wed: LP; Thurs: DNP	G . Bitonio, NIR (rest); Wed: DNP; Thurs: FP
S P. Butler, hip; Wed: NL; Thurs: LP	DT J. Elliott, elbow; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP
S K. Curl, ankle; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP	DE M. Garrett, NIR (rest); Wed: DNP; Thurs: FP
G A. Norwell, shoulder; Wed: LP; Thurs: FP	RB K. Hunt, shoulder; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP
RB B. Robinson, Jr., quad; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP	G W. Teller, ankle; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP
DE S. Toney, ankle; Wed: LP; Thurs: FP	CB D. Ward, shoulder; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP
DE C. Young, illness; Wed: DNP; Thurs: FPT

Steve’s Prediction

Washington wins 20 – 17.  I say that with considerable trepidation.  These two teams are in a similar boat: mediocre teams with some talent on both sides of the ball.  At the end of the day, though, Deshaun Watson isn’t fully with it yet, and it’s a Washington home game.  Therefore, I think Washington pulls out a low-scoring squeaker.