Game Preview, Week 6: Washington at Atlanta
October 13, 2023
by Steve Thomas
Washington laid a massive, stinky egg last week at home against the Chicago Bears. Can they rebound strong on the road against the Atlanta Falcons this week? That’s the million dollar question. The Falcons are 3 – 2 this year; not great, but pretty decent, and with some talent on the roster. Honestly, Washington really needs a victory this week, as the schedule gets much, much hard, meaning that they can’t afford to drop a game like this. Ron Rivera and company need to figure out how to rise from the ashes and play like winners. We’ll see what happens.
Game time & location: Sunday, October 15, 2023, 1:00 p.m. ET, Mercedez Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA; Gates open at 11:30 a.m.; Parking lots open at 8:00 a.m.
Television: CBS
Television announcers: Andrew Catalon, Tiki Barber, Matt Ryan
TV broadcast map: click here
DC-area radio: BIG-100 (WBIG FM)
Washington radio network: click here
Falcons radio network: click here
Satellite radio: SiriusXM: 227 (Atl. broad.); 386 (Wash. broad.); internet: 831
Washington roster: click here
Washington depth chart: click here
Falcons roster: click here
Falcons depth chart: click here
Records: Washington 2 – 3 (away 1 –1); Falcons 3 – 2 (home 3 – 0)
All-time head-to-head record vs Falcons: 16 – 10 – 1 (last 10: 3 – 7; streak: 2 – 0)
Last meeting: W, November 27, 2022, 1 – 13
Early odds: Falcons, -2.5
3 KEYS TO THE GAME
Put pressure on Desmond Ridder
Ridder isn’t particularly threatening as a runner, but does have some arm talent and quality receivers. Washington needs to get pressure on Ridder, and they need to blitz more in order to do that. Thusfar this year, Washington is in the middle of the pack on blitz percentage, so watch out for whether they increase that percentage this week.
Limit secondary mistakes
This one isn’t exactly a news flash. The entire secondary, not just Emmanuel Forbes, needs to take a dramatic leap forward, and stop blowing assignments, taking dumb risks, and losing in man coverage. If they can’t, then, given Atlanta’s receiving talent, Washington could be in for a long day, again.
Establish a consistent run game
Note to Eric Bieniemy: please make an honest effort to establish a legitimate running game this week. Washington needs to aim for some combination of Brian Robinson Jr., Antonio Gibson, and Chris Rodriguez to get a total of 25 carries. Last week, Washington’s running backs had just 6 carries, all by Robinson. That simply isn’t a pathway to success.
3 KEY MATCHUPS
Davis is the best of Washington’s very weak linebacker group. He has a tough assignment this week in the form of Kyle Pitts, who is hyper-athletic and has already been targeted 32 times this year, which is the most on the team. Davis needs to make a concerted effort to, at a minimum, limit Pitts’ ability to gain significant yards after the catch. Watch out for how much space Pitts has in this game.
Emmanuel Forbes vs Drake London
This has the potential to go horribly wrong, obviously. Drake London is a big, physical, talented receiver who made some fabulous plays last week against the Houston Texans. Obviously, this matchup isn’t all on Forbes, but he’s the one that Atlanta will most likely attempt to exploit the most. It’s time for Forbes to start living up to his draft status. Keep an eye out on how productive London becomes in this game.
Andrew Wylie vs Calais Campbell
Campbell is the Falcons’ best pass rusher, and Andrew Wylie is Andrew Wylie. There’s not much to say here. This matchup has the potential to go horribly wrong.
OFFICIAL INJURY REPORT (active roster only)
LP – limited practice FP – full practice DNP – did not practice
NIR – not injury related Q – questionable O – out
D – doubtful NL – not listed
| Washington | Falcons |
| CB C. Holmes, hamstring; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: O | OL K. McGary, knee; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP; Fri: FP |
| TE C. Hodges, illness; Wed: DNP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP | OLB B. Dupree, wrist; Wed: LP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP |
| T C. Leno Jr., finger; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP | TE J. Smith, ankle; Wed: LP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP |
| DL E. Obada, knee; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP; game: Q | |
| WR C. Samuel, finger; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP |
Steve’s Prediction
I’m not overly confident about this one, but Washington bounced back from a bad loss earlier this year, so I’m think they’ll be able to do it again. Washington wins 27 – 24.