Game Preview, Week 17: Atlanta at Washington
December 28, 2024
by Steve Thomas
Let’s not sugar coat the situation this week: this is a very important and consequential game for the Redskins Washington Football Team Commanders Washington. First, Washington secures a playoff spot if they beat the first place Atlanta Falcons this week. Second, the last time the franchise has won 11 games in a season was 1991, when they earned 14 victories in the regular season and won the Super Bowl over the Buffalo Bills. So this game matters. There’s a reason it was flexed to the Sunday night national broadcast slot. Can they win? After what we saw last week, I don’t know how anyone could doubt that Washington is capable of getting a victory in this contest. It isn’t a guarantee, of course; in particular, Washington needs to be wary of a letdown after the heroics of last week. Plus, the Falcons do have talent, and are in the playoff hunt themselves. Can they win? We’ll see. Our game preview starts below.
Game time & location: Sunday, December 29, 2024, 8:20 p.m. ET, Northwest Stadium, Raljon, Maryland; Gates open 6:20 p.m. ET; Red Zone parking lots open 3:20 p.m.; all other parking lots 4:20 p.m.
Television: NBC
Television announcers: Mike Tirico, Cris Collinsworth, Melissa Stark
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: 88 (Nat’l broad.); SiriusXM: 225 (Wash. broad.); internet: 831
Washington roster: Click here
Washington depth chart: Click here
Falcons roster: Click here
Falcons depth chart: Click here
All-time head-to-head record vs Falcons: 17 – 10 – 1 (last 10: 4 – 6)
Last meeting: W, October 15, 2023, 24 – 16
Falcons record: 8 – 7 (1st place) / 7 – 3 (NFC) / 4 – 3 (away)
Washington record: 10 – 5 (2nd place) / 7 – 3 (NFC) / 6 – 2 (home)
Early odds: Washington, -4
3 KEYS TO THE GAME
Don’t succumb to post-big win malaise
Teams at every level have a tendency to let off the gas a bit after a big win, especially with a young team like Washington. Washington needs to watch out for that this week and not let the huge game against the Eagles last week effect their mental state. The truth is that Washington made mistakes last week and got a little lucky when Jalen Hurts was unable to continue, so they shouldn’t be under the impression that they can go into cruise control. If they can play tough, mistake-free football on both sides of the ball then everything should be fine; however, there have been a couple of games this year in which that hasn’t happened. The coaching staff is on point to keep everyone’s head in the game.
Pressure Michael Penix Jr.
What you should understand about Penix is that (1) he’s making just his second start, and (2) he isn’t overly athletic and is more of a pocket passer. Last week, the New York Giants, who are mostly terrible, failed to get much pressure on him, with no sacks and just 6 quarterback hits. Penix is a rookie and needs to be treated as such, particularly since he isn’t really a runner. Washington needs to ramp up the pressure and blitzing this week in order to make life miserable for Penix. The goal needs to be to rattle the rookie and get his game, specifically his accuracy and passing choices, to fall off.
Establish a non-Jayden Daniels run game
Last week, Washington essentially had zero running game outside of Jayden Daniels. That isn’t the first time that’s happened this season, either. Daniels is eventually going to get hurt if he has to also be the principal running back as well. Atlanta has been good but not great against the run this season, with opponents averaging 4.3 yards per carry, which is tied for 12th in the NFL and dramatically better than Washington’s mark of 4.8 yards per carry, which is tied for 30th. I realize that Atlanta isn’t exactly known for the quality of its pass defense this season; regardlss, one way or the other, Washington needs to figure out a way for one running back or the other to be able to average 4.5 yards per carry for 15 – 20 carries on the ground.
3 KEY MATCHUPS
Benjamin St-Juste vs Drake London
Since Marshon Lattimore is going to miss this game due to his hamstring injury, St-Juste will once again be thrust into the spotlight, this time against the Falcons’ most productive receiver, Drake London. At 6’4”, 213 pounds, London is a bigger guy, which theoretically fits into St-Juste’s play style. Whether this goes well is a bit of an open question, of course: London has 83 receptions in 127 targets, which is a 65.4% catch percentage, for 978 yards and 7 touchdowns. That’s outstanding production, particularly for a team that’s had quarterback issues. Washington needs St-Juste to be physical and keep London from dominating the game. Watch out for how many receptions London is getting early in this game.
Elliss is a beast, and the Falcons tend to use him in creative ways in order to get him free and be the most disruptive force possible. I highlighted Biadasz for this matchup not just because Elliss is an inside linebacker, but rather because its going to be on Biadasz, as the center, to recognize what Atlanta is trying to do with Elliss and make the appropriate protection calls along the offensive line in response. Keep an eye out on how much chaos Elliss is causing in this game. If we don’t hear his name, then I suspect that Biadasz has been successful in recognizing what Atlanta is trying to do with Elliss and has reacted appropriately. If Elliss is consistently terrorizing Washington in the backfield, then Biadasz probably hasn’t had a good day.
Terry McLaurin vs A.J. Terrell Jr.
McLaurin is obviously Washington’s most important weapon on offense. The team needs McLaurin to continue to do what he’s done for most of the year, which is to be Jayden Daniels’ principal target. In the way stands Terrell, the former 2021 Second-Team All-Pro. McLaurin has faced a host of quality corners this year and done fairly well against many of them. Keep an eye out on how well McLaurin is separating against Terrell. He was timed at a 4.42 40 yard dash in the combine, which isn’t at the level of McLaurin’s 4.35, so McLaurin might be able to take advantage of that discrepancy.
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
| Washington | Falcons |
| WR D. Brown, hamstring; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: O | CB A. Hamilton Sr., quad; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: O |
| TE Z. Ertz, NIR (rest) / shoulder; Wed: DNP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP | CB K. King, concussion; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: O |
| DE C. Ferrell, NIR (rest) / knee; Wed: DNP; Thurs: LP; Fri: LP | OLB L. Carter, groin; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP; Fri: FP |
| CB M. Lattimore, hamstring; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: O | DL Z. Harrison, achilles; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP; Fri: FP |
| LB J. Magee, hamstring; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: O | WR K. Hodge, ribs; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP; Fri: LP |
| WR T. McLaurin, ankle; Wed: DNP; Thurs: LP; Fri: FP | OLB M. Judon, NIR (rest); Wed: LP; Thurs: NL; Fri: NL |
| S T. Owens, ankle; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: O | WR D. London, knee; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP; Fri: FP |
| T A. Wylie, groin; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: O | TE R. Dwelley, ankle; Wed: FP; Thurs: LP; Fri: FP |
| DT J. Allen, pectoral; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP; game: Q | WR C. Washington, concussion; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP |
| OLB D. Fowler Jr., groin; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP | LB N. Landman, NIR (rest); Wed: NL; Thurs: LP; Fri: NL |
| QB M. Mariota, NIR (personal); Wed: NL; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: Q | TE C. Woerner, NIR (rest); Wed: NL; Thurs: ; Fri: DNP |
Steve’s Prediction
Washington takes care of business against the Falcons and wins 34 – 24.