Game Preview, Week 11: Bengals at Washington

Posted on November 20, 2020 by Steve Thomas

November 20, 2020

by Steve Thomas

Washington is coming off of a tough loss to start the critical third quarter of the 2020 season. If this team is going to avoid an inescapable tumble into the very bottom of the NFL, then this four game stretch is the most important part of the season. Unfortunately, it didn’t start off well against the Detroit Lions, which makes this week’s contest against the Cincinnati Bengals even more important. The Bengals are also a bad team, with only a tie against the Eagles keeping them from tying Washington’s record. Dealing with rookie quarterback Joe Burrow is a taller order for Washington’s struggling defense than you might suspect, as he’s done fairly well in his first year. Washington will need to figure out how to get it together against a team that has scored 27 or more points in 5 games this season. If they can’t do that, it’s a pretty good indication that the second half of the season might just go down the tubes. Cheers, everyone. Our game preview is below.

Game time & location: Sunday, November 22, 2020, 1:00 p.m. ET, Fed Ex Field, Raljon, MD; no fans

Television: CBS

Television announcers: Spero Dedes, Adam Archuleta

TV broadcast map: click here

DC-area radio: The Team 980

Washington radio network: click here

Bengals radio network: click here

Satellite radio: XM: 232 (Wash. broad.) Sirius: 132 (Wash. broad); internet: 831 (Washington broad.)

Redskins roster: click here

Redskins depth chart: click here

Bengals roster: click here

Bengals depth chart: click here

All-time head-to-head record vs Bengals: 4 – 5 – 1 (last 5: 1– 3 – 1) (streak: 0 – 0 – 1) Last meeting: T, October 30, 2016, 27 – 27

Early odds: Washington, -1.5

3 KEYS TO THE GAME

Washington’s run game needs to actually do something

The Bengals have allowed opposing teams to average 5.0 yards per carry this season, which is the second-most in the league through week 10. It would therefore be wise for Washington to take full advantage of this weakness in Cincinnati’s game. That may be a tall order considering how bad Washington’s running game has been this season, but if there was ever a game to eat up time off the clock while slowing moving the ball down the field, it’s against the Bengals. The only time Washington has been good on the ground this season is against the Cowboys, who probably worse than Cincinnati, but you never know when things might start to click.

Make Joe Burrow inefficient

Joe Burrow doesn’t play like a rookie. He looks comfortable in the pocket, routinely progresses through all of his reads, and understands how to freeze NFL defensive backs and linebackers with his eyes. He has completed over 65% of his passes this year, which is outstanding for a rookie, and has a quarterback rating of 89.6. In addition, Cincinnati’s running game without Joe Mixon isn’t a strength. This team really relies on Burrow to drive the offense; however, the Bengals have already surrendered 32 sacks, which is 31st in the league; some of those sacks are probably due to Burrow holding the ball too long. Therefore, Washington not only needs to focus on getting to Burrow, but their secondary needs to play mistake-free football and stop allowing soul-crushing big plays.

Alex Smith must continue to perform at a high level

Smith played a good game against the Lions, putting up big numbers. If, as expected, Washington’s run game doesn’t produce, they will have to rely on Smith to once again move this offense. Washington isn’t going to win any games if the offense can’t start moving the ball on a consistent basis; fortunately, Smith’s performance against Detroit was the best we’ve seen any Washington quarterback all year, so perhaps it is a sign of good things to come.

3 KEY MATCHUPS

Kendall Fuller and Ronald Darby vs Tyler Boyd and Tee Higgins

Boyd and Higgins are what makes the Bengals’ receiving game go. Both are big targets who put up quality numbers. Neither are at the top of the NFL hierarchy, but both represent a significant challenge for Washington’s secondary. Fuller and Darby are the two players to whom this challenge will fall most of the time. Keeping these two in check will put a serious damper on the Bengals offense. A.J. Green is still around, but his numbers are off from his career norm – he has about the same number of targets as Boyd and Higgins, but his catch rate is less than 50% and he’s only gained 316 yards this season.

Terry McLaurin vs LeShaun Sims and William Jackson II

As always, McLaurin is the key to Washington’s passing game. Alex Smith did well last week at involving everyone, particularly Cam Sims, but at the end of the day, this is the Terry McLaurin show. He’s the only one who defenses game plan for, and he’s the one who has the skill to beat any defensive back. Watch for how well the Bengals corners, Sims and Jackson, do against McLaurin, and also keep an eye on how often they shade a safety over his way, but it may leave single coverage on others.

Chase Roullier and Brandon Scherff vs Mike Daniels and Geno Atkins

I included these matchups because if Washington’s running game is going to get rolling this week, Washington will need to lean on their best offensive linemen to do it, and that means Roullier and Scherff need to play well against a fairly week Cincinnati defensive front. These two need to create easy rushing lanes for the talented but inexperienced Antonio Gibson. Watch this week for how well Washington’s interior line is doing.

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	Bengals
DE R. Anderson, knee; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: O	DT G. Atkins, NIR; Wed: DNP; Thurs: LP; Fri: FP
T G. Christian, knee; Wed: DNP; Thurs: to IR	DT M. Daniels, NIR; Wed: DNP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP
S D. Everett, ankle; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: O	WR A.J. Green, NIR; Wed: DNP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP
K D. Hopkins, right groin; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP: Fri: FP; game: Q	RB J. Mixon, foot; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: O
WR D. Inman, hamstring; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP: Fri: FP; game: Q	LB G. Pratt, illness; Wed: DNP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP
T C. Lucas, ankle; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: O	CB M. Alexander, concussion; Wed: LP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP
LB J. Norris, hamstring; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: O	S J. Bates, Illness; Wed: LP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP
LS N. Sundberg, illness, Wed: NL; Thurs: NL; Fri: DNP; game: Q	T B. Hart, knee; Wed: LP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP
	G A. Redmond, biceps; Wed: LP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: Q
	CB L. Sims, concussion; Wed: LP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP
	DT X. Williams, back; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP; Fri: LP; game: Q
	T J. Williams, stinger, Wed: FP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP
	CB T. Brown, foot; Wed: NL; Thurs: DNP; Fri: FP
	WR T. Higgins, illness; Wed: NL; Thurs: DNP; Fri: FP
	WR M. Thomas, hamstring; Wed: NL; Thurs: LP; Fri: LP; game: Q
	DT/DE M. Hunt, illness; Wed: NL; Thurs: NL; Fri: LP; game: Q
	G F. Johnson, illness; Wed: NL; Thurs: NL; Fri: LP; game: Q

TEAM STATISTICS

Washington:

Washington’s offense continues to blow statistical chunks. Alex Smith’s numbers have been fairly good for the short period of time he’s been at the helm, with a 68.3% completion percentage, although his quarterback rating is dragged down by his 3 interceptions against the Giants. Other than that, though, Washington’s offense ranges from “terrible” to merely “bad” in most categories: they are ranked 31st in total points, 30th in total yards, 29th in rushing yards per attempt, 30th in rushing yards per game, and 21st in passing yards. They have improved in time of possession, rising up to 19th in the NFL. Note that the accumulating stats are affected by the bye week.

Washington’s defensive ratings look better on paper than the unit does on the field, thanks mostly to the bye week: they are 11th in total points surrendered, 5th in total yards, 1st in passing yards, and 19th in rushing yards, and 14th in rushing yards per attempt. They’ve gotten a bit better on third downs and are now ranked 16th. This defense gives up a ton of big plays every week.

Record: 2 – 7 (4th) (Home: 2 – 3; AFC: 0 – 2)

All-time franchise record: 605 – 610 – 28

Offense

Offensive rankings	31 (points) / 30 (total yards) / 28 (yards per game) / 30 (yards per play) / 21 (passing yards) / 25 (passing yards per att.) / 30 (rushing yards) / 29 (rushing yards per att.)
Points for	180
Yards per game	323.9
Passing	337 att (13th); 220 comp; 65.3% comp per. (21st); 6.8 Y/A; 2088 net yds; 9 TD; 7 Int
Passing leader	Smith (104 att, 752 yds, 68.3% comp perc, 1 TD / 3 Int, 80.3 QB rating); Haskins (146 att (32nd), 939 yds (33rd), 61.0% comp perc, 4 TDs / 3 Int, 80.3 QB rating); Allen (87 att, 610 yds, 69.0% comp perc (6th), 4 TDs / 1 Int, 99.3 QB rating (12th))
Receiving leader	McLaurin (787 yds (4th), 86 tgts (5th), 57 rec (12th), 3 TDs, 13.8 YPC)
Rushing	215 att (29th); 827 yds; 3.8 Y/A; 91.9 Y/G (30th); 12 TD
Rushing leader	Gibson (103 att (20th), 436 yds (22nd), 7 TDs, 4.2 Y/A (30th), long 40)
Sacks surrendered / rank	30 / 29
Ave time of possession / rank	29:34 / 19
3rd down conversion rate / rank	39.17% / 25
TD percentage in red zone / rank	60.71% / 21

Defense

Defensive rankings	11 (points) / 5 (total yards) / 7 (yards per game surrendered) / 10 (yards per play) / 1 (passing yards) / 20 (passing yards per att.) / 19 (rushing yards) / 14 (rushing yards per att.)
Points against	218
Yards per game surrendered	320.7
Opponent’s passing	264 att (2nd); 172 comp; 65.2% comp perc. (15th); 7.4 Y/A; 1752 net yds; 14 TDs; QB Rating 92.1 (11th)
Opponent’s rushing	261 att (20th); 1134 yds; 4.3 Y/A; 9 TDs; 126.0 Y/G (21st)
Sacks / rank / Sack leader	28 / 5 / Sweat (5.0)
Tackles leader	Bostic (66)
Int / rank / Int leader	8 / 15 / Fuller (4)
Opponent 3rd down conv rate / rank	40.34% / 16
Opponent TD percentage in red zone / rank	56.0% / 7

Special Teams

Kick returns	20.0 Y/R (27th), 21 returns, long 46 yards (13th), 0 TDs
Punt returns	4.4 Y/R (30th), 19 returns, long 19 yards (23rd), 0 TDs
Kick return defense	27.7 Y/R (28th), 6 returns, 0 TDs
Punt return defense	5.1 Y/R (5th), 20 returns, 0 TDs
Punting	47.8 Y/P (5th)

Turnovers (lost by O / recv’d by D / net / rank): 16 / 9 / -7 / 30

Penalties (total accepted # / rank): 46 / 7

Bengals:

Cincinnati’s team offensive stats aren’t very good: 204 points scored (ranked 23rd), 19th in total yards, 17th in passing yards, 24th in rushing yards, and 25th in rushing yards per attempt. However, Joe Borrow’s numbers are very good by rookie standards: he’s made 370 pass attempts, which is 2nd-most in the NFL, and has a 65.4% completion percentage and a quarterback rating of 89.8. The Bengals aren’t a good rushing team. Their lead back, Joe Mixon, has been hurt and was only averaging 3.6 yards per carry before he went out.

The Bengals are worse on defense than they are on offense. They are ranked 22nd in points surrendered, 23rd in total yards, 23rd in passing yards, and 26th in total rushing yards. They are particularly bad on the ground, surrendering 5.9 yards per carry, which is the second-worst in the league. They’ve also put very little pressure on opposing quarterbacks, making only 11 sacks, which is ranked 31st.

Record: 2 – 6 – 1 (4th); Away: 0 – 4 – 1; NFC: 0 – 0 – 1)

All-time franchise record: 361 – 447 – 5

Offense

Offensive rankings	23 (points) / 19 (total yards) / 18 (yards per game) / 30 (yards per play) / 17 (passing yards) / 27 (passing yards per att.) / 24 (rushing yards) / 25 (rushing yards per att.)
Points for	204
Yards per game	357.7
Passing	371 att (4th); 243 comp; 65.5% comp per. (20th); 6.7 Y/A; 2270 net yds; 12 TDs; 5 Int
Passing leader	Burrow (370 att (2nd), 2485 yds (9th), 65.4% comp per. (23rd), 12 TDs / 5 Int, 89.8 QB rating (25th))
Reception leader	Boyd (625 yds (20th), 76 targets (14th), 60 rec (8th), 3 TD, 10.4 Y/C (102nd))
Rushing	238 att (22nd); 949 yds; 4.0 Y/A; 105.4 Y/G (22nd); 9 TDs
Rushing leader	Mixon (119 att (13th), 428 yds (24th), 3 TDs, 3.6 Y/A (49th)), long 34 yds)
Sacks surrendered / rank	32 / 31
Ave time of possession / rank	32:23 / 2
3rd down conversion rate / rank	38.10% / 29
TD percentage in red zone / rank	54.84% / 26

Defense

Defensive rankings	22 (points) / 23 (total yards) / 26 (yards per game surrendered) / 30 (yards per play) / 23 (passing yards) / 21 (passing yards per att.) / 26 (rushing yards) / 31 (rushing yards per att.)
Points against	250
Yards per game surrendered	398.2
Opponent’s passing	326 att (18th); 204 comp; 62.6% comp per. (7th); 7.5 Y/A; 2386 net yds; 21 TD; QB Rating 96.6 (21st)
Opponent’s rushing	240 att (14th); 1198 yds; 5.0 Y/A; 7 TDs
Sacks / rank / Sack leader	11 / 31 / Lawson (3.5)
Tackles leader	Bates (30)
Int / rank / Int leader	8 / 15 / Bates, Wilson (2)
Opponent 3rd down conv rate / rank	46.90% / 24
Opponent TD percentage in red zone / rank	73.53% / 27

Special Teams

Kick returns	23.6 Y/R (11th), 20 returns, long 49 yards (11th), 0 TDs
Punt returns	8.8 Y/R (16th), 12 returns, long 22 yards (15th), 0 TDs
Kick return defense	22.3 Y/R (18th), 10 returns, 0 TDs
Punt return defense	7.5 Y/R (17th), 15 returns, 0 TDs
Punting	46.8 Y/P (10th)

Turnovers (lost by O / recv’d by D / net / rank): 12 / 9 / 3 / 23

Penalties (total accepted # / rank): 58 / 25

* Statistics courtesy of www.pro-football-reference.com, www.nflpenalties.com, www.nfl.com, www.teamrankings.com, www.espn.com, www.sportingcharts.com