Game Preview, Week 14: Washington at San Francisco
December 11, 2020
by Steve Thomas
I feel like leading everyone in a rousing chorus of “Hail to the Redskins” as a result of Washington’s big victory over the previously undefeated Pittsburgh Steelers, but it’s a new week with a new opponent, the San Francisco 49ers, next up on the hit parade. This game is being played at the home of the Arizona Cardinals in Glendale this week thanks to the stupidity of the local government of Santa Clara County, California. The good news is that this game has become a neutral site contest, and is also a slightly shorter travel time. Unbelievably, Washington actually has a legitimate chance to win a game that originally looked like a sure loss when the schedule was released this past spring. Washington is in the midst of a battle with the New York Giants for control of the NFC East and thus has a strong interest in getting a win in this game. The 49ers are a M*A*S*H unit this season, with multiple key, important players on injured reserve, including quarterback Jimmy Garappolo and star tight end George Kittle. Therefore, Washington has a legitimate opportunity to come away with a victory. Our preview starts below.
Game time & location: Sunday, December 13, 2020, 4:25 p.m. ET, State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ; no fans
Television: FOX
Television announcers: Chris Myers, Greg Jennings, Jen Hale
TV broadcast map: click here
DC-area radio: The Team 980
Washington radio network: click here
49ers radio network: click here
Satellite radio: XM: 226 (49ers broad.) Sirius: 133 (Washington broad); internet: 831 (Washington broad.)
Redskins roster: click here
Redskins depth chart: click here
49ers roster: click here
49ers depth chart: click here
All-time head-to-head record vs 49ers: 10 – 18 – 1 (last 10: 4 – 6; streak: 0 – 1)
Last meeting: L, October 20, 2019, 0 – 9
Early odds: 49ers, -4.5
3 KEYS TO THE GAME
Avoid the letdown from the Steelers game
Last week’s game was an important event for Washington. It isn’t every day that a losing team hands an 11 – 0 team their first and only loss of the year. The Redskins Washington needs to place particular emphasis on not letting that go to their heads and end up playing badly this week against the 49ers. Ron Rivera and his coaching staff will no doubt make a point to tell these players that it’s a new week and a new opponent. Despite their record, the 49ers are not pushovers and will walk away with an easy victory if Washington relaxes and doesn’t take this game seriously. We’ve seen this happen time and time again in sports. I suspect that this is the single most important key to victory this week.
Effectively utilize the short passing game
Washington’s #1 running back, Antonio Gibson, has a hurt toe and the 49ers have only given up an average of 3.9 yards per carry on the ground, which is tied for 6th in the NFL. What this means is that Washington needs to stick to its recent short passing formula in order to get their offense rolling. Unless Gibson is fully healthy, it’s not likely that Washington will be able to generate much on the ground, and that might be the case even assuming full health. Washington needs Alex Smith to continue what he started last week against the Steelers, which is mostly mistake-free short passing. That’s the way to move the ball and score points against the 49ers.
Avoid the big plays on defense
One thing that has been killing Washington all year has been the big plays – the Steelers got one last week and would’ve gotten more but for a ton of drops by their receivers. San Francisco’s offense isn’t necessarily a big-play unit given the injury to Jimmy Garappolo and the focus on power running, but Washington still needs to avoid catastrophe against a team with talent in their receiving corps.
3 KEY MATCHUPS
Trent Williams vs Montez Sweat
I’d venture a guess that every Redskins Washington fan is rooting for Montez Sweat to dominate Trent Williams. Personally, I’d love to see Sweat get the better of him over and over and over again. Our collective anti-Trent bias aside, this is a great battle to watch, as we have a Pro Bowl tackle going up against Washington’s possibly Pro Bowl-worthy defensive end. This is certainly the key matchup in the game, so keep an eye out on Sweat’s impact against Williams.
Jordan Reed vs Jonathan Bostic
Not surprisingly, Reed has missed a number of games this year, but he’s back and taking over the #1 tight end role for the injured George Kittle. Not that Washington fans need anyone to tell them about what Reed can do, but he has great hands, tremendous route running skills, and is a total mismatch against just about every linebacker. Washington historically has obviously been bad against athletic tight ends, so at first glance, this isn’t a good matchup. It’s going to be up to Bostic to keep Reed from going crazy.
Terry McLaurin vs Richard Sherman
McLaurin is coming off of a rare quiet week, but is in the middle of the NFL’s elite group of receivers. Sherman is obviously a long-time, top-level corner with Super Bowl experience. Sherman isn’t fast and doesn’t have a ton of natural athletic ability, but he’s been going up against speedy receivers for years and winning. This will be a very exciting battle to watch. Let’s hope that McLaurin can do his thing against one of the NFL’s greats.
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 | 49ers |
| RB A. Gibson, toe, Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: O | T T. Compton, concussion; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: O |
| T M. Moses, groin; Wed: DNP; Thurs: LP; Fri: LP; game: Q | DT K. Givens, NIR; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: O |
| G B. Scherff, calf; Wed: DNP; Thurs: LP; Fri: LP; game: Q | DT D.J. Jones, ankle; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: D |
| T D. Sharpe, knee; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: LP; game: Q | CB E. Moseley, hamstring; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: D |
| WR T. McLaurin, ankle; Wed: LP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP | WR D. Samuel, foot; Wed: DNP; Thurs: LP; Fri: FP |
| DE R. Anderson, knee; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP; Fri: LP; game: Q | CB K. Williams, ankle; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP; Fri: LP; game: Q |
| C H. Grasu, knee; Wed: NL; Thurs: LP; Fri: DNP; game: O |
TEAM STATISTICS
Washington:
Washington’s offense has produced 264 points, which is ranked 25th in the NFL, 26th in total yards, 25th in passing yards, and 24th in rushing yards. As a team, they are averaging 4.0 yards per carry on the ground. They are still bad on third down, only converting on 38.04% of attempts, which is ranked 26th. Terry McLaurin had a bad day last week against the Steelers, and as a result, he is now ranked 8th in receiving yards. The injured Antonio Gibson has 659 rushing yards and is averaging 4.7 yards per attempt.
Defensively, Washington has surrendered 260 points, which is ranked 8th in the league. They are 4th in total yards, 3rd in passing yards, and 10th in rushing yards. Washington has given up 4.1 yards per rushing attempt. They are the best defense in the NFL in the red zone, allowing opposing teams to score touchdowns on just 47.06% of attempts. The team has produced 36 sacks, which is ranked 5th, and has 11 interceptions.
Record: 5 – 7 (1st) (Away: 2 – 4; NFC: 3 – 5)
All-time franchise record: 607 – 610 – 28
Offense
| Offensive rankings | 25 (points) / 26 (total yards) / 26 (yards per game) / 28 (yards per play) / 25 (passing yards) / 24 (passing yards per att.) / 24 (rushing yards) / 24 (rushing yards per att.) |
| Points for | 264 |
| Yards per game | 324.7 |
| Passing
|
435 att (15th); 288 comp; 66.2% comp per. (16th); 6.8 Y/A; 2678 net yds; 12 TD; 9 Int |
| Passing leader | Smith (201 att (32nd), 1363 yds (32nd), 68.7% comp perc (7th), 4 TDs / 5 Int, 83.8 QB rating (26th) |
| Receiving leader | McLaurin (977 yds (8th), 108 tgts (8th), 71 rec (16th), 3 TDs, 13.8 YPC (32nd)) |
| Rushing | 306 att (19th); 1218 yds; 4.0 Y/A; 101.5 Y/G (24th); 17 TDs |
| Rushing leader | Gibson (141 att (18th), 659 yds (16th), 11 TDs, 4.7 Y/A (17th), long 40) |
| Sacks surrendered / rank | 38 / 29 |
| Ave time of possession / rank | 30:16 / 17 |
| 3rd down conversion rate / rank | 38.04% / 26 |
| TD percentage in red zone / rank | 58.97% / 18 |
Defense
| Defensive rankings | 8 (points) / 4 (total yards) / 4 (yards per game surrendered) / 4 (yards per play) / 3 (passing yards) / 6 (passing yards per att.) / 10 (rushing yards) / 11 (rushing yards per att.) |
| Points against | 260 |
| Yards per game surrendered | 310.9 |
| Opponent’s passing | 396 att (7th); 255 comp; 64.4% comp perc. (12th); 6.8 Y/A; 2446 net yds; 18 TDs; QB Rating 87.7 (7th) |
| Opponent’s rushing | 311 att (12th); 1285 yds; 4.1 Y/A; 9 TDs; 107.1 Y/G (10th) |
| Sacks / rank / Sack leader | 36 / 5 / Sweat (6.0) |
| Tackles leader | Bostic (86) |
| Int / rank / Int leader | 11 / 12 / Fuller (4) |
| Opponent 3rd down conv rate / rank | 38.12% / 9 |
| Opponent TD percentage in red zone / rank | 47.06% / 1 |
Special Teams
| Kick returns | 20.7 Y/R (21st), 27 returns, long 46 yards (16th), 0 TDs |
| Punt returns | 5.0 Y/R (28th), 24 returns, long 19 yards (24th), 0 TDs |
| Kick return defense | 28.3 Y/R (29th), 7 returns, 0 TDs |
| Punt return defense | 6.0 Y/R (9th), 26 returns, 0 TDs |
| Punting | 48.3 Y/P (6th) |
Turnovers (lost by O / recv’d by D / net / rank): 21 / 22 / +1 / 14
Penalties (total accepted # / rank): 106 / 10
49ers:
The 2020 Arizona / San Francisco 49ers are a rushing team that isn’t particularly good at rushing anymore. They are only averaging 4.1 yards per attempt on the ground and have just 1,318 rushing yards, both of which are stark contrasts from last season. They are ranked 20th in points, 14th in total yards, and 13th in passing yards. They are fairly average on third downs, converting first downs on 41.26% of attempts, which is ranked 17th, and are ranked 9th in the NFL in the red zone. Quarterback Nick Mullens, who is filling in for Jimmy Garoppolo, has a 67.3% completion percentage, but has also thrown 9 interceptions to just 9 touchdowns in eight games.
Defensively, the 49ers are ranked 13th in points surrendered, with 288, and are 6th in total yards, 10th in yards per play, 10th in passing yards, 9th in rushing yards, and 6th in rushing yards per attempt. They have only 21 sacks this season, which is ranked just 23rd, not doubt at least partially due to Nick Bosa being on injured reserve. They have been good on both third downs and in the red zone, ranked 8th and 10th, respectively.
Record: 5 – 7 (4th); Home: 1 – 5; NFC: 3 – 5)
All-time franchise record: 588 – 495 – 16
Offense
| Offensive rankings
|
20 (points) / 14 (total yards) / 14 (yards per game) / 14 (yards per play) / 13 (passing yards) / 8 (passing yards per att.) / 18 (rushing yards) / 21 (rushing yards per att.) |
| Points for | 285 |
| Yards per game | 366.2 |
| Passing | 423 att (18th); 282 comp; 66.7% comp per. (15th); 7.8 Y/A; 3076 net yds; 17 TDs; 14 Int |
| Passing leader | Mullens (245 att (29th), 1958 yds (25th), 67.3% comp per. (15th), 9 TDs / 9 Int, 88.4 QB rating (25th)) |
| Reception leader | Aiyuk (541 yds (47th), 65 targets (57th), 40 rec (69th), 4 TDs, 13.5 Y/C) |
| Rushing | 320 att (17th); 1318 yds; 4.1 Y/A; 109.8 Y/G (18th); 16 TDs |
| Rushing leader | Mosert (76 att, 388 yds (41st), 2 TDs, 5.1 Y/A (9th)), long 80 yds); McKinnon (80 att (45th), 315 yds, 5 TDs, 3.9 Y/A) |
| Sacks surrendered / rank | 27 / 20 |
| Ave time of possession / rank | 31:14 / 6 |
| 3rd down conversion rate / rank | 41.26% / 17 |
| TD percentage in red zone / rank | 66.67% / 9 |
Defense
| Defensive rankings | 13 (points) / 6 (total yards) / 6 (yards per game surrendered) / 10 (yards per play) / 10 (passing yards) / 15 (passing yards per att.) / 9 (rushing yards) / 6 (rushing yards per att.) |
| Points against | 288 |
| Yards per game surrendered | 326.3 |
| Opponent’s passing | 385 att (4th); 255 comp; 66.2% comp per. (19th); 7.2 Y/A; 2639 net yds; 21 TDs; QB Rating 94.6 (18th) |
| Opponent’s rushing | 326 att (18th); 1277 yds; 3.9 Y/A; 9 TDs; 106.4 Y/G (9th) |
| Sacks / rank / Sack leader | 21 / 23 / Hyder (7.5) |
| Tackles leader | Warner (91) |
| Int / rank / Int leader | 10 / 18 / Warner, Taylor (2) |
| Opponent 3rd down conv rate / rank | 38.03% / 8 |
| Opponent TD percentage in red zone / rank | 59.38% / 10 |
Special Teams
| Kick returns | 20.2 Y/R (24th), 20 returns, long 34 yards (28th), 0 TDs |
| Punt returns | 9.9 Y/R (12th), 15 returns, long 20 yards (22nd), 0 TDs |
| Kick return defense | 23.8 Y/R (24th), 26 returns, 0 TDs |
| Punt return defense | 6.3 Y/R (11th), 17 returns, 0 TDs |
| Punting | 47.1 Y/P (9th) |
Turnovers (lost by O / recv’d by D / net / rank): 18 / 17 / -1 / 20
Penalties (total accepted # / rank): 121 / 23
* Statistics courtesy of www.pro-football-reference.com, www.nflpenalties.com, www.nfl.com, www.teamrankings.com, www.espn.com, www.sportingcharts.com