Redskins vs. Packers
The Washington Redskins will travel to historic Lambeau Field to take on the Green Bay Packers in week 2. Gametime is 1:00 PM, the game is going to be televised on FOX (Direct TV Channel 707). Green Bay is a 7.5 point favorite.
Both the Washington Redskins and the Green Bay Packers are coming off of week one losses and are looking to rebound and avoid going 0-2.
This will mark the first meeting between the Redskins and Packers since Washington’s 16-13 overtime victory at FedEx Field on Oct. 10, 2010. The Redskins seek their first win at Lambeau Field since Oct. 23, 1988.
1 – Robert Griffin III – Last week RG3’s comeback from major knee surgery got off to a bumpy ride as the quarterback showed signs of rust for 2 and a half quarters. His surgically repaired right knee withstood its first physical test, but Griffin didn’t find his timing, accuracy and feel for the game until midway through the third quarter. Now that the game one jitters are gone and with the way he played for the last quarter and a half Griffin and the Redskins look to rebound this week against the Packers. Green Bay is coming off a loss to the 49ers in a game that they vowed to stop the read-option in. For the most part the Packers were successful against the read-option as they put eight men in the box to stop the run and two men deep to stop the long pass. 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick torched the mid-range passes for 27 completions and 412 yards with three touchdowns. Griffin had his best games a year ago when he took what the defense gave him, so look for Robert to adjust to the style of defense Green Bay brings.
2 – Can the secondary hold up against Aaron Rodgers – The Redskins will have safety Brandon Meriweather active and playing for only his second game in the burgundy and gold since signing him during the off-season a year ago. Facing a quarterback with the overall ability that Aaron Rodgers has is a tall order, doing so with two rookies starting in the secondary is enough to make the most sound minded person a little worried. The Redskins hope the addition of Meriweather will help push this unit over the top. Recalling Meriweather’s one half of action last season before he tore an ACL, nose tackle Barry Cofield said, “That game he played last year was like he had a star in ‘Mario Brothers.’ You know, you just run through everything, invincible. He was in turbo speed and we were all regular people.”
3 – Stopping Green Bay’s Pass Rush – The Redskins offensive line will face a tough battle this weekend as Packers linebacker Clay Matthews will be roaming the field looking to stop the read-option that be vowed the Packers would not get killed with this season. Matthews last week recorded eight tackles, a sack and two more hits on the quarterback. The Redskins are coming off of a week in which the Eagles hit Robert Griffin III nine times, sacking him three. Both starting offensive tackles will need to bring their “A” game as the Packers could in fact line Matthews up on both sides during different parts of the game. The number one key to a successful season for the Redskins starts with limiting the number of hits on Griffin.
4 – Alfred Morris – After having a horrible game last week (fumbled on first play of game and in the end-zone causing a safety), Morris will look to move forward and get back to the success that guided him to 1600 plus rushing yards a season ago. Getting Griffin in rhythm is another key to this game so the importance of getting Morris going is critical. The Redskins must find a way to establish the run game early and often.
5 – Rush Defense – After finishing in the top five a year ago against the rush, the Redskins gave up a ridiculous amount of yards in week one to the Eagles, 263 to be exact. That number has to drop against Green Bay if the Redskins want to win. In years past most people would just automatically think that stopping Rodgers would be enough since the Packers haven’t had a 1000 yard rusher since 2009. This year the Packers have rookie Eddie Lacy who they drafted out of Alabama, a 5-11, 231-pounder who averaged 6.8 yards a carry during his college career. “He’s a tough guy, a steady back. He can catch the ball, a pretty good blocker,” Haslett says. A strong game by Lacy will make the Packers a lot more dangerous in addition to the All-Pro abilities of their quarterback.
