Redskins vs. Vikings: Five Things to Look For
The Washington Redskins will face the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday at FedEx Field as Washington tries to break it’s current home losing streak, which stands at 8 (a number which stretches back to week two of the 2011 season). This game is a must-win for the Redskins with them heading to New York to take on the Giants next week and Pittsburgh the following week after.
- Robert Griffin III – Easily the biggest story-line of them all, Griffin still has yet to be cleared to play this weekend, but all signs point to him making a comeback this week from last week’s “mild” concussion. Offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan has already said that the game-plan will stay the same no matter if RGIII plays or not. Griffin’s playmaking ability is hard to match, so obviously, the chances of winning are greater if he is the signal caller who is under center on Sunday.
- New Kicker, hopefully, better results – Earlier this week Redskins placekicker Billy Cundiff was released, and Kai Forbath was signed to replace him. Forbath, a former Lou Groza award winner from UCLA, has never kicked a field goal in an NFL game but was 5-5 for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in preseason this year. In the last few weeks the kicking game, or lack thereof, has taken the wind out of the offense on more than one occasion and has hurt the time as far as momentum has been concerned. The Redskins are hoping Forbath can at least be an answer in short range after Cundiff proved inept in that department.
- Containing Percy Harvin – With the Redskins secondary being the weak-link of the unit this year, seeing Harvin lined up across the line should be something that defensive coordinator Jim Haslett worried. Harvin has 38 catches on the season for a total of 407 yards and a touchdown, the thing is, Harvin has gotten 77.6 % of his yards after the catch, which is amazing. Washington will need to find an answer to Harvin early or look for a long day on defense.
- Pressure on the QB – Minnesota finds itself near the top of the league in this department, and the Redskins offensive line will need to pay extra attention to defensive end Jared Allen if they want to control the tempo of this game. The Redskins have found themselves in unfamiliar territory this year as Brian Orakpo, and Adam Carriker both went down early on this year. Second-year linebacker Ryan Kerrigan has shined and will need to get to Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder early and often. The defensive unit needs one or more people to step up and give Kerrigan some help if the Redskins are to get any better this year, keep an eye on Barry Cofield and Jarvis Jenkins in this one.
- Control the clock – For Minnesota this game will mark the first time Adrian Peterson has returned to FedEx Field since a season-ending knee injury last year, Peterson’s performance will dictate whatever the Vikings do on offense. For the Redskins they will need to get rookie Alfred Morris going early and make the game as simple as possible for Robert Griffin III to be able to manage without mistakes or injuries. Morris will try to become the first running back in NFL history to rush for 75 or more yards in his first six games; he is tied with Eric Dickerson currently with five.
