NFL
Washington Redskins vs Indianapolis Colts Preview
Date: Sunday, September 16, 2018
Time: 1:00 pm Eastern Time
Location: FedEx Field, Landover, MD
Team Records:
Washington Redskins 1-0-0
Indianapolis Colts 0-1-0
After opening the season with an impressive 24-6 victory over the Arizona Cardinals, the Redskins have the chance to start 2-0 for the first time since 2011. They’ll have a good chance to do so against a Colts team that has started 0-2 in five consecutive seasons. The Colts dropped their season opener at home against the Cincinnati Bengals 34-23. Quarterback Andrew Luck made an emotional return after missing all of 2017 with a shoulder injury. Now that he’s back at the helm at quarterback, the Colts are hopeful he can return to form.
Preview
Sunday’s game will not be an easy task for first year head coach Frank Reich. The Redskins dominated the Cardinals a week ago, and the Colts don’t have as much talent as the Cards. Washington’s defense was able to limit running back David Johnson and future Hall of Famer Larry Fitzgerald as both players failed to make an impact on offense. With the injuries along the offensive line for the Colts, the Redskins pass rushers could make life difficult for Luck. Left tackle Anthony Castonzo is out against the Redskins with a hamstring injury as well as backup tackle Denzelle Good. Outside linebackers Preston Smith and Ryan Kerrigan could be in store for big games. Le’Raven Clark and Joe Haeg could be the starting tackles along a patchwork offensive line.
Offensively
Offensively, the Redskins should have opportunities for more big plays down the field. The Colts secondary is suspect to say the least. Although Redskins receivers weren’t that productive in week one, Alex Smith still had a strong game. Running backs Adrian Peterson and Chris Thompson should be able to wear down a Colts defense that had a tough time dealing with Bengals running back Joe Mixon.
Redskins receivers were relatively quiet against the Cardinals but that could change in week two. The Cardinals have talent in their secondary, so they were able to neutralize big plays by Washington’s offense. Indianapolis has one of the worst defenses in the league. Maybe this is the game wide receiver Josh Doctson records his first 100-yard career game. After rushing for 182 yards against the Cards, Indy could use more eight-man fronts against Washington’s offense. Jay Gruden could use the ground game to set up the play-action to attack the Colts down field. This is an all-around bad matchup for the Colts. Luck could keep them in the game early on, but the Redskins have to much firepower.
Photo credit to gaurav kumar via Flickr
