The Washington Football team will visit the Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium this afternoon and no one knows what to expect.
Each team is coming off a week two win, and both organizations have high expectations for the season. Both Washington and Buffalo are the reigning division champs in the East and were hoping to build off of their momentum from last season. And many consider the Bills to be on the short list of “true contenders” for this season.
However, that is why we play the game.
In theory, this should be a match-up of two very powerful units opposing each other. Behind Josh Allen, the Bills had the second-best offense in the league last season, compiling near 6500 yards and over 500 points.
On the other side of the ball, Washington held its opponents to the fourth-fewest points in the league in 2020, and ranked second in yards allowed. Iron vs. Iron.
But, for one reason or another, both the Bills’ offense and Washington’s Defense are struggling this year and we don’t know what to expect. Therefore today’s match-up should be a fun one.
Below you will catch my three keys to a Washington victory, for an intriguing match-up between two potential playoff teams.
Getting Ahead Early
Washington needs to start this game fast, and not fall to a deficit early on. In both of their games this season, the Burgundy and Gold have allowed the opposing quarterback to march down the field with little resistance. This added pressure to Taylor Heinicke to perform immediately, and provided him very little room for error. This deficit forced the offense into playing catch-up and if an early turnover occurred, the team might have been at dire straights before the half was over. Luckily, Heinicke played a mostly clean slate last Thursday and kept the team within reach.
An early deficit also adds pressure to the defense. Instead of having positive game-script and the ability to be aggressive with blitz packages, Washington had to be more conservative to keep the game in front of them. Limit the damage. That’s not a way to live in the NFL and it’s also not how the team is built.
If Washington wants to win this week, getting ahead early is imperative because it allows you to control the game and will allow Jack Del Rio to use his defense effectively.
Feed Antonio Gibson
Although Josh Allen has struggled this season, he still has the ability to “get right” at any moment. Allen passed for 37 touchdowns last season, and ran for eight more. He also has an explosive wide receiver in Stefon Diggs who caught the ball 127 times in 2020 for over 1500 yards.
Therefore, the key to beating Buffalo is keeping their offense off the field and limiting their possessions.
If the game allows, Washington should lean on Antonio Gibson and give him about 20 touches. Not only would this dictate the pace of the game, but it would limit Heinicke’ s exposure to the Bills’ standout linebacking corps and secondary. I expect the the Bills to blitz the novice QB and force Heinicke into quick decisions. And with a proven secondary in Orchard Park, this is a recipe for turnovers.
In a dream scenario, Gibson should have about 20 touches, 80 yards and a score. Washington would keep the Bills’ offense off the field, and limit their turnovers in what should be a tight game.
No More Communication Errors
Since the beginning of time, Washington’s secondary has struggled to communicate and pass zone-coverage responsibility from one player to another. I can still envision Josh Norman throwing his hands up in disgust, or DJ Swearinger calling out his teammates for not being ready for gameday. It’s been a problem for a while now.
In order for Washington to win today, the team needs to limit their blown assignments and play with honest gap integrity. Buffalo will easily exploit any faults in Washington’s defense, and will take a touchdown to the house with their offensive playmakers.
This goes for the linebacking corps, to the cornerbacks and to the safeties. It also goes for our EDGE rushers who struggled to contain Daniel Jones and his read-options last week.
Play sound ball and let the opponent’s execution beat you, not self-inflicted wounds. And let’s hope William Jackson III can prove why we brought him here, and keep Diggs’ game to a pedestrian one.
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