Redskins vs. Saints: 5 Keys to the Game for Washington

This could also be titled ?Pressure Drew Brees?, as it roughly amounts to the same thing. When Tanard Jackson received yet another drugs-related suspension, the Redskins were short at the safety position.

Jackson had looked good in preseason, so this was bad enough. Then Brandon Meriweather injured his knee again, leaving him out for up to four weeks.

John Keim of the Washington Examiner then added to the misery of Redskins fans by tweeting that Josh Wilson had an ab injury.

Now the Redskins had a bigger problem. Josh Wilson is by far the Redskins' cover corner,?and the prospect of playing their first game against a quarterback who broke the NFL single-season passing record isn?t one they would have relished.

The good news in all of this is that Brian Orakpo will return from injury. The linebacker will be crucial to the Redskins getting to Brees and hurrying him into mistakes?or, at the very least, short passes.

It?s vital that Jim Haslett gets his play-calling right here, as we saw how costly a repetitive blitz call could be against the Cowboys last year. If Brees picks up on any predictability within the pass rush, he will exploit it.

Orakpo, Ryan Kerrigan and London Fletcher form the backbone of a very powerful unit and they pose a genuine threat to Brees. Orakpo led the team with nine sacks last year, and he needs to open his account in the very first game this time around. The exterior of the Saints? offensive line is a possible weakness, so creating mismatches?by switching?Orakpo and Kerrigan around?will give them some success.

If Brees is granted the time to launch the ball downfield, the game could be out of the Redskins? hands very quickly. The same can be said of the Saints? running game, which was scarily effective on the back of Darren Sproles last year.

The Redskins linebackers need to come out at the top of their game on Sunday, stick to their assignments and protect the vulnerable secondary behind them.

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1325645-redskins-vs-saints-5-keys-to-the-game-for-washington

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