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| Wednesday, October 20 Updated: October 21, 7:39 PM ET War Room: Redskins at Cowboys The War Room |
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Editor's note: This is a sneak peek at an in-depth NFL game preview from The War Room, an ESPN.com associate partner. The rest of the War Room previews are available to ESPN.com Insiders. Click here to sign up.
Washington offense vs. Dallas defense
One of the keys to Washington's success was the play of Davis' backup, Skip Hicks. Hicks scored a touchdown and averaged 5.0 yards per carry. Davis is listed as probable for Sunday's game against the Cowboys. In the Week 1 matchup with Dallas, Johnson was able to effectively throw the football downfield against a Cowboys secondary that was missing Deion Sanders and Kevin Smith. Sanders and Smith are back and healthy, so this should effect how the Redskins throw the football. Expect No. 1 receiver Michael Westbrook and No. 3 target Irving Fryar to see a lot more balls this week, as Sanders will man the right corner, which will see him matched up against No. 2 wideout Albert Connell. With Connell effectively removed from the game, Johnson will look down the field for his secondary receivers or tight end Stephen Alexander, who has proven that he has the ability to get open deep. The most effective way for the Redskins to move the ball on the ground in this game will be between the tackles. Dallas has exceptional speed at linebacker, so look for the 'Skins to use Davis' size and their big offensive line to drive Dallas off the football. The Dallas defense has played respectably over the last two weeks but has been let down by a faltering offense. Keep in mind that the 'Boys defense played well against two of the worst offensive teams in the league -- the Giants and Eagles -- and will have its hands full this week against a team with a good quarterback and a full complement of offensive weapons. Because of Washington's potent running game, the Cowboys will be forced to let Sanders and Smith play on an island, and bring eight or nine players to the line of scrimmage to gang-up on the run. One key in this game will be the play of nickel corner Charlie Williams against Fryar, whose play is improving as he learns the Washington system. The 'Boys would also benefit from a pass rush generated by the front four -- something that appeared for the first time last week against the Giants. The 'Skins offensive line is superior to New York's, however, so expect Dallas to take some risks and roll coverage toward Smith, with Sanders alone on an island on the right side. It will be interesting to see how the Cowboys utilize Alonzo Spellman, who lined up at both defensive end and defensive tackle against the Giants. With Redskins center Cory Raymer suffering from a rib injury, look for Dallas to move Spellman to the inside to match up against a weakened Raymer or inexperienced backup Mark Fischer.
Dallas offense vs. Washington defense
The Cowboys offense seemed to stall in two-receiver sets against New York, so look for the team to use some three-receiver formations -- which enabled them to move the ball -- on first and second down this week. A good matchup for Dallas to exploit is right tackle Erik Williams vs. Washington left defensive end Kenard Lang. Williams is a big, strong drive-blocker who should dominate the undersized Lang in running situations. Williams also has the size and foot speed to handle Lang's up-field burst in passing situations. The Cowboys need the play of the offensive line to improve over last week, as Washington will undoubtedly mimic what the Giants did and use linebacker blitzes to slow down the Dallas ground game. The vertical speed of receiver Raghib Ismail is one way Dallas can spread the field and open things up for the running game, but Ismail has yet to prove that he can consistently get open without Irvin in the game. Dallas quarterback Troy Aikman will look to get the ball to tight end David LeFleur, who proved in the Cowboys' Week 1 win that he is capable of exploiting Washington's inexperienced linebackers and getting open downfield. The play of Washington's defense has been steadily improving since Week 1, and last week against Arizona, that was again the case. Last week, the 'Skins picked up middle linebacker Kurt Gouveia to shore up the team's young linebacking corps. Gouveia saw action in Arizona, and brought a heady, well-balanced game to the field. It is Washington defensive coordinator Mike Nolan's idea that Gouveia will tudor the youngsters while providing stability in obvious running situations. It was in these situations in the past where Washington was getting killed. Young outside linebacker Shawn Barber has all the athletic ability in the world, but he has had a difficult time unlocking from his blockers, and Gouveia provides an upgrade in this area. In the secondary, rookie cornerback Champ Bailey has proven to be a godsend. Bailey had three picks last week and returned one for a touchdown. Bailey has Deion Sanders-type talent, and can take the opposing team's No. 1 receiver out of the game entirely. Nolan has shown that he is comfortable playing Bailey in man-to-man and rolling coverage toward veteran cornerback Darrell Green. This begs the question: exactly what open receiver is Troy Aikman going to have to throw to this weekend in Dallas?
Special teams
Both teams have solid kickers, but Dallas' Richie Cunningham's costly miss in the swirling winds in the Meadowlands could affect his psyche this week. The special teams' nod has to go to the Cowboys, however, as Deion is capable of single-handedly changing the course of a game, as he almost did last week with the multiple-lateral effort on the final play.
Key matchups For some reason, offenses have shied away from attacking Sanders, but Washington won't. If Sanders and Smith can hold up without help against the potent Redskins' passing attack, it will allow their defense to be flexible in their blitz package. This matchup is the key to the game.
Campo is a very creative defensive coordinator, and he must attempt to confuse Johnson with a combo of blitzes and coverages. It will really help if his corners can take the Washington receivers out of the game without help. If Johnson has time to see the whole field, he will torch the Cowboys.
The 'Skins need to do a better job of getting an inside push with their pass rush by their two high-priced defensive tackles, but Dallas must neutralize the duo to not only protect Aikman, but to open up the inside run game with Emmitt Smith.
The Redskins will win if ...
The Cowboys will win if ...
The War Room edge
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