After three consecutive games against AFC East opponents, the New England Patriots will take on a much less familiar foe this Sunday.
Here are five things to know about the Patriots’ Week 5 opponent, the Washington Redskins:
1. They’re 0-4
After giving the Philadelphia Eagles a scare in Week 1, the Redskins have dropped each of their last three games by double figures, including a 24-3 dud against the Daniel Jones-led New York Giants on Sunday.
Their defense has allowed the second-most points (29.5) and the fifth-most yards (399.3) per game. Their offense ranks 29th in scoring (16.5 points per game) and 28th in yardage (296.3 per game) and has turned the ball over nine times, tied for fourth-most in the NFL. Both have been brutal on third down, ranking 32nd and 29th in conversion percentage, respectively.
2. Their head coach is on the thinnest of thin ice
Jay Gruden has yet to win more than nine games in a season since taking over in 2014 and almost certainly will be fired at some point in the coming months, with some reports suggesting that axing could come as early as next week.
Washington has made the postseason just once during Gruden’s tenure — losing to the Green Bay Packers in the wild-card round in 2015 — and has lost 10 of its last 11 games dating back to last season. The lone win during that span came in the form of a 16-13 squeaker against Cody Kessler and the Jacksonville Jaguars last December.
So, yeah. This is not the greatest time to be a D.C. football fan.
3. We don’t know which Redskin will start at QB
After starting veteran Case Keenum in each of the first four games, Gruden threw top draft pick Dwayne Haskins to the wolves during the second quarter of the Giants loss even after acknowledging last week the Ohio State product was not ready.
Unsurprisingly, Haskins struggled, throwing three interceptions on 17 pass attempts, and Gruden has yet to announce his starter for Sunday’s matchup against a New England defense that leads the NFL in nearly every category, including interceptions (10; no other team has more than five) and sacks (18; tied with Carolina for first).
Do the Redskins go with the clearly overmatched Haskins? Do they reinsert the exceedingly mediocre Keenum, who’s dealing with a foot injury? Or do they turn to Colt McCoy, who has a wealth of experience in Gruden’s system but hasn’t played since breaking his leg last December? At this point, no one knows.
And against this Patriots defense, it might not even matter.
4. Their running game is woeful
The quarterback issue has received more media attention, but the Redskins’ rushing attack has been downright abysmal this season. They rank 31st in both rushing yards per game (49.8) and yards per carry (2.9) and 30th in Football Outsiders’ run offense DVOA and are only NFL team without a 100-yard rusher.
And that’s not 100 yards in a game. That’s 100 yards total. Even the Patriots, who’ve been roundly criticized for their struggling ground game, have two of those (Sony Michel and Rex Burkhead). Adrian Peterson (2.7) and Chris Thompson (2.9) both are averaging less than 3 yards per carry, and 2018 first-round pick Derrius Guice isn’t expected back until midseason as he recovers from a torn meniscus.
5. Their young wideout has potential
Terry McLaurin, who was viewed as a potential Patriots target ahead of this year’s draft, has been Washington’s most promising offensive weapon thus far. The third-round rookie caught a touchdown pass in each of the first three games, and he ranks fourth among all NFL receivers in yards after contact, according to Sports Info Solutions.
There’s also this:
And this:
McLaurin sat out last Sunday’s game with a hamstring injury, though, and it’s unclear whether he’ll be healthy enough to go against the Patriots.
