If we are still operating under the assumption that the Washington Football Team needs to win every game they can in order to inch closer to the division lead in the NFC East, then this weekend’s matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals is absolutely crucial for Ron Rivera.
More importantly, it becomes crucial for defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio and his defense, who will need to step up in a major way to help out the team, shutting down Bengals’ young star QB Joe Burrow and making life easy on the offense. In order for them to do this, the biggest key will be for the defensive line to get pressure on Burrow, and take away his comfortability in the pocket.
For Washington, rushing the passer has been a bit up and down so far this season. They rank 5th in the NFL with 28 sacks on the season, but a lot of their success has come against NFC East teams, with 19 of those sacks coming against the Eagles, Cowboys, and Giants in the span of three games. Outside of that, Washington has struggled to get a presence in the opposing backfield, though they are getting better as the season goes on.
“For us, it’s just to build on the start that we had to the season,” Del Rio said, via WashingtonFootball.com. “We’re looking to continually improve. We established high standards. Our expectations are very high. We’re going to keep pushing for that. …We’re seeking to be better, and we should be better as the year goes on.”
In order to make sure they can grab a win on Sunday and improve to 3-7, getting Burrow to the ground will be the number one goal. The Bengals have allowed the second-most sacks in the NFL this season, and watching Burrow try to evade pressure has become a Sunday afternoon ritual at this point.
It needs to stay that way this weekend, or Washington may need to pull the plug on this race to the playoffs ideology. Who knows, that could be a good thing as well.
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