Week 14 film notes: If style points count, Packers’ meeting with Redskins should be a fashionable one

Breaking down the film of the Redskins, the Packers’ opponent in Week 14.

Sunday’s contest will feature a 9-3 Green Bay Packers team against its inverse, the 3-9 Washington Redskins.

While the Redskins will use the final stretch of games as a foundation on which to build momentum for the offseason, the Packers are to use theirs as a launching pad for the playoffs.

It’s Sunday, then, that the playoff-bound Packers shouldn’t just take care of business at home, but they should hope to do it in style.

Yes, style points do not matter in the win-loss column. Yet, in the sense that a moral victory or six can galvanize a team for a stretch run (i.e. “run the table”), a complete, team victory – something that has been elusive for the Packers this year – could help set the tone for pre-playoff football.

What does that mean, exactly?

It begins by the Packers asserting their willpower over a respectable Redskins defense that ranks 21st in points and 19th in yards. From the jump, the Packers need to show that they’re in sync, like they did for stretches against Minnesota, Dallas and Oakland. The ground game and passing game need to complement one another, not acting as individual departments that demonstrate little cooperation with one another.

On defense, the Packers match up well against the Redskins in the sense that Washington has one of the worst red zone offenses in football while the Packers have one of the best on defense. They’ll have their turnover opportunities, too. Still, the Packers have plenty of room for improvement. They’re giving up the fourth-most yards per play, and they’re ranked in the bottom third in adjusted net yard per pass attempt, which takes into account sacks, yards and interceptions.

The Packers should win this game, easily, because of the talent disparity alone. More to the point, however, is the fact that the Packers need to show marked improvement after getting KO’d in San Francisco two weeks ago. Need may be a strong word, but the Packers should be playing their best ball by late December. They’ve been measured and found short in the NFC pecking order. Some momentum and confidence via coherent, complementary football could change that.

Film notes

  • Rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins indeed plays the position like a rookie without a solid pass-blocking offensive line. He can be accurate. However, he’s slow through his progressions, lacks awareness in the pocket, and possesses inconsistent ball placement. When he feels pressured, he’ll lose his eye placement and it seemingly takes him some time to relocate his targets. Pressure for the Packers will likely be the source of turnovers.
  • Expect a heavy dose of second-year running back Derrius Guice and future Hall of Famer Adrian Peterson. Given the pass blocking woes, interim head coach Bill Callahan will likely try to win one inch at a time. Peterson still runs with fire despite running backs aging in dog years. Guice’s game is power.
  • Rookie wide receiver Terry McClaurin is the team’s best receiver, which is also an indictment against their receiving depth. Still, McLaurin is a good one. He has 4.35 speed and runs precise routes, the type of player who has given cornerback Kevin King fits this year.
  • The second receiving option is another rookie, Kelvin Harmon. Though Harmon isn’t fleet of foot (4.60 40-yard dash), he’s a slightly bigger target (6-2, 215) for Haskins, and he’ll be able to create separation with size. The Packers would be wise to either double McLaurin or have Jaire Alexander shadow him.
  • Outside of the rookie receivers, the third, fourth, and fifth are tight end Jeremy Sprinkle and receivers Trey Quinn and Paul Richardson. All three appear like JAGs at this point.
  • The Redskins’ offensive line, particularly on the edges, is a weak point. This is the type of game where what the Packers do well – rush the passer on the edge – matches nicely with what the Redskins do poorly – protect the quarterback on the edge.
  • Washington’s defense has some muscle up front: Rookie Montez Sweat collected 1.5 sacks last week against Carolina. The long, strong and fast first-round pick lacks subtlety in his approach, but he’s learning to refine his pass-rush plan, he plays to his strengths (via length), and he crashes the edge against the run. In the middle, the Redskins have two former Alabama first-rounders, Jonathan Allen and Da’Ron Payne. Allen, in particular, will bounce to a defensive end over the tackle in a 3-4 alignment. He gives them some interior rush.
  • While the Redskins went out and spent a pretty penny making Landon Collins one of the NFL’s the highest-paid safety, there isn’t a whole lot of depth in the Washington secondary. Against the Panthers, receivers frequently leaked open; communication issues seemed to be consistent on the back end. Collins is best playing downhill. He has a nose for the ball on blitzes.
  • With that said, there’s still some talent and when the assignments are sound, so, too, is the coverage. Washington covered Detroit’s receivers well two weeks ago in their second victory of the season.
  • The Redskins get their linebackers involved in the blitz and like to bring pressure in the middle. It might be a good week to get Aaron Jones involved in the middle of the field.