National Football League

5 Washington Redskins To Watch In NFL Week 14 vs. Philadelphia Eagles

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 12:45 p.m. ET

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Nov 20, 2016; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins head coach Jay Gruden looks on from the sidelines against the Green Bay Packers in the third quarter at FedEx Field. The Redskins won 42-24. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

The Washigton Redskins are getting ready to take on the Philadelphia Eagles. They are going to have to have some players step up in order to win the game.

Week 14 is a critical week for the Washington Redskins. The team is coming off of a loss to the Arizona Cardinals and they are trying to keep pace in the NFC playoff race. They are right in the thick of it with a 6-5-1 record, but they really need to grab some more wins considering that they on the outside looking in right now. They can get a head start on that journet if they can take down the Eagles this week.

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The Eagles are on a bad streak right now. Since starting the year 3-0, they have gone 2-7 over the past couple of months. Doug Pederson is enduring some rough patches as a rookie head coach, but the team still has some bright spots. They will be playing a competitive contest against the Redskins, as the two teams are rivals.

With that said, the two teams are going to be playing a hard fought contest. Each side is going to have to have players step up to get a win, and here are five Redskins that are going to do so on Sunday.

Nov 24, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) throws the ball against the Dallas Cowboys during the second half at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

5. QB Kirk Cousins

Since the first two weeks of the season, Kirk Cousins has been spectacular. He is definitely the future quarterback for the Redskins, and I was optimistic about his chances to perform well against the Eagles in my game preview:

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Kirk Cousins has really caught fire and continued to perform well last week against the Cardinals. While it was not his best performance, he fared well despite being under constant pressure. He was efficient. That is not ideal, but again, he was battling a pretty tough defense.

Against the Eagles, Cousins and company should find a lot more success. The Eagles have a significant weakness at the cornerback position. Their top two options are declining veteran Leodis McKelvin and the ever decent Nolan Carroll. While both could be successful as a No. 2 corner, neither is meant to be a top cover option.

Because of these issues at the cornerback position, Cousins is going to be able to have a lot of success against the defense. He will be able to pick and choose the matchups he wants to target, and he should be able to create a lot of mismatches. He should perform even better than he did against the team last time, when he totaled 263 yards, two touchdowns, and a pick. For that reason, he qualifies as a player to watch this upcoming week.

Nov 24, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; Washington Redskins strong safety Duke Ihenacho (29) cannot make an interception in the second quarter against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports

4. S Duke Ihenacho

Coming into the week, the status of current starting safety Will Blackmon was unclear. Blackmon had suffered a concussion in the team’s loss to the Cardinals, and as of Thursday, he was still in concussion protocol. Making matters worse, fellow safety Donte Whitner logged only a limited practice and if he is not 100 percent, the Redskins will need some help at the position.

That is where Duke Ihenacho will come in. Ihenacho has been a do-it-all player at both safety positions this year. While his coverage has only been decent, his biggest weapon is his versatility. If the team is without Blackmon or Whitner, Ihenacho will play a major part in the team’s defensive efforts.

If I had to guess, I think that Blackmon will miss the game. That means that Ihenacho and Whitner would likely start alongside him. Deshazor Everett will make an impact as the primary backup, but the veteran duo would play the most. If Ihenacho has to play a lot of snaps, he will be tasked in coverage duties a lot. He needs to hold up, or Zach Ertz could end up having a big day.

Sep 18, 2016; Landover, MD, USA; Washington Redskins cornerback Bashaud Breeland (26) defends a pass intended for Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant (88) in the third quarter at FedEx Field. The Cowboys won 27-23. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

3. CB Bashaud Breeland

Sticking with the secondary, the team is going to need to get a strong performance out of Bashaud Breeland to really lock down the Eagles. Breeland has been a big disappointment in his third season, as he has failed to develop into the shutdown corner that most thought he would be able to be. Instead, he has had issues in coverage, some of which have been caused by a nagging ankle injury.

Against the Eagles, Breeland is going to have to matchup with whoever the Eagles’ No. 2 wide-out ends up being. Coming into the week, many expected it to be Dorial Green-Beckham, but he has missed the last two days of practice with an abdomen injury. If he cannot play, Breeland will be tasked with shutting down the drop prone Nelson Agholor. Breeland absolutely has the skill set to do that, and he should be able to play well against any receiver he faces.

Still, there is a chance that Breeland could disappoint as he has been all season. If he does not put his best foot forward, that could open the door for Carson Wentz to make some plays. Considering that this is essentially a must win game, the coaching staff must make sure that Breeland is at his best. Otherwise, the team will have some problems in coverage.

Oct 28, 2016; London United Kingdom; Washington Redskins center John Sullivan (56) at practice at the Twyford Avenue Sports Ground in preparation for game 17 of the NFL International Series against the Cincinnati Bengals. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

2. C John Sullivan

Last week against the Cardinals, the Redskins lost Spencer Long to a concussion. Long has been solid since taking over for Kory Lichtensteiger at the center position, but it seems like he is going to have an uphill battle in order to play this week. With that said, it seems likely that John Sullivan will get a chance to make his first start in a Redskins uniform.

After Long went down, Sullivan came in and did a decent job. He was not as dominating as Long had been, but he certainly got the job done. Sullivan also performed better than Lichtensteiger did earlier in the year, so it seems like he would have the edge to start over him. Lichtensteiger was just designate to return off the IR, but it would behoove the team to use him as a backup if Long cannot go. Lichtensteiger simply is not starter quality material at this point in his career.

Because of this, Sullivan is going to have to come out and put together a strong performance. He cannot afford to be the weak link on the offensive line if he wants to keep his job as the primary backup. If he does not play well, the team could choose to roll with Lichtensteiger and possibly release Sullivan. No matter what happens, what the team does at the center position will be interesting.

Dec 4, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Washington Redskins wide receiver DeSean Jackson (11) reacts in the fourth quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Cardinals defeated the Redskins 31-23. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

1. WR DeSean Jackson

In the first meeting between these two teams, I picked DeSean Jackson as the top player to watch. I was mainly concerned about his first game against the Eagles since the firing of Chip Kelly, and I said this about the team’s defensive backfield:

Jackson is a player to watch is because of the Philadelphia cornerbacks. The unit as a whole lacks the speed to compete with some receivers, and Jackson is one of them. He has game breaking speed and should be able to blow by them a couple of times. He may not have best game of the Washington receivers, but he will almost certainly play with the most energy.

Well, not much has changed since Week 6. The Eagles corners are still doing poorly. Jackson is returning to his former home. For these reasons, It feels perfectly natural to rank him at the top again. However, this time there is a different twist.

Jackson has been linked to a possible return to the Eagles in the 2017 offseason. He is going to be a free agent, and the Redskins may not retain him. If they do not, he seems to want to go back to Philadelphia and the team may elect to sign him. The Eagles will certainly be taking a look at what he can do against them. If he performs well, that will give the team more incentive to sign him. I think Jackson will have a big game, and people will point to it as a strong performance when he is a free agent.

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