USA TODAY Sports Weekly

Redskins (3-9) at Packers (9-3)

- Zach Kruse

Packers schedule

W ....... at Chicago ....... 10-3 W ...... Minnesota ...... 21-16 W ......... Denver ......... 27-16 L ..... Philadelph­ia ..... 34-27 W ........ at Dallas ........ 34-24 W ......... Detroit ......... 23-22 W ........ Oakland ........ 43-24 W .. at Kansas City .. 31-24 L . at L.A. Chargers . 26-11 W ........ Carolina ........ 24-16

BYE

L ....... at San Fran . ....... 37-8 W ...atN.Y.Giants ...31-13 Dec. 8 ..... Washington ..... 1 Dec. 15 ....... Chicago ....... 1 Dec. 23 at Minnesota 8:15 Dec. 29 ..... at Detroit ...... 1

Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, Lambeau Field, Green Bay, Wisconsin TV: Fox

Danny Sheridan’s line: by 14

Redskins’ keys to victory: Dominate the line of scrimmage, continue running the football and get consistent pressure with four pass rushers. Washington beat the Carolina Panthers by protecting rookie QB Dwayne Haskins with a dominant run game. RBs Derrius Guice and Adrian Peterson rushed for 228 yards and three touchdowns and must produce against a Packers defense that has been vulnerable against the run. The Redskins’ defense needs to stop the run on early downs and put consistent pressure on QB Aaron Rodgers without having to blitz.

Packers’ keys to victory: Get the ball to RB Aaron Jones and WR Davante Adams, force Redskins QB Dwayne Haskins to win from the pocket and create takeaways. The Packers operate best on offense when QB Aaron Rodgers is giving Jones opportunit­ies in space and Adams chances to make big plays down the field. The defense must stop the run on early downs and force Haskins to make big throws.

Matchup to watch: Redskins LT Donald Penn vs. Packers OLB Za’Darius Smith. Can Penn and the Redskins’ offensive line open enough holes in the run game? And will Smith be able to pressure the quarterbac­k when the Packers need a stop? The game might be decided by the Redskins’ O-line.

Who wins? The Packers are playing at home for the first time in a month and have a chance to take another step toward the postseason. The Redskins were impressive at Carolina, but the gap at quarterbac­k is too big for Washington to win at Lambeau Field.

Packers, 24-13

Packers

 ??  ??
 ??  ??

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States