PERSONNEL NEWS

Strategy And Personnel

The Sports Xchange

December 13, 2018 at 12:54 am.

PLAYER NOTES

–P Tress Way set a franchise record on the books since 1976 with three punts downed inside the 20 against the New York Giants on Sunday. That gives him 36 for the year.

–LB Mason Foster has posted his first multi-interception season since 2013 when he was with the Tampa Buccaneers.

–WR Josh Doctson (concussion) did not practice on Wednesday and his status for the Jacksonville game Sunday is in doubt.

–LG Ty Nsekhe (knee), a converted tackle moved to guard because of multiple season-ending injuries at that position, did not participate in practice on Wednesday.

PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: WR Jamison Crowder. With Jordan Reed possibly missing the game with foot/toe injuries, the Redskins need as many weapons in the passing game as they can get. Josh Doctson might not play either. Crowder had a 79-yard catch-and-run Sunday for a touchdown against the Giants. The slot receiver missed seven games with an ankle injury, but he does have 19 catches in six games and averages 13.5 yards per catch, a career best.

GAME PLAN: A tale of two teams enduring bitterly disappointing seasons. The Jaguars (4-8) tanked early and never recovered. The Redskins were riding high at 6-3, but have lost four straight. A win would keep their playoff hopes alive, but they are on their fourth quarterback and Josh Johnson barely knows his teammates let alone the playbook.

That means Jay Gruden and the coaching staff have to keep things simple. Johnson is not going to throw for 300 yards. His inaccuracy was one of the reasons he crashed out of the league and has always had trouble making a 53-man roster. But he can pose a challenge with his feet and threw some nice balls over the middle last week when he entered the game against the Giants.

That ability to escape will help with the offensive line in shambles. Even the healthy players like Morgan Moses and Trent Williams aren’t at full strength and Washington is using emergency options at guard. Getting Chris Thompson into the mix will help. He hasn’t yet looked himself since returning from rib injuries and his big-play ability could help make life easier on Johnson.

Same goes for Adrian Peterson. The Redskins can’t become one-dimensional. Look out for Michael Floyd, who should get lots of snaps this week with Josh Doctson possibly out.

Washington looks totally out of sync on defense. Run defense was a strength early this season, but they have relied too much on defensive linemen Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne. But Jacksonville’s offense is a disaster, too. The Jaguars have scored 52 points total in their last four games.

The Jaguars have a dangerous running back in Leonard Fournette, but Cody Kessler was sacked four times last week by the Tennessee Titans in a loss. Outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan and Preston Smith need to force him into bad decisions. Safety D.J. Swearinger has had a strong year for Washington, but the young cornerbacks besides Josh Norman have struggled since Quinton Dunbar went out with a nerve injury in his leg and landed on injured reserve. The Redskins realistically need to hold Jacksonville under 20 points to have a chance to win given its quarterback situation and injuries on offense.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH

–Jaguars DE Calais Campbell vs. Redskins LT Trent Williams. Campbell is a beast at 6-foot-8, 300 pounds and has seven sacks. Williams has struggled with knee and hand injuries all year and is not at full strength, but the six-time Pro Bowler can still hang with any pass rusher.

–Redskins CB Josh Norman vs. Jaguars WR Dede Westbrook. Norman has been asked to do too much this season and it’s been hit or miss sometimes. Westbrook leads Jacksonville with 53 catches, but 14 of those are for 20 yards or more. He also has five touchdowns. But Norman has found his playmaking instincts again. He has three interceptions and three forced fumbles this season. Westbrook has fumbled twice. Something to watch.