PLAYER NOTES
–RB Adrian Peterson sustained a sprained shoulder in Monday’s loss to New Orleans and would have been limited had the team practiced Wednesday. His status for the Carolina game Sunday is uncertain.
–TE Vernon Davis (hamstring) would have been limited in practice Wednesday had the Redskins not opted for a walk-through instead.
–LT Trent Williams (knee), still recovering from surgery during the bye week, remained limited during the walk-through on Wednesday and it is unclear if he will practice later in the week.
–WR Josh Doctson (heel), who did not play against New Orleans, was listed as limited in Wednesday’s walk-through.
–RG Brandon Scherff, who sustained a right knee injury in the Week 2 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, was limited during Wednesday’s walk-through.
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: OLB Pernell McPhee, a vocal presence for the Chicago Bears for the past four seasons, has been quiet so far with the Redskins since signing as a free agent to bolster the pass-rush depth. McPhee made his first true impact against New Orleans on Monday when he picked up a fumble. But he still doesn’t have a sack yet and he missed a golden opportunity to fall on another loose football in the first half. Saints running back Mark Ingram II somehow escaped from beneath another Redskins player and beat McPhee to the ball. That was a big play near midfield to begin the second quarter. New Orleans scored a touchdown eight plays later to take a 13-3 lead.
GAME PLAN: The Redskins get a crack at another NFC playoff opponent from 2017 when they play the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.
Cam Newton doesn’t have the weapons at wide receiver that New Orleans does so maybe the secondary will get a respite after struggling against the Saints and earlier against the Colts. They have to be better at communicating. Andrew Luck picked them apart literally with legal pick plays, Green Bay had a 64-yard touchdown pass and Brees got them for a 62-yard touchdown. Josh Norman, the man who is the highest paid defensive player and should be better, was burned on both.
The Redskins have held up well against the run with Daron Payne, Matt Ioannidis and Jonathan Allen getting the vast majority of the snaps and have combined for seven sacks. But they need more of a pass rush from the outside linebackers.
Washington’s offense has yet to sustain itself for four quarters. In its two wins, quarterback Alex Smith got his team off to a fast start and played well for a half against Arizona and Green Bay. That was enough. The defense did the rest in those relatively easy victories.
But the Redskins have trouble when they have to chase games. They don’t have the weapons at wide receiver they did when Kirk Cousins was under center, they are struggling as defenses take away tight end Jordan Reed and no one else can pick up the slack and Adrian Peterson is averaging four yards per carry with three touchdowns, but his shoulder and knee are an issue.
Washington needs to get third-down back Chris Thompson going again. He had 221 yards of total offense in the first two games and 79 in the last two as defenses also look to take him out of play. That’s a weapon that can open things up for other players.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH
–Redskins ILB Zach Brown vs. Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey. Brown is still fighting an oblique strain on his left side, but he has the speed no one else on Washington’s linebacking corps has. He doesn’t hold up as well if he has to chase tight ends down field, but he can get to running backs in the screen game. McCaffrey is no one-trick pony with 329 rushing yards, but he is dangerous in space with 192 receiving yards and a touchdown on 32 targets.
–Panthers WR Devin Funchess vs. Redskins CB Quinton Dunbar. The Panthers might not be an explosive team through the air, but Funchess leads them with 238 receiving yards on just 18 catches. He has four catches of 20 yards or more and at 6-foot-4, 225 pounds, will be a handful for Washington’s beleaguered secondary. Dunbar is giving away some size at 6-2, 197 pounds, but he is a scrapper unafraid to go up against big-bodied receivers. He is a better matchup for Funchess than fellow cornerback Josh Norman.
