PLAYER NOTES
–WR Jamison Crowder (ankle) is “iffy” to play Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys. He did not play last weekend against the Carolina Panthers or participate in practice Wednesday.
–S Troy Apke (hamstring) did not participate in practice on Wednesday. He has yet to appear in a regular-season game.
–RG Brandon Scherff (right knee) aggravated a meniscus injury in Sunday’s win against Carolina and did not practice Wednesday.
–WR Paul Richardson Jr. (shoulder/knee) did not practice Wednesday.
–RB Adrian Peterson (shoulder) did not practice Wednesday.
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: CB Josh Norman came to play after an ugly performance in a loss to New Orleans on Oct. 8 when he gave up a bad touchdown pass late in the first half when he gambled on a play and his man ran free down the field. Norman made up for it last week, but will that continue? He had a forced fumble and an interception against the Carolina Panthers, his former team, on Sunday. Norman and the rest of the secondary must remain on the same page.
GAME PLAN: The Redskins should go back to their Week 2 loss to the Indianapolis Colts and take a long, hard look. The defensive switches, the stunts, the blitzes, the aggressive attack all gave Washington fits in a 21-9 loss. If it looked familiar that’s because it’s exactly what the Cowboys have done to them the past three seasons.
Speed is the name of the game for Dallas at linebacker, where Jaylon Smith and rookie Leighton Vander Esch can move sideline to sideline and are tackling machines. The Redskins can likely use lots of boots from quarterback Alex Smith and misdirection to take advantage of that approach. Whatever they’ve done the past in four consecutive losses hasn’t worked.
Meanwhile, stopping Dallas running back Ezekiel Elliott is top priority for the Redskins’ defense. They are better positioned to do so with defensive linemen Jonathan Allen, Daron Payne and Matt Ioannidis all playing well. But the key to stopping Elliott is tackling him when he gets one-on-one looks at the second level. Limit the damage. That hasn’t happened. Elliott had 150 rushing yards on 33 carries last Oct. 29 at FedExField. As a rookie in 2016 he had a combined 180 rushing yards and three touchdowns against Washington.
The Redskins need to put pressure on the mobile Dak Prescott, who has the ability to escape the pocket. They did well for three quarters against Cam Newton in a 23-17 win last week. Prescott has seven touchdowns, but four interceptions through six games.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH
–Redskins CB Fabian Moreau vs. Cowboys WR Cole Beasley. Moreau has shown some improvement in recent weeks in his first full season as the primary slot cornerback. Beasley has long tortured the Redskins and is Dallas’ leading receiver (26 catches, 294 yards, two touchdowns).
–Cowboys DE DeMarcus Lawrence vs. Redskins LT Trent Williams. Lawrence has a team-high 5.5 sacks for Dallas and three tackles for loss. Williams is a six-time Pro Bowler, but he did have knee surgery earlier this month.
