Redskins vs. Cowboys Preview

 Happy Thanksgiving! We are now in week 12 of the 2016-17 NFL season and we have seen a lot of interesting things happen so far. Coming up later today will be our second Thanksgiving match up of the day. The Washington Redskins square off against the Dallas Cowboys. This will be another revenge game opportunity for the Redskins after losing in week two to the Cowboys 27-23.


Dallas is coming off a ten point win over the Baltimore Ravens while the Redskins
are coming off a 18 point win over the Packers. Both teams got a win on Sunday, and both teams had a pretty short week coming into this game. I'd say the Cowboys have more of an advantage in that factor. The Redskins played on Sunday night at home. The Cowboys were already playing at their home stadium and that is where the game will be played today.

So far, Ezekial Elliot has the most rushing yards in the NFL. The Redskins were the second best so far in containing Elliot, allowing 83 rushing yards. The Redskins defense also forced a fumble on Elliot in that week two game but also gave up some big plays.

For the Cowboys to win, they have to stick with the run game. The Redskins have one of the worst rushing defenses in the NFL, and I don't think Dak Prescott could get it done by passing if the Skins let Josh Norman cover Dez Bryant. Of course the Cowboys have many other weapons, but if the Skins defense can lock down Dez, that's a huge advantage in my opinion.

For the Redskins, I think they can really attack that Dallas secondary with Kirk Cousins on fire lately. Barry Church and Morris Claiborne will not be playing in this game, and I'm looking for Cousins to be throwing some deep balls. Also, with Robert Kelley, who has played really well in these past few weeks, they can really balance out the pass and run. Because both defenses are not that reliable, I'm predicting this game to be very high scoring.

To me, if the Redskins want to win, they have to get off to a really good start and keep it that way. That is the only way I can see them winning. I don't think they can win in a close game against these red hot Cowboys.

Prediction: Cowboys 31, Redskins 27

Packers add Christine Michael going into game against Redskins

This week, the Redskins opponent will be the Green Bay Packers. The Packers are 4-5 and really struggling right now. Last week, they lost to the Titans 47-25. The Redskins have a 5-3-1 record and are coming off a 26-20 win over the Vikings.

Going into this game, I was thinking it would be an easy one for the Redskins, but my thoughts changed after I found out about Christine Michael being signed by the Packers. I have no idea why the Seahawks would want to let go of Michael, but it was probably because of the performance of C.J. Prosise on Sunday night against the Patriots. Prosise had 66 rushing yards and 7 receptions for 87 receiving yards. Prosise is a very versatile running back. And the fact that Thomas Rawls is close to coming back from his injury, put Michael in a bad position.

The Packers have been struggling a lot in the run game, so Michael is a perfect fit for them. The Redskins have had trouble stopping the run this year, so Michael might give the Redskins defense some problems.

The reason why the Packers offense hasn't been able to get going early in games is because they didn't have a true running back. They became too predictable and they started to have to come from behind in games. Now with Michael, their offense will be unpredictable, and once again dangerous. I have a feeling Aaron Rodgers will have a big game this weekend.

Also, a big part of why the Packers have been losing, is because of Clay Matthews being out consecutive games. He is a big part of that Packers defense. This week he will be returning and will probably help out the defense a lot.

The last time the Redskins played the Packers was in the playoffs last year. The Packers won 35-18, in a come from behind win. The Redskins will definitely be looking for revenge this time around, and I think they will get it.

What the Redskins Have to do to beat the Vikings

One team that has definitely exceeded expectations this year is the Minnesota Vikings. They will be clashing with the Washington Redskins this Sunday. Both teams have been going downhill lately. But I'm going to focus on the Redskins and what they will have to do to win. 

     In the red zone they have to convert with touchdowns at least 50% of the time. They can't just come away with a field goal every time. Red Zone scoring will be especially tough this week. But even the dominating Vikings defense has some holes in them. We saw it a couple weeks ago. Jordan Howard[Bears running back] completely annihilated the Vikings defense, so we know they aren't flawless. Howard rushed for 153 yards and a touchdown in that game. One of the best teams in the NFL lost to one of the worst teams in the NFL. So I don't think the Redskins winning is a long shot at all. I think that once the Redskins get down into the red zone, they have to stay with the run game because they tend to pass a lot once they are in the red zone. Robert Kelley has been their most productive running back this season with Matt Jones being very inconsistent. He is very hard to bring down and so far the Redskins have done a good job of utilizing him. His yards after contact has been amazing. That is part of the reason why he is averaging 5 yards per carry. 

     The Vikings running game has been struggling a lot. So the Redskins defense will force them to pass a lot. Once that starts happening, they have got to put pressure on Sam Bradford. A good match up to watch will be Stefon Diggs vs Josh Norman. Diggs is probably the NFL's fastest wide receiver while Norman is one of the leagues best cornerbacks. Norman had a frustrating week before the bye, being penalized 5 times. He also got fined for criticizing a ref. Both wide receiver and corner back are 6 feet tall. I think Stefon Diggs has speed over Norman, but as long as Norman keeps Diggs out of the middle of the field, he will be okay. Norman is a very physical cornerback, and I think in this matchup, being physical will be an advantage. 

The Redskins have to control the line of scrimmage. Blocking for Kirk Cousins will be very critical. Trent Williams just got suspended for 4 games and they will be weak at the left tackle position. 

We know that this Vikings defense is one of the best with taking the ball away, so it will be key for Kirk Cousins to not throw any interceptions. I think if he throws 1 or more interception, they lose, and if he throws no interceptions, they win. 

Prediction: Redskins 20, Vikings 14

Could the Browns get their first win on Sunday?

The Cleveland Browns are 0-8, and the worst football team in the NFL. Having not won a single game yet, people might think I'm crazy when I say this, but, I think the Browns will get there first win against the 6-1 Dallas Cowboys. Here is why.

 A lot of people forget about the weapons that the Browns have on offense. For the past few weeks, rookie wide receiver Corey Coleman has been out with an injury. This week, he will be back, and will be playing alongside Terrelle Pryor, another one of its dominant receivers. Browns also have a very tall tight end in Gary Barnidge.  Cody Kessler is not a very good quarterback but when he has all of those receivers to throw to, the Cowboys' secondary will have a tough time.

The Browns backfield is also very talented. Isaiah Crowell hasn't been mentioned a lot this year. He has been playing very well. He is averaging 4.9 yards per carry. Duke Johnson is also a very dynamic back. He is more of a pass catching back than Crowell. If the Browns can balance out the run and the pass and make themselves unpredictable, I think they have a good chance of scoring a lot.

Defense will be a problem for the Browns. Dak Prescott has been playing some great football, but we have seen him make some mistakes in the past couple games. Ezekiel Elliot has been one of the best running backs in the league so far. And then you have all the pass catchers - Dez Bryant, Cole Beasley, and Jason Witten. As long as the Cleveland defense can get some stops, I think they will be fine.

For Cleveland, it hasn't been about lack of talent or bad coaching. Almost every game this year has been a close one. They just need to close out games. The reason why they're 0-8 is because they can't finish out games and I have a feeling it will start this weekend.

Prediction: Browns 23, Cowboys 19

How Jeremy Lin has helped the Nets so far

Last year, the Nets struggled a lot. They posted a 21-61 record in the 2015-16 season. But over the off season, they made a lot of changes. Starting with a new coach, Kenny Atkinson, and a bunch of other new players, it's safe to say that the Brooklyn Nets are a completely different team.

One key player they acquired is Jeremy Lin. The Nets were in need of a true point guard after not having good results with Donald Sloan and Jarrett Jack, former Net point guards. And so far, it looks like the Nets have found the right guard. Their record isn't great, but there are a lot of bright spots in this Nets team. And Jeremy Lin is creating a lot of it.

Bojan Bogdonavic was not a big factor in the Nets offense last year. Part of the reason why was because he wasn't getting the ball as much as he needed to. This year so far, Lin has been getting him the ball a lot. Last year, Bogdonavic averaged 11.2 points per game. This year, he is averaging 15.4.

Brook Lopez has been very efficient so far. Lin has been getting him the ball a lot. He admitted after the season opener against the Celtics that he needed to do a better job of getting Lopez the ball. He has been doing that well within the past few games. Now I think that Lopez has to do a better job of getting the ball back to Lin after he gets it in the paint. He has to remember that not every shot is a good shot when he is posting up.

I have also noticed that the Nets take a lot of threes. Once Grevis Vasquez and Randy Foye come back from their injuries, I can't even imagine what the Nets 3 point attempts per game will be.

Overall, Lin has helped the Nets a lot. As of right now, he has a hamstring injury and will be out for at least two weeks. It will be interesting to see how the Nets play without him.