Washington Redskins at Philadelphia Eagles

Redskins: Run D – 26th Pass D – 12th

Eagles: Run D – 24th Pass D – 18th

Passing:

While the Redskins are 6-5 and a win away from moving into a first-place tie with the Cowboys in the NFC East, expectations for Colt McCoy remain relatively low. His first official start came against a surging Cowboys team and while he completed 63.2% of his passes and threw for 268 yards and two touchdowns, he was also picked off three times and almost lost a fumble on a strip-sack. The Eagles secondary has been hot trash lately due to injuries, but the Skins offensive line is still banged up and don’t exactly offer a world of protection. Is it possible he rebounds this week? Sure, but considering the lack of weapons at his disposal, there is obvious pessimism.

For the Eagles, this passing attack is in need of some serious redemption. Carson Wentz has improved his overall accuracy, but he’s not running as much and that results in more sacks and throwaways because he’s not extending plays with his legs. He’s finally got a more stable ground game supporting him which is encouraging, and his weapons are both abundant and of quality. Given the Mond-Thursday slate of QBs, he’s probably your best option.

Rushing:

Things seemed to brighten for the Redskins on Friday when Adrian Peterson logged a full practice and was removed from the injury report, but come Saturday afternoon, he was back to being listed as questionable. Apparently, the Friday reports were erroneous and he was limited on both days, so we have to keep a close watch here, especially against a softening run defense that will likely be bolstered given the match-up. Chris Thompson is expected to return. The Eagles rank 25th against RB pass-plays and are allowing an average of 53.4 yards per game to them, so perhaps that’s your pivot.

For the Eagles, we’re just hoping head coach Doug Pederson continues down the same path as last week and gives the ball to Josh Adams for 15-20 carries. Adams had a 52-yard TD on the third play of the game last week called back but he managed to shake off a shoulder issue to come back and rush for 84 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. The Redskins have allowed an average of 129.3 rushing yards per game over the last three weeks, so there is definite promise. Wendell Smallwood and Corey Clement will work as complementary backs, but if Pederson is true to his word, we won’t have to worry much about either.

Receiving:

McCoy could really use some help in this passing attack as injuries have throttled the receiving depth of the Redskins this season. Jamison Crowder continues to remain questionable with an ankle issue and was limited all week and rookie Trey Quinn was seen in a walking boot late in the week. That leaves Josh Doctson and Maurice Harris as the top two healthy receivers with Michael Floyd expected to get some work in as the WR3. The match-ups against this beleaguered secondary are certainly favorable and we’ll give a lean towards Doctson and, if he comes out of the slot, Harris. Floyd is strictly a dart-throw. As for Jordan Reed (or Vernon Davis ), the Eagles rank fifth overall against the tight end position.

The Eagles have better weapons at their disposal, but the coverage is going to be tighter. Alshon Jeffery will likely see a heavy dose of Josh Norman while Nelson Agholor will see Quinton Dunbar more often. That actually leaves Golden Tate in a great spot against Fabian Moreau covering the slot, but Wentz and Tate still don’t seem to be on the same page. Good thing there’s Zach Ertz , amirite? Washington does rank 10th against the tight end, but Ertz is one of those guys who, thankfully, transcends match-ups.

Jacksonville Jaguars at Tennessee Titans

*Jaguars: Run D – 9th Pass D – 11th

*Titans: Run D – 11th Pass D – 25th

*rankings are based on DVOA numbers heading into Week 13

Passing:

With Cody Kessler under center, this passing attack is tough to take. He limited the mistakes Sunday, but he only threw for 150 yards with no touchdowns against a Colts team whose secondary struggles in coverage. Without Leonard Fournette , he didn’t have a supportive ground game that usually opens up play-action and was simply incapable of sustaining long drives and moving the chains. Perhaps this week, against a Titans secondary that also struggles in coverage, the presence of Fournette will help open things up more.

Marcus Mariota against a suddenly resurgent Jaguars defense makes me crazy nervous. They sacked Andrew Luck three times, picked him off once, recovered a fumble and knocked the Colts around all game long. If the Jaguars really are back on-track, this could be Mariota running for his life all day and maybe even a Blaine Gabbert appearance. The last time these two teams faced each other, Mariota was just 12-for-18 for 100 yards and left with the elbow injury.

Rushing:

Now that he’s back from suspension, Leonard Fournette is ready to continue his late-season surge. He’s seen no fewer than 18 carries in his three games back from a hamstring injury and is averaging 81 yards and has four rushing touchdowns. Oh yeah, add in 115 receiving yards and another touchdown too. The Titans run defense ranks well overall, but guess what…? They’ve allowed an average of just under 180 rushing yards per game over their last three.

I don’t even know what to say about this Titans ground game. Dion Lewis can’t move the ball and neither can Derrick Henry . They’ve combined for an average of 126.7 rushing yards per game over their last three but they only combined for 76 yards and one touchdown against a Jets team that looks atrocious on defense. Henry saw the heavier workload in this one but there’s no guarantee the distribution stays that way. It might be Henry this week as the Jaguars do rank fifth in the league against RB pass plays and allow fewer than 30 yards per game to them.

Receiving:

With such a rousing recommendation of the quarterbacks, you all have to be salivating over the receiving options, right? For the Jaguars, running back T.J. Yeldon was actually the most-targeted receiver Sunday with Donte Moncrief and Dede Westbrook following him. Neither amassed more than 40 yards, so there’s that. The Titans do struggle in coverage and the DVOA numbers look yummy delicious, but again, it’s Kessler and a run-first offense.

For the Titans, you can bet Corey Davis will be shadowed by Jalen Ramsey . That, pretty much, takes away all the weapons for Mariota. The Jaguars do rank 17th against the tight end, so maybe Jonnu Smith is an option, but can you really rely on winning a GPP because you used Smith as a flex or you faded Ertz on Monday? Seems unlikely. As for Taywan Taylor and Tajae Sharpe ? Good luck against A.J. Bouye and D.J. Hayden . Yeesh!