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New Jersey – The Washington Redskins have issues. There is no way around that. And what is going on with them should help the Jets a great deal . . .
Physically, the Redskins are a mess. There is no way around that.
Think about some of the most important positions in football.
In a passing league, obviously your starting corners are of significant import. Well, both Redskins starting cornerbacks will miss this game – DeAngelo Hall (toe) and Chris Culliver (knee).
Bashaud Breeland and Will Blackmon will fill in.
To their credit, they held up fairly well last week against Matt Ryan, Julio Jones and company down in Atlanta.
Breeland made the NFL’s All Rookie team last year. Blackmon is a 30-year-old journeyman who is on his sixth team.
With both starting corners out, obviously the Redskins are thin at the position, so look for the Jets to spread them out in passing situations.
On the offensive line, center and left tackle are obviously very important positions. The center is the cerebral leader of the line – making the line calls, getting things organized.
The Redskins will be without their starting center Kory Lichtensteiger (shoulder, finger, neck). Filling in for him will be Joshua LeRibeus, a fourth-year player out of SMU, who was a third-round pick in 2012. LeRibeus is about 20 pounds heavier than Lichtensteiger, so perhaps this will help him when Mo Wilkerson or Damon Harrison lines up over him.
The Redskins will be without their franchise left tackle Trent Williams with a concussion. This is a big deal. He’s one of the best in football, and obviously he’s Kirk Cousins blindside protector.
He will be replaced by Ty Nsekhe, a 6-8, 325-pounder who has never started an NFL game. You guess is as good as mine (and the Jets) as to how he’s going to play. Check out his resume. He’s amassed a lot of frequent flyer miles.
• Corpus Christi Sharks (2009)
• Dallas Vigilantes (2010)
• Philadelphia Soul (2011)
• San Antonio Talons (2012)
• Indianapolis Colts (2012)*
• St. Louis Rams (2012)
• New Orleans Saints (2014)
• Montreal Alouettes (2014)*
• Washington Redskins (2015)*
• Los Angeles Kiss (2015)*
• Washington Redskins (2015-present)
Another starter out for Washington is tight end Jordan Reed (concussion), a mobile H-Back TE Jordan Reed (concussion). Reed suffered two concussions while at Florida, and he had concussion problems during his rookie year in 2013. He’s a really good player who was tied for the team’s lead in receptions when he got hurt a couple of weeks ago.
It remains to be seen if Redskins talented receiver DeSean Jackson (hamstring) will play. This is a game-time decision. If he doesn’t play this will help the Jets a great deal. Neither Darrelle Revis or Antonio Cromartie match-up particularly well with this player who has world-class speed.
Yes, the Jets have injuries also, but it looks like Davis Harris (calf) is going to play and the other injured players are replaceable.
So when you combine the Jets two-week respite entering this game, with the Redskins playing an overtime road game last week, and the aforementioned injuries they are dealing with, the Jets certainly have a physical advantage entering this game.
October 16, 2015
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