Game Preview: Redskins at Patriots

August 8, 2018

by Steve Thomas

We aren’t going to start preparing our regular, information-packed written game previews until the regular season starts, because quite frankly the effort it takes to produce them isn’t really worth it until the games start to count, but we nonetheless wanted to give you a quick something to chew on since Redskins football is finally back for real.  So here we go.

The first game of the preseason is usually a limited affair for everyone, and this will be no exception, with teams more interested in trying out different personnel packages than gameplaning for a win.  Nonetheless, the defending AFC champion Patriots are the gold-standard of excellence in the NFL, and any time the Redskins get to face them without the game counting can only be a good thing.  Enjoy the game and root for the Redskins, but pay particular attention to how Washington matches up against a franchise of this caliber.

Game time & location:            Thursday, August 9, 7:30 p.m. ET, Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, MA; Gates to                                                                suites and club seats open at 4:30 p.m. ET; all other gates open at 5:30 p.m. ET;                                                      Parking lots open at 3:30 pm

 

Television:                               NBC4/NBC Sports Washington

Television announcers:         Kenny Albert/Joe Theismann/Clinton Portis

Television replay:                   NFL Network, Friday, August 10, 1 pm ET

 

DC-area radio:                        ESPN 980

Redskins radio network:      http://www.redskins.com/media-gallery/radio-network.html

Patriots radio network:        https://www.patriots.com/audio/game-broadcast-info

Satellite radio:                       XM: 231 (Patriots broad.); Sirius: 99 (Redskins broad.); internet: 831 (Redskins broad.)

 

Redskins roster:                      http://www.thehogsty.com/hog-sty-projects/roster/

Redskins depth chart:            https://www.redskins.com/team/depth-chart

Patriots roster:                       https://www.patriots.com/team/players-roster/

Patriots depth chart:              https://www.patriots.com/team/depth-chart

 

What to Watch For

Look like an NFL team

The Redskins head into Foxboro for the first preseason game of the 2018 season with quite a bit to prove.  First and foremost, more than winning the game, the Redskins first string offense needs to just look competent.  We’ve seen a string of past preseason games in which the Washington starters have looked absolutely awful.  Job number one Thursday night is to change that history: move the ball, score points, and don’t destroy your chances by making tons of mistakes.  That’s all I ask.  The offensive starters will most likely only play two series, so there won’t be much time.

Stay healthy

For most teams, this should go without saying, but for the Redskins in particular, this is critical given the injury disasters that befell this team last season.  If I had to pick between “competent performance” and “health” Thursday night, I’ll take health.  Please pray to a higher power of your choosing (it can’t hurt) that Washington escapes this contest without suffering any major injuries.

Performance of the interior defensive line

One consistent observation thusfar in training camp from almost every media outlet, including The Hog Sty, is the newfound aggressive attitude and greatly improved performance on the defensive front.  This is their first test: will this group live up to the billing, or will we see more of the same?  For all of their strengths, the Patriots historically aren’t a great running team, but they did draft Georgia’s Sony Michel to become their running back of the future, so we’ll see a decent showing.

Battle for the #2 corner spot

It appears as though this battle is Quinton Dunbar’s to lose at this point, but Patriots’ quarterback Tom Terrific represents an extremely tough battle, so we’ll get a chance to see how Dunbar, Fabian Moreau, and perhaps Orlando Scandrick react the challenge.  Corner is one of the biggest battles of training camp, and this game should be quality test up and down the defensive back depth chart.

Running back competition

Prized rookie running back Derrius Guice was buried at the back of the depth chart released earlier this week, out of apparent deference to the veterans. We’ll probably see Rob Kelley first, but the division of the carries between Kelley, Samaje Perine, and Guice is definitely a must-watch event Thursday.

The start of the Alex Smith era

Alex Smith has given absolutely no indication that we’ll see anything other than professionalism and quality play from him.  Nonetheless, a new starting quarterback is a big moment, and starting off the Smith era the right way would be a big confidence boost for the entire team.