The ‘Skinny: Week 2 v. Jacksonville Jaguars

Welcome back to the second season of "The 'Skinny," a weekly preview of the local professional football team's upcoming game and opponent. Every Thursday, you can find any and all information* about the Redskins' next opponent in this space.

(*Sometimes, it may be some or most information.)

Week 2 Opponent: Jacksonville Jaguars (0-1)

Game Information: Sun., Sept. 14 -- FedEx Field -- 1:00 p.m. -- CBS

Last Week: The Redskins made too many mistakes, fumbling twice within the red zone in a frustrating 17-6 loss to the Texans. The Jaguars' loss may have been a bit more cringeworthy. Jacksonville blew a 17-0 halftime lead, allowing 34 unanswered second-half points in a loss to the Eagles. 

What's The Skinny?

Believe it or not, the Redskins and Jaguars each face a pivotal game Sunday in Landover. Since 1990, only 12% of NFL teams that have started 0-2 have qualified for the playoffs

In order for Washington to win, it simply must take better care of the football. The Redskins lost two fumbles within the red zone last week against the Texans, losing valuable points in the process. According to ESPN, the Redskins have lost their past nine games when on the wrong end of the turnover margin. 

Among other improvements that need to be made, Robert Griffin III pointed out this week that the offense must do a better job developing a downfield passing attack. Wide receivers DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon are two of the NFL's best at getting open, combining for 18 catches against Houston. But Griffin averaged roughly seven yards per pass.

“When you have weapons like Pierre and DeSean and Andre [Roberts], these guys can really go deep down the field. You want to get them opportunities and we had a couple in the game. We just didn’t come down with them,” Griffin told reporters via The Washington Post. “Yeah, we have got to find ways to open those guys up more down the field. Don’t think that’s any secret. You want to be able to be efficient and hit the underneath stuff, but you also have to get those home-run shots in every now and then. We’ll work on getting that.”

Statistic Of The Week: Dating back to last season, the Redskins have lost nine straight games. That is the longest active skid in the NFL. It is also the longest in franchise history since a 17-game losing streak that stretched through the 1960 and 1961 seasons.  


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