NFL Week 2 Preview: Redskins at Rams

Each week, the PFF analysis team will bring you break downs of the most important matchups for each game of the NFL season.

Coverage by: Mark Chichester

Matchup: Washington Redskins offense vs. Los Angeles Rams defense

• G Brandon Scherff vs. DI Aaron Donald – fourth year offensive guard Brandon Scherff is coming off a torrid opening game against the Philadelphia Eagles and his job will only get harder against the elite talents of interior lineman Aaron Donald. Against the Eagles, Scherff allowed four total pressures on 47 pass blocking snaps, including a sack, and registered a ‘poor’ PFF overall grade of 41.9. He will have to step up his game in a big way if he’s going to compete with Donald, who has generated more quarterback pressures (205) than any other interior defensive lineman over the last three seasons, and ended the 2016 campaign with a near perfect pass rush grade of 99.0.

• WR Jamison Crowder vs. CB Nickell Robey- Coleman – After leading all second year wide receivers with a wide receiver rating (passer rating generated when targeted) of 112.9 last season, Crowder’s 2017 season has got off to a wobbly start. Although he caught all three of his catchable targets against the Eagles, Crowder and Cousins have yet to display the same chemistry as they found together last season, as evidenced by the pitiful 10.7 rating produced last week. Crowder will be working against fifth-year slot corner Nickell Robey-Coleman, who allowed a passer rating of just 74.9 on throws into his slot coverage last year, the league’s fifth best mark.
• QB Kirk Cousins vs. CB Trumaine Johnson – Heading into the second game of the season, quarterback Kirk Cousins must take control of an offense that just does not resemble the well-organised attack that we saw last season. It starts with Cousins’ accuracy. Through four preseason games and one regular season game, Cousins adjusted completion percentage of 66.7 percent ranks 42nd of 53 quarterbacks with at least 55 dropbacks, far from the figures of 2015 (78.5 percent – league second best) and 2016 (76.3 percent – league ninth best). He’ll have to drastically improve if he wants to take on Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson, who allowed two receptions from five targets and a passer rating of 16.7 against the Colts last week, en route to a near-elite coverage grade of 89.7.

Coverage by: Mike Cahill

Matchup: Los Angeles Rams offense vs. Washington Redskins defense

• WR Cooper Kupp vs. Slot Defenders – Rookie wide receiver Cooper Kupp started his NFL career with an overall grade of 75.9, finishing Week 1 as the 22nd overall wide receiver. He ran 14 of his 24 routes from the slot, which resulted in three targets with two receptions, a drop, and an average of 3.71 yards per route run from the slot, which ranked seventh among 50 wide receivers. Washington’s coverage in the slot in Week 1 saw 10 total targets and allowed eight of those for receptions and 78 yards, resulting in a 1.86 yards per coverage snap allowed. Kupp was targeted twice on one route, which was a crossing route, for two receptions, 30 yards, and a passer rating of 118.8. In Week 1, Washington allowed two receptions on three targets on crossing routes for only 18 yards.

• WR Sammy Watkins vs. CB Josh Norman – Sammy Watkins caught all five of his targets for 58 yards and a passer rating of 115.0 when targeted. He finished with an overall PFF grade of 76.2, which ranked 21st among all wide receivers in week one of the regular season. He will face stiff competition in Week 2, facing cornerback Josh Norman. Norman finished Week 1 with the 19th overall grade among cornerbacks with a 79.2. In his matchup against the Eagles in Week 1, Norman saw seven total targets and allowed only two catches with two passes defended. When covering the Eagles’ number one receiver, Alshon Jeffery, he saw three targets and allowed one catch for 14 yards while defending a pass.
• T Andrew Whitworth vs. EDGE Junior Galette – Veteran left tackle Andrew Whitworth will be seeing a lot of edge defender Junior Galette on Sunday. Whitworth started his Rams career as the 14th overall tackle in Week 1, with a grade of 80.8. He allowed zero quarterback pressures on 30 pass-blocking plays, he was one of nine tackles with at least 25 pass-blocking plays to accomplish that. Galette was able to generate four total quarterback pressures in Week 1, with three of them coming on the right side of the line. Galette’s pass-rush productivity from the right side was 32.1, which was the highest among any 3-4 outside linebackers with at least seven pass rushes and his 30.0 overall pass-rush productivity ranks third among the position with at least 10 pass rushes.