Washington Football team 3 Keys to Victory vs the Lions

The Washington Football team (2-6) will be battling against the Detroit Lions (3-5) this Sunday at Ford Field. Matt Patricia will be fighting for his job against Washington. Last season the Carolina Panthers fired Ron Rivera after losing to Washington. It seems like losing to Washington is the final straw that will get a coach fired. Both teams are struggling and are turnover prone. The Football Team is a -4.5 point underdog against the Lions. This game will come down to who can make less mistakes and not shoot themselves in the foot. Let’s look at the keys for Washington to win this game.

1.Win the Turnover Battle

Washington lost to the Giants last week because they lost the turnover battle. A fumble and a muffed punt helped the Giants start off with a 20 – 3 start. The Football Team is not good enough to win games with turnovers. Washington’s two wins happened when they won the turnover battle against the Eagles and Cowboys. Almost every game the team has spotted the opponent ten points and they have not been able to come back and win. Alex Smith is known to be cautious with the football and check down but last week he threw three interceptions. Two of them we’re late in the game and sealed the loss.The Lions threw three interceptions last week and the football team has to force some turnovers to win.

2. Establish a Run Game

Washington has to establish a run game to have a chance to win. This is the week to do it against a Lions team that is giving up (148.1 YPG) on the ground. The Lions are ranked 29th in rushing defense. Scott Turner has to give Antonio Gibson the ball more. The rookie has been productive when he gets the ball but isn’t getting enough touches. A big reason why is because Washington has been playing from behind. Washington is ranked 29th in rushing offense which is abysmal. Running the football will definitely help Alex Smith who didn’t look very mobile against the Giants. If the team can establish the run that could open up some big passing plays for Terry McLaurin against rookie corner Jeff Okudah.

3. Stop the Run

Washington could not stop the run up the middle against the Giants last week. Giants running back and former Washington player Alfred Morris had a big day running the ball up the middle. The pass defense for Washington has been stellar only allowing (185.6 YPG). They have to fill in gaps and stop former Washington player Adrian Peterson from running up the middle. If they don’t then AP could have a big day and lead the Lions to a win.