Five Keys to Washington Win at Lions

ASHBURN, Va. - Sunday in Detroit is about two franchises that have been stuck in mud forever. Someone has to win, right? (Unless there's a tie, which would probably be fitting.)

Here's five keys for a Washington win.

1. Start Early: With the exception of a good first quarter in Cleveland and a mostly dominant performance against Dallas, the Washington Football Team (2-6) have been a disaster in the first half of games this year.

Washington has been outscored 60-23 in the first quarter and 71-46 in the second quarter, cumulatively in their eight games.

A 131-69 disparity in the first half is not bad. It's brutal.

Washington is not going to win games if the players and coaches are half-there for the first 30 minutes.

2. Run the Damn Ball!: Nine rushing attempts last week against a stout run defense that the Giants brought to Landover was exactly what the doctor did not order.

Sure, it was going to be tough sledding under normal game circumstances ... but two early turnovers and a leaky defense put the WFT in a poor position.

The nine rushing attempts were the first time since 1933 that Washington was under 10 rushing attempts in a game (according to the Elias Sports Bureau, via Mitch Tischler of NBC Sports Washington).

3. Protect Alex Smith: Smith was only sacked twice last Sunday but for 22 lost yards. It was minus-15 on one sack and minus-seven on another. Way too much for most any offense to overcome - but especially this one. New York had their third sack of Kyle Allen, the play he was injured on, also an 11-yard loss.

That's essentially three ruined possessions for Washington and 33 lost yards in a three-point loss. That matters.

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In the two games in which Smith has relieved Allen, Washington has dropped back to pass on 46-of-58 offensive snaps by my count (using NFLGSIS.com & ProFootballFocus). That's 12 rushing attempts on 58 offensive snaps.

If you do the math, Washington is passing 79% of the time when Smith has played this year. The same Smith that had 17 surgeries to repair his mangled right leg.

That's way, way too much. Even if you are trailing by 1- on Sunday, stay patient. Keep yourself multi-dimensional. Sure, Alex Smith put up some big numbers last week but also some bad numbers (three interceptions, two sacks, one drop).

4. Stop the Run: Whatever you do on Sunday, do not allow Matthew Stafford to be able to do anything he wants as a result of being unable to stop the run.

Washington has allowed 129-plus rushing yards in six-of-eight games this year. This is a losing number.

Adrian Peterson, the former WFT running back, has been mostly pedestrian since Week 2, but Washington allowed two average backs (Wayne Gallman and Alfred Morris) to shred them for 135 combined yards and the Giants had 166 overall.

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5. Special-Teams Mistakes: Dustin Hopkins is questionable for Sunday with a groin injury. Isaiah Wright had a fumble on a punt return last week and from time to time, penalties have cost the various units. ... All while not really getting anything in the return game. Steven Sims Jr. was back on punts late in the Giants game, but not kickoffs. He had a long kickoff return for a touchdown last year against Detroit (now 3-5).

Get him more involved this week now that he's been eased in. Danny Johnson is OK. Sims Jr. can be special. And the WFT needs all the "special'' it can muster if it is to record a victory in Sunday's 1 p.m. ET kickoff.

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