Washington’s Week 5 preview: Facing the challenge presented by Rams star Aaron Donald
There’s no way to stop Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald. He’s the NFL’s top interior lineman, a 6-foot-1, 280-pound, game-wrecking nightmare who was
voted the league’s best player by his peers last year. Two weeks ago, when asked about a game plan for Donald, Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator
Brian Daboll said, “Maybe he can miss the bus.”
Opponents try to contain Donald. They start by using double teams on most plays, either with a second offensive lineman or a chipping running back or tight end. The goal is to limit his effectiveness as much as it is to wear him down. Former New England Patriots offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia once said you can’t try to “out-athlete” defensive linemen: “That’s like a one-legged man in an ass-kicking contest. You have no chance.”
In Super Bowl LIII, the Patriots tired Donald out by running at him and calling screens or outside runs away from him, forcing him to chase plays down from behind. Teams also try to limit Donald by moving the pocket with play-action and read-option concepts, which force him to choose what to do and allow the offense to counter.
Maybe the only weakness in Donald’s game is his aggression. He can sometimes be so intent on getting upfield that it leaves him vulnerable to plays such as draws, which attack the point on the line he just vacated. This is a nitpick.
Donald is a herculean challenge for Washington. Its offensive line is inexperienced (at left tackle and left guard) and banged up (at center and right guard), and the offense must rely on quarterback Kyle Allen, a 24-year-old making his first start since December with Carolina. After a week of internal turbulence, Coach Ron Rivera kept his evaluation of Donald short.
“He’s special,” Rivera said. “You’ve got to be able to account for him.”
In Kyle Allen’s debut, don’t expect an overhaul of the offense. The concepts are likely to look the same — lots of presnap motion, plenty of check-downs, an occasional deep shot — but Allen has more familiarity with the Air Coryell-based scheme.
Offensive coordinator Scott Turner said he “wouldn’t say that we’re going to necessarily open up the playbook,” but Allen might recognize some adjustments Dwayne Haskins didn’t and get the offense into better position. This could mean, among other things, more targets for the running backs and wide receivers in the slot.
The question with Allen is ball security. In 13 games last season with the Panthers, he threw 16 interceptions and fumbled 13 times, losing seven. Turner saw the struggles as a sign that Allen was trying to dig his team out of a hole, and he thought Allen grew throughout the year, putting his team in position to win on the road against tough foes such as the Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints.
“It’s not about doing something spectacular,” Turner said. “It’s just consistently doing your job.”
Washington might be in trouble on the offensive line. It could be missing center Chase Roullier (knee) and right guard Wes Schweitzer (elbow); both are listed as questionable. Either absence would hurt against a Rams rush headlined by Donald and boosted by Michael Brockers and Samson Ebukam. On Friday, Schweitzer was trending up after fully participating in practice, but Roullier was a late addition to the injury report and did not practice at all.
If Roullier doesn’t play, he could be replaced by rookie Keith Ismael, a fifth-round draft pick out of San Diego State, or practice squad player Ross Pierschbacher, a fifth-rounder out of Alabama in 2019. Ismael or Pierschbacher would face extra pressure to coordinate the line and communicate with Allen.
If Schweitzer doesn’t play, his replacement would be Joshua Garnett. A first-round draft pick by San Francisco in 2016 who was limited by injuries to seven games from 2017 to 2019, he was elevated from the practice squad to the active roster Friday.
If the forecast holds, this will be Washington’s first game in the elements. Showers are expected early in the afternoon; as of Saturday, Weather Underground
predicted a 92 percent chance of rain at 2 p.m. Rivera has been a big proponent of practicing in weather, but this week, “unfortunately, we didn’t,” he said.
“We did practice a lot in the bad weather early on,” he added, “so hopefully we’ll be ready.”
Injury report: Wide receiver Steven Sims Jr. headed to injured reserve Friday, meaning an offense with limited weapons lost one of its most promising young players. The starting slot receiver and punt returner will not be eligible to return until Week 9.
Rookie defensive end Chase Young (groin) could return this weekend, but Washington might opt to handle the situation with extra caution. Tight end Marcus Baugh is absent from the team after a death in the family, Rivera said.
| Washington | Washington | Injury | Status |
|---|
| Marcus Baugh, TE | Marcus Baugh, TE | Not injury-related | Out |
| Steven Sims Jr., WR | Steven Sims Jr., WR | Toe | Out (on injured reserve) |
| Greg Stroman, CB | Greg Stroman, CB | Foot | Out |
| Wes Schweitzer, RG | Wes Schweitzer, RG | Elbow | Questionable |
| Chase Young, DE | Chase Young, DE | Groin | Questionable |
| Cole Holcomb, LB | Cole Holcomb, LB | Knee | Questionable |
| Chase Roullier, C | Chase Roullier, C | Knee | Questionable |
The Rams are pretty healthy. Backup right tackle Bobby Evans (shoulder) is the only surefire absence, and two starters — inside linebacker Micah Kiser (groin) and cornerback Troy Hill (ankle) — are questionable.
| Rams | Rams | Injury | Status |
|---|
| Bobby Evans, RT | Bobby Evans, RT | Shoulder | Out |
| Micah Kiser, LB | Micah Kiser, LB | Groin | Questionable |
| Troy Hill, CB | Troy Hill, CB | Ankle | Questionable |
