Dominated by Carson Wentz and run all over

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ASHBURN , Va. (AP)by Alex Smith – yes, Alex Smith – the Washington Redskins know they have a problem with quarterbacks getting outside the pocket. Enter their next challenge: Russell Wilson, who isn’t as spry as his rookie year but can still get footloose and free from pressure. When the Redskins visit the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, keeping Wilson contained is priority No. 1. ”You’ve just got to make sure you don’t let Russell Wilson do Russell Wilson things,” pass-rushing linebacker Preston Smith said. ”He makes plays with his feet, he extends plays and he can also scramble. He can run, he’s a fast quarterback and he also has a great arm. So you’ve just got to make sure you don’t let him get comfortable and you don’t let him get in a rhythm.” That plan didn’t work out so well against Wentz, Smith and Dak Prescott. Wentz avoided four sacks and threw for 307 yards in the Philadelphia Eagles’ Week 1 victory against Washington and ran for a career-high 63 yards in Week 7. Even Smith, who’s not known for taking off at will, scrambled for a season-best 56 yards on the Redskins. ”We got burnt a few times this year because of that,” linebacker Martrell Spaight said. ”We learned the hard way. … I think it’s pretty much burned into our brains now that if the quarterback’s going to scramble, just let him scramble till he passes the line of scrimmage and we’re just going to play our coverage. Just hope the D-line gets to him.” Wilson presents his own sets of problems, even five years after running for 67 yards on eight carries in the Seahawks’ playoff victory at Washington. In two career games against the Redskins, Wilson has 189 yards rushing on 19 carries. Spaight likened Wilson to a video game, and linebacker Will Compton called him a magician. ”He’s able to make plays happen,” Compton said. ”If he doesn’t get his reads, (he can) escape the pocket, keep plays alive. He kind of reminds me of guys like Aaron Rodgers that keep plays alive.” The Redskins’ defense is missing defensive linemen Jonathan Allen and Matt Ioannidis and linebacker Mason Foster, and several other key players are banged up. But the unit might’ve learned a lesson or two from struggles against Wentz and Co. ”We definitely have to do a better job against mobile quarterbacks,” defensive lineman Ziggy Hood said. ”If they extend the play, they can make plays while they’re running and stuff like that. So we’ve got to do a better job making sure we don’t allow that to happen. If it does, everybody do their job and do their job correctly because any small thing can turn into something big.” Wilson exemplifies that remark. Even though the 28-year-old isn’t running as much as he did a few years ago, he’s averaging 5.4 yards an attempt. One of the biggest complications for Washington is trying to keep some focus on Wilson while not forgetting about coverage responsibilities. Cornerback Kendall Fuller has noticed improvements in that area and said he and his fellow defensive backs need to ”plaster” receivers as long as possible. ”Make sure just having as much vision on the quarterback (as possible) and just keep it to where a lot of heads aren’t turned to the ball,” Fuller said. ”Even if you have your man covered , you’ve still got to keep on working because he’s going to make plays with his feet, so we’ve just got to play to the whistle.” Mobile QBs such as Wilson can delay the whistle a long time, and the Redskins are conscious of that. ”You’ve got to keep them from just being able to have a lane up the middle and you’ve got to make sure you apply pressure in their face and keep them from stepping up in the pocket,” Smith said. ”You’ve got to make sure that you keep them contained and apply pressure. You’ve got to kind of cage those guys in.” NOTES: Ten Redskins players didn’t practice Wednesday: TE Jordan Reed (hamstring), LT Trent Williams (knee), RG Brandon Scherff (knee), LB Zach Brown (back), WR Jamison Crowder (hamstring), LG Shawn Lauvao (stinger), C Spencer Long (knees), TE Niles Paul (concussion), Ioannidis (broken hand) and OT Ty Nsekhe (core muscle surgery). … Four players were limited in practice: CB Bashaud Breeland (knee), RB Rob Kelley (ankle), Spaight (shoulder) and S Montae Nicholson (shoulders). — LANDOVER, Md. (AP)With their losing records and their shaky defenses and their injury-depleted rosters, the Washington Redskins and New York Giants are not exactly ready for prime time, let alone for a national audience tuning in on Thanksgiving night. The teams are a combined 6-14, including 0-5 in the NFC East. Dynamic players such as New York wideout Odell Beckham Jr. and Washington running back Chris Thompson are done for the season. Not only did Washington fall apart last weekend, letting a 15-point lead disappear in the final three minutes of what became an overtime loss, but its list of players on injured reserve has risen to 15. Asked how that affects his ability to game plan, Redskins coach Jay Gruden joked Wednesday: ”Well, does it look like I’ve slept a lot?” The Redskins (4-6), hosting a Thanksgiving Day game for the first time, are technically still able to make the playoffs – they are , after all, entering the easy-as-can-be portion of their schedule after playing division leaders a half-dozen times – but they also have lost four of their past five games. ”Got to win. Got to get a `W.’ We’re on the ropes right now. Really are. Been hit. Backs against it. We’ve just got to come out and start swinging and getting back into the center of the ring,” Redskins cornerback Josh Norman said. ”If we can get this one, hey, a domino effect? Who knows?” The main question facing the Giants (2-8) at this point, meanwhile, is whether there is any way coach Ben McAdoo can hold onto his job. A year after getting to the postseason, Eli Manning and New York have been among the league’s dregs, even losing to the otherwise-winless San Francisco 49ers. Somehow, though, the Giants pulled off a surprise last weekend, defeating AFC West leader Kansas City, so maybe they won’t just be easy pickings on Turkey Day. ”It’s the same approach we’ve had all year: We go into these games expecting to win,” defensive lineman Damon Harrison said. ”That doesn’t change anything, whether the playoff hunt is over or whether we’re still in it or not.” Here is what else to know about Thursday night’s game between the Giants and Redskins: BEST COUSINS? Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins, he of the still-up-in-the-air future, is third in the NFL in yards passing, has a passer rating over 100 and has managed to play well despite a makeshift offensive line and little to speak of in terms of playmakers. Asked in what ways he has gotten better this season, Cousins replied: ”Every area of quarterbacking. I think I’ve done a much better job of handling protections, of feeling the rush, of knowing when to take sacks, when to throw it away, when to throw it into tight windows, working through progressions. Knowing when to run , when to take off and use my legs. Just throwing with accuracy. Being decisive. All the things you have to do at this position, I think I’ve continued to improve.” O-LINE ISSUES Both of these teams are struggling to find offensive linemen. The Redskins put two starters, center Spencer Long and left guard Shawn Lauvao, on IR this week. And Long’s backup, Chase Rouiller, is out with a broken hand, leaving third-stringer Tony Bergstrom to make his first NFL start since 2015. Plus, their best lineman, left tackle Trent Williams, will be a game-time decision. The Giants will be forced to use their eighth different starting offensive line of the season, because right guard D.J. Fluker’s injured right foot won’t allow him to play Thursday. The likely replacements are John Greco, a 10-year veteran signed last week, or first-year player Jon Halapio. ROOKIE RUNNER With Thompson, Washington’s leading rusher and receiver, joining starting running back Rob Kelley on IR, rookie Samaje Perine will get the bulk of Washington’s carries again. He ran for 117 yards and a TD against New Orleans last week, but he also dropped a pass in OT. The biggest challenge for Perine is probably helping in pass protection. ”It’s almost unfair to him as a rookie to have that much put on him,” Cousins said, ”but we just don’t have a choice.” DIMINISHING DEFENSE Neither of these teams has been able to stop opponents with any consistency. The Giants allow 396.6 yards per game, which ranks 31st in the 32-team league. The Redskins give up an average of 26.6 points, which puts them 31st in that category. —

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