Offense

1) Anticipate the blitz: Despite the success that the Baltimore wideouts have had over the past few weeks, the Redskins will stick their corners on an island against them and take their chances in man coverage, freeing up the underneath defenders to act as blitzers.

There are a number of ways in which the Ravens can combat the Washington blitz. One, they can set up quick-hitting screens to their receivers or backs. Two, quarterback Joe Flacco could operate out of the shotgun, spread formation. By receiving the snap away from the center, Flacco would have an extra split second to get rid of the ball before the pocket collapses. And three, the Ravens could keep blockers in the pocket, and use more two and three-man routes.

In all likelihood, offensive coordinator Cam Cameron will need to use all three of these ploys to keep Flacco clean on Sunday night.

2) Eyes on the safeties: One of the challenges that Flacco will face on Sunday night is safety duo of Chris Horton and LaRon Landry. The two safeties have been making plays from sideline-to-sideline all season long. They are both equally adept at closing on the ball on a hurry.

At this point in the season, Flacco has a better sense of where to place the ball on deep routes so that the safety is not able to make a play on the ball. Still, considering the speed and range of the safeties he is facing in this game, he will need to be that much more careful of how he mixes up the velocity of his long-ball.

In addition, he will need to be aware of where either safety is positioned at all times. Both players are also prone to roll into the box to blitz the quarterback.

3) Get Willis the ball: In the last two games against the Eagles and the Bengals, tailback Willis McGahee has been a complete non-factor. He will need to be reintegrated into the offense against the Redskins. Without McGahee seeing substantial playing time, the offense has still been productive and explosive. But against the speedy defense of the Redskins, McGahee’s services will be needed, especially as a receiver coming out of the backfield.

In general, if the Ravens are to make a playoff push, McGahee will need to get into more of a rhythm and play a role in the offense.

Defense

1) Defending misdirection: In Washington head coach Jim Zorn’s offense, any type of play could be run. He will especially take chances using his speedy wideouts on gadget plays to take advantage of a defensive over-pursuit.

The Baltimore defenders will need to play with sound discipline and gap integrity when they line up against the Redskins on Sunday. There will be times when they are tested by delayed, misdirection plays, and the aggressive backers and linemen cannot afford to bite too hard on the fakes, or a big play will be sprung loose up field. 

2) Compressing the pockets: Over time, Washington quarterback Jason Campbell has developed into more than a caretaker. He is now a complete player, capable of making all the throws and anticipating where the rush is coming from.

If there is one way for the Ravens to disrupt Campbell’s game, it will be to force him to make accurate, intermediate passes. In the past few contests, Campbell has lacked consistency on his inside throws, and the Washington wideouts have lacked focus when catching passes over the middle. Moreover, the Redskins rarely run long patterns for Campbell to hit on so they have been more reliant on the shorter completions.

The Baltimore backers will need to get good depth on their drops and stay true to their landmarks, forcing Campbell to fit the ball into tight windows to keep drives alive. Even when his passes are on the mark, the Washington wideouts have to be leveled every time they attempt to make a reception.

3) Get off the field: Like the Ravens, when the Redskins offense is performing at an optimal level, it is not only efficient but it also takes time off of the clock.

In order for the Ravens to prevent the Redskins from hogging the ball to drain the clock, they will need to prevent the Redskins from converting on third-down. To have a better chance to accomplish this goal, the defense will need to do a solid job of keeping the Redskins in third-and-long conversion situations as opposed to third-and-short conversions.

One-on-one Matchup to Watch: Chris Cooley versus Bart Scott: Cooley may be the Redskins most critical playmaker on offense. He is the in-between safety valve for Campbell to turn to when he is in trouble. Cooley also has the ability to stretch the seams on vertical routes and is involved in the screen game. Scott will need to spy Cooley and play with sound technique when he runs with him on patterns.