In the Packers' six regular season losses this season, they averaged less than 95 yards per game compared to nearly 130 yards in their victories. The Redskins hope to keep their total on the low side.
Washington Redskins nose tackle Terrance Knighton believes the Green Bay Packers' offense is at its best when it's running the ball efficiently.
That has been, at times, difficult for Green Bay, as Eddie Lacy and several key offensive linemen have dealt with injuries throughout the regular season.
Lacy – who was voted as the 60th best player in the NFL entering the season – saw his numbers dip across the board this season, as he recorded just 187 carries for 758 yards and three touchdowns, all career lows for the 2013 first-round pick.
The 5-foot-11, 234-pound back also averaged 4.1 yards per carry, tying his career low as well.
James Starks, meanwhile, who briefly overtook Lacy's role as the team's No. 1 back, tallied a career-high 601 yards.
"A lot of people get caught up in the whole Aaron Rodgers thing, but what makes them very successful is when Eddie Lacy and James Starks are handling the line of scrimmage, and the offensive line is moving the ball with the run game," Knighton said. "Just because their run game hasn't been as consistent as it has been in years because Lacy's had the injuries and Jordy Nelson went down, their deep threat, but if we take away their run game and make them one-dimensional, which the teams that have been successful have done against them, then we should be successful also."
Indeed, the Packers struggled to run the ball in their six regular season losses, as they averaged less than 95 rushing yards in those games.
Conversely, they averaged nearly 130 rushing yards per contest in their 10 victories this season.
One of the biggest factors in their inconsistencies has been the injuries to the offensive line, as starting left tackle David Bakhtiari has missed the last two games with an ankle injury.
All-Pro guard Josh Sitton took his place at tackle in the regular season finale, although Packers head coach Mike McCarthy said earlier this week at Sitton will move back to tackle even with Bakhtiari questionable for the game on Sunday.
"That's week in and week out in the National Football League," Redskins defensive coordinator Joe Barry said of injuries and adjustments. "You know, I've said it time and time again in here, the National Football League, it's a war of attrition. It's very rarely in this day and age that guys are going to go wire-to-wire for 16 weeks. There's going to be injuries. You're going to lose players to IR. You're going to lose players for two or three weeks. So of course the chess match is weekly. That happens weekly on both sides of the ball. Offense attacking defense, defense attacking offense and this week is no different obviously."
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