Eagles vs Redskins: Lane Johnson gets reacquainted with Ryan Kerrigan
This time around the Eagles get their right tackle, Lane Johnson, back to help neutralize the threat of the Redskins’ Ryan Kerrigan.
Here’s a couple of quick history lessons. First, the Philadelphia Eagles, all of a sudden, seem powerless against the Washington Redskins whenever those two teams do battle. Second, they always seem to make Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins look like the second coming of Peyton Manning. Third, Ryan Kerrigan has been a one-man wrecking crew the last two times he’s stepped onto the field. There’s just one more thing that needs to be mentioned. Eagles all-star offensive tackle Lane Johnson wasn’t present for either one of those losses a season ago.
Johnson was serving a suspension for violating the NFL‘s policy on banned substances. The suspension was his second. That meant he’d be unavailable for ten games. The first of which was against the same team the Eagles open their slate facing. You guessed it. It’s those guys from D.C.
2016:
The results weren’t favorable either time in 2016. In their first meeting at FedExField, rookie Halapoulivaati Vaitai made his first start and was taken to the woodshed. Kerrigan was in the background frequently as he notched two and one half sacks and knocked Wentz around on several other occasions.
Matt Tobin is the name we most remember in the second meeting, and it isn’t for a good reason. He didn’t look as bad as Vaitai looked in the first, but it will be a while before Eagles fans forget Kerrigan making his way around Tobin to knock the ball free from Wentz in the closing moments of the game at Lincoln Finacial Field. As mentioned, Johnson was unavailable, and he was certainly missed. It’s been well documented that Philly was 5-1 with Johnson in the lineup and 2-8 without him.
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Johnson versus Kerrigan in years past:
What happens in the battle between Johnson and Kerrigan will, no doubt, go a long way in deciding how the game on September 10th turns out. Neither appears to have a decided advantage over the other.
In all of their meetings, Kerrigan is credited with three sacks and four tackles for loss. In their most recent, the Eagles final tilt of the 2015 season with the Redskins, he was ineffective and wasn’t given credit for making a single play in the Eagles backfield.
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The Eagles are a better team with Johnson on the field. That’s obvious. They’re a better team anyway. With their recent additions and upgrades, many are feeling 2017’s season opener will be the year Philly finally gets the upper hand on the ‘Skins.
Fans are definitely hoping so.