Alfred Morris Will Be X-Factor For Washington Redskins In Week 9

By Tyler Ruby on October 29, 2014

The Washington Redskins look to extend their winning streak to three games on Sunday as they take on the 1-6 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

There are still question marks about whether Robert Griffin III will be able to play on Sunday or not, but regardless, the key for a Redskins victory rests on Alfred Morris‘ shoulders. If Griffin starts on Sunday, Jay Gruden won’t want to put too much on Griffin’s plate, so I would expect a heavy workload for Morris against a leaky run defense.

If Colt McCoy were to make his second start in a row, Morris will still play a massive role because although McCoy played unbelievably well in Week 9 against the division-leading Dallas Cowboys, it’s not rational to expect similar performances week in and week out. McCoy proved that he could perform well in spurts, but who knows how he will handle success because he hasn’t had much in his NFL career? Kirk Cousins also played well at times, but he proved that he can’t be trusted as a starter as well.

Since his debut in the NFL, Morris has been as steady as they come for NFL running backs. He has struggled this season, as has much of the Redskins’ offense. Morris has yet to reach 100 yards this season, and he owns a 3.9 yards-per-carry average, far below his numbers in 2012 and 2013.

Morris is coming off of one his best performances of the season against the Cowboys with 18 carries for 73 yards and a touchdown. The Buccaneers’ rush defense has been poor this season. They rank 23rd in the league, giving up 123 yards per carry. That serves well for Morris this weekend. Also, if Griffin were to return, expect the read option to aid Morris’ effectiveness this week.

This will be the week Morris gets his first 100-yard game of the season.