The Washington Redskins look to snap a five-game losing streak this Sunday when they host the Dallas Cowboys Sunday afternoon at Fed-Ex Field. What better way to get back on track than a home tilt against the hated Dallas Cowboys? When the two NFC East foes, you can always throw out the records and expect a hard-fought, competitive game.
The Redskins may, however, be without two key players on defense -- LaRon Landry and London Fletcher. Landry has been unable to practice on Wednesday or Thursday of this week with an Achilles heel injury. Head coach Mike Shanahan did not rule out Landry, but he did not sound very optimistic about his chances to play either:
"You’re not really sure of it until he practices. Obviously it’s inflamed enough where he couldn’t practice, so that’s never a good sign."
Fletcher, meanwhile, was limited in Thursday's practice with the ankle injury he sustained during last Sunday's loss to the Miami Dolphins. That's a positive sign though, as he sat out Wednesday's practice altogether.
Even if the 36-year old is unable to play, Shanahan also sounded confident that Perry Riley would be able to handle the increased responsibilities that go along with playing London Fletcher's inside linebacker position:
"First of all, I look at a guy, does he have the ability to make plays? And he’s got the ability to make plays. It’s up to us to put him in the right situations. What I mean by that is it’s going to take some reps, there’s going to be some growing pains, and we’ve got to spend some extra time and get him on the same page, because you want your best athletes out there making plays. He loves the game. He’s very enthusiastic. I just think he’ll keep on getting better and eliminate some of those rookie mistakes as time goes on."
With the playoffs most likely out of reach at 3-6, the remaining seven games of the season might be the right opportunity for Shanahan and Jim Haslett to see what they have in guys like Perry and their other young, defensive talent. That said, a warrior like Fletcher is not going to sit out a game against the Cowboys unless he absolutely can not go, and with his return to practice on Thursday, it's a safe bet that he'll be patrolling the middle of the field for Washington's defense come Sunday.
Here's the rest of the 'Skins Thursday injury report.
Thursday (11/17/11)
OUT: WR Santana Moss (Hand)
Did Not Participate in Practice: LB Keyaron Fox (infection), G Maurice Hurt (knee), S LaRon Landry (Achilles), WR Niles Paul (toe)
Limited Participation in Practice: LB London Fletcher (ankle), T Jammal Brown (groin), T Sean Locklear
Full Participation in Practice: S Oshiomogho Atogwe (toe/knee), RB Rashard Choice (hamstring), S Reed Doughty (chest), TE Logan Paulsen (shoulder)
Kickoff between the 'Skins and Cowboys is1 pm est from Fed-Ex Field. For more 'Skins coverage leading up to Sunday's rivalry game with the Cowboys, stop on by Hogs Haven.