Here is what you need to know on this Friday, December 18, two days before the Washington Redskins host the Buffalo Bills.

Five Redskins who will have to step up to beat the Bills

QB Kirk Cousins—He has played exceptionally well at home, posting a passer rating of over 100 in each of his last four games at FedEx Field with nine touchdowns and no interceptions. With a struggling running game unlikely to suddenly kick into gear, he will need to carry the offense.

RB Matt Jones—Even though Cousins will need to have a good day, he can’t do it without some help on the ground. Jones did a good job of powering for yardage against the Bears when there really wasn’t anywhere to run. We also could be do for a big gainer on the screen pass against an aggressive Rex Ryan defense.

C Josh LeRibeus—Yes, I know this is not a comforting prospect. But Trent Williams said today that Ryan will dial up cover zero blitzes at any point in the field in any situation. LeRibeus will have to be sharp on the line calls to keep Cousins upright.

ILB Will Compton—When he was with the Eagles LeSean McCoy had some great games with the Redskins and some no so great games. When the Redskins contained McCoy it was because they swarmed to him when he had the ball and made the tackles. It will be up to Compton to make sure that the front seven is where it’s supposed to be and he will need to make solid tackles.

CB Bashaud Breeland—Bills WR Sammy Watkins doesn’t have a ton of receptions (39) but he has made the most of them. The second-year player has averaged 18.4 yards per catch and has scored seven touchdowns. He has the size to go up and get passes in traffic and the speed to go long. Breeland is likely to be covering him most of the day and will need to prevent Watkins from making game-changing plays. Plus he has had his hands on the ball a few times over the last several games; holding on to one or two of them would help the situation.

Timeline

—Today’s schedule: Practice 11:55; Jay Gruden and Sean McVay news conferences and player availability after practice, approx. 1:00

—Days until: Bills @ Redskins 3; Redskins @ Eagles 9; Redskins @Cowboys 17

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