Washington Redskins at Dallas Cowboys: 5 Questions

Five questions facing the Redskins as they head to Dallas on Monday:

1. Who will be the Redskins’ quarterback? Coach Jay Gruden announced Colt McCoy will be the starter a week ago, but later tabbed Robert Griffin III as the “wild card” and said on Thursday that he won’t reveal who will step in at the position until gameday rosters are set 90 minutes before Monday’s kickoff. Griffin is recovering from a dislocated ankle sustained in Week 2. If McCoy starts, it would be his first since Week 15 of the 2011 season.

2. Can the running game get back on track? The strength of the offense a year ago, the Redskins’ rushing attack has been pedestrian at best this season. It entered the weekend ranked 22nd in yards per game and was among a host of teams tied for 16th in yards per attempt. The blame, Gruden said, falls on everyone — the coaches, the running backs and the offensive line.

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3. What has changed about the Cowboys’ offense? It’s taken years for Dallas to realize that its offense shouldn’t run through quarterback Tony Romo but instead through running back DeMarco Murray, who leads the league with 913 rushing yards and 26.7 attempts per game and has more than 100 rushing yards in all seven games this season.

4. Will the third-down woes end on Monday? The Redskins went 3-for-11 on third down against Tennessee and remain the second-worst team in the league in that area, converting just 31.7 percent of their opportunities this season regardless of the quarterback. They have played some of the better third-down defenses to date; the Cowboys enter the weekend tied at 17th.

5. How will the secondary handle Dez Bryant? In recent years, cornerback DeAngelo Hall has fared well in one-on-one matchups with the Cowboys wide receiver, following him regardless of where he’s lined up. But with Hall out, the Redskins will let David Amerson and Bashaud Breeland remain on their respective sides and handle Bryant as if he were any other receiver.