Redskins Giants Fourth Quarter

Good job by the defense, turning a second and one into a fourth and one and a punt. Jacobs got stonewalled twice and the Redskins have some life as the fourth quarter starts.

11:09—The teams exchange three and outs and with still plenty of time left, the Redskins still have a chance. The New York running game still is spotty, although both Ward and Jacobs have ripped off some pretty good runs in the second half. As long as Manning has to keep throwing, the chance for a pick is there.

9:26—The chances just got a lot dimmer as Portis gains nothing on fourth and two, giving the Giants the ball back at the Washington 40. Even if the Giants go nowhere and punt, it will be a long field for the Redskins to negotiate. By the way, the imagination went away on that play, just a straight dive up the middle.

FG Carney 39
Giants 23, Redskins 7

Just two touchdowns and two two-point conversions to send this one into overtime.

3:25—The final, final chance goes awry then a fourth-down pass falls to the ground. There probably should have been a pass interference call on it, but it's not worth getting worked up over at this point in time.

I'm going to go ahead and wrap this up early, assuming that the final will remain as it is now, so that I can get downstairs to the locker room. I'll update via Blackberry if necessary.

Final Score
Giants 23, Redskins 7

Redskins Giants Third Quarter

It will be very tough for the Redskins here, but they're not out of it. New York gets the kickoff and another turnover would be ideal.

By the way, I think the Skins have to find an alternative to Suisham. He has lost it and this is no time for him to try to find it.

13:20—A four and out for the Giants and the Redskins will get the ball at their own 20. Hall had an interception, but Springs swooped in and in the collision the ball fell to the turf. They would have had the ball right about where they are anyway.

12:29—Campbell gave Kelly a chance to jump up and make a play, but he dropped the deep sideline pass. That's two third-down conversions in a row that have been killed via the drop. To be fair, it does look like a Giant grazed the ball, but it did hit Kelly in the hands. I like the approach, it's getting more aggressive, but the execution hasn't been there.

Jacobs 1 run (Carney kick)
Giants 20, Redskins 7

The Giants could be at the point where the Redskins can't catch them after that. It's not out of the question that the Redskins could get two more touchdowns if they hold on to third-down passes. But the prospect of holding the Giants scoreless for the rest of the game is very dim.

6:36—Another trick play works as Randle El goes to Cooley for 11 yards and a first down.

It's for naught, though, as a deep Campbell pass down the middle gets picked off. It was not a good throw at all, late and shallow.

3:50—It looked like the Redskins had come up with a big play, a third-down sack, but an offside flag wiped it out. A very big little penalty as it gives the Giants a first down and they're on the move.

End of third quarter
Giants 20, Redskins 7

 

Redskins Giants Second Quarter

14:50—Again, throwing short of the first down marker on third down. This time it was incomplete but it wouldn't have mattered as it was a good three yards shy of the line to make. That's a situation where you might as well go deep since if it's picked it's as good as a punt. Better, probably, since Plackemeier has now put two into the end zone from around midfield.

14:02—Look up "picking them apart" in the NFL glossary and you'll see a picture of Eli vs. the Redskins today. He has all day to throw, still, and he's zipping the ball on target almost every throw. Sometimes the defenders are nearby, sometimes they're not because the receivers have worked their way open since Manning has so much time.

12:26—The good news is the Giants can't run the ball, so they're having to settle for field goals when things go awry in the passing game.

FG Carney 42
Giants 13, Redskins 0

12:01—It's time for Zorn to break out a little imagination here. I'm not necessarily talking about a triple reverse or anything, but they have to be more aggressive. If the Giants score again before the Redskins do, it's over.

8:43—With Betts now in after Portis got slammed down on screen pass, the Skins are on the move to the Giant 29.

Moving into the end zone, in fact.

Thomas 29 run (Suisham kick)
Giants 13, Redskins 7

Excellent fake on the reverse and a great effort by Devin Thomas to get into the end zone. That's what a little imagination will get for you!

4:10—A huge play by DeAngelo Hall, getting an interception on a third and six play in Redskins territory. The Redskin stay alive.

3:11—And they have even more life after a 20-yard pass to Sellers, featuring a hurdle by #45. Portis is back in, by the way.

2:37—Things were going well until a third-down drop by Thrash—on a ball actually thrown past the first-down marker—and then Plackemeier boots it into the end zone again. Good opportunity lost, but field position was gained.

1:00—The Giants are now finding some running room with Derrick Ward getting most of the yardage. The Skins need to keep them out of the end zone on this drive, which has them with a second and 10 on the Washington 46.

0:26—The Redskins hold on fourth and one, pending a review of the play. I'm not sure how they could change the call, but I didn't think that the previous review had any merit, either and it was reversed in favor of the Giants.

A great drive to get the Skins into field goal position at the end of the half. We'll see if it's in his range.

0:04—No, Suisham was wide right from 42 yards. That is going to prove to be huge. Still, after the way the game started out, I'll take the halftime score.

End of first half
Giants 13, Redskins 7

Redskins Giants First Quarter

13:15—Not a very aggressive first series there for Zorn. A four-yard pass to Thrash, who has no RAC ability, on third and six isn't exactly pushing the envelope. It resulted in a three and out and a quick punt back to the Giants.

Toomer 40 pass from Manning (Carney kick)
Giants 7, Redskins 0

That was too easy for the Giants. Manning easily converted a couple of third and long situations, primarily because he had all day to throw the ball. Smooth was with Toomer on the TD pass, but he didn't make a play on the ball. It goes without saying that the Skins can't get into a shootout here.

8:58—A quick slant to Moss batted away at the line, Portis up the middle for one and then a six-yard pass to Cooley on third and nine that time. I know you have to watch out for the pass rush and all, but come on, Jim. The defense had better tighten up or this could be over in a hurry.

3:23—The Redskins are generating no pass rush at all. Manning has time to survey the field a few times over.

2:42—That is, until Montgomery gets a hold on Manning's jersey for a sack on third and goal, setting up a field goal try.

FG Carney 31
Giants 10, Redskins 0

2:11—They just assessed Ryan Boschetti for five yards for an illegal fair catch on a kickoff. At least he didn't try to run with it ala Pete Kendall. Still, cut the guy some slack, he was watching on TV a week ago.

0:57—Back to back first downs, with the second coming on a nice pass to Moss on which Campbell had some nice touch. The Redskins are in Giants territory.

End of first quarter
Giants 10, Redskins 0

Live blog on Sunday with a new twist

It's a home game, so I'm trying a new work-around for the Wi-Fi disabled press box at FedEx Field. If you look to the left sidebar, you'll see a new box for updates via Twitter.

Twitter is a dumb name for a pretty cool and useful service. It's a social network service that lets you send the world messages in 140-character units. The messages are supposed to be an answer to the questions "what are you doing now?", but they can be anything, including updates about the Redskins.

So, if something urgent happens like an injury update or any other information that needs to get out in between the quarterly updates of the blog, I can fire it off and you can see it in the box.

Of course this new toy will supplement the quarterly updates, it will not replace them. Look for them at the end of each period.

Redskins-Giants Injury Report, Predicitons

The Washington Redskins should not have to worry about covering Plaxico Burress on Sunday. The New York Giants may or may not have to worry about tackling Clinton Portis.

Burress, who torched the Washington secondary with 10 catches for 113 yards in the season opener, is listed as out with a hamstring injury. As has been the case for the last two weeks, Portis is questionable with a knee sprain. Linebacker Marcus Washington is out with a high ankle sprain.

Portis has a lot of company in being designated as questionable, with a 50-50 chance of playing. Andre Carter, Cornelius Griffin, London Fletcher, Kedric Golston, and Chris Samuels are questionable for the Redskins while running backs Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs and defensive tackle Fred Robbins are in that category for the Giants.

Regardless of the status of the banged up players, I don't see this game as being an impossible challenge for the Redskins. Washington will not have to score a ton of points to win. As I seem to have to keep reminding people, the Redskins have a damn good defense. It's a balanced defense, third overall, fourth against the pass and seventh against the rush, fifth in scoring defense. Yes, they don't get the sacks and they don't get the turnovers but they still make it difficult for the other team to gain yards and score points.

The magic number for the Redskins is 17. If they can get to there, they can win or at least get it into the last minutes or into overtime. It's probably asking too much for the Redskins offense to post 17 on its own given that the unit has difficulty posting 20 against normal to mediocre defensive units. That doesn't describe the Giants D, which is highly ranked and gets the sacks and gets the turnovers.

So, that leaves it up to the defense or special teams to score or set up a touchdown. It might happen, but there is nothing that would indicate that it's likely.

Giants 17, Redskins 13

What Redskins Fans Should be Thankful For

Redskins fans have plenty to be thankful for on this day:

• The Cowboys, Giants, and Eagles—This seems a bit odd, but stay with me. The Redskins get to play six games a year against three of the most storied teams in the entire NFL, teams with long traditions (well, except the Cowboys) of championship-caliber play (well, except the Eagles). How could you get pumped up for games against Detroit or Cincinnati twice a year? An NFC East game is never, ever just another game.
  
  
• Ryan Boschetti—This guy is an all-time, all-effort football player, and that's not even the best thing about him. He is the consummate team player. I'll never forget talking to him in training camp when Kedric Golston and Anthony Montgomery were rookies. He told me that he was spending a lot of time with them both in practice and in meetings, teaching them about the pro game and about the Redskins' defense. The two rookies made the roster, Boschetti was cut. It's great to have him back.
  
  
• London Fletcher—Calling him a student of the game is faint praise. He's the professor of the Redskins defense, sometimes even giving coaches tips on how it needs to be run. His anticipation for the play at times makes you think that he lined up in the other team's huddle and that this radio headset is also tuned into the frequency of the offense. As soon as the ink was dry on his contact he became the team leader on defense.
  
  
• Chris Horton—The rookie burst onto the scene with a three-takeaway performance in a game that he didn't even know he was starting until that morning. While the takeaways have not come as easily lately, Horton is learning on the job, he's not getting beaten in coverage often, and he displays a great nose for the football. Not bad for a seventh-round pick.
  
  
• Clinton Portis—Clearly, he brings on a lot of the criticism he takes himself with comments like the one he made about the offensive line. But his productivity speaks for itself. Did you know that his average of 113.5 yards per game from scrimmage is the fourth-best of all time? Only Jim Brown, LaDainian Tomlinson, and Barry Sanders have better averages. Sometime next year Portis will surpass 10,000 career rushing yards. And in the what have you done for me lately category, he leads the NFL in rushing and is the engine that makes the offense of the 7-4 Redskins run.
  
  
• Jim Zorn—The stay-medium but play suddenly, judiciously dice-rolling, hip-hip-hooraying head coach of the Redskins appears to have been quite a find for the Redskins. Few are describing him as the worst hire in the history of the NFL as they were last February when he got a quick promotion from offensive coordinator to head coach. He has scaled back his brutal honesty with the press to some degree, not wanting to alienate himself from his players, but he still makes conversations interesting. His offense still is learning on the job and needs a few new pieces but Zorn has a vision and he is working towards it.

Skins Flexed to Prime Time vs. Ravens

The Redskins' December 7 game against the Baltimore Ravens has been moved from a 1:00 PM kickoff to a prime time 8:30 affair on NBC.

There are those who are complaining about the move given the Redskins' dismal record in prime time games this year. They are 7-1 in games that start under the natural lights and 0-3 under all artificial light.

However, those folks have a short memory. During the Redskins' December drive to the playoffs last year, games in Minnesota and against the Giants in the Meadowlands were flexed to night games. The Redskins were serious underdogs in both but they prevailed in both.

A couple of other notes:

• It's become so routine, we don't notice it any more. With about 3:50 left in the game yesterday, the Redskins were clinging to a three-point lead and facing a third and six at their own 47. They had run the ball from their own four to that point. The play call was not a draw or a little dump pass, but a pass beyond the sticks. Not a huge a Zorn gamble as we were seeing earlier in the season, but still a play call that would not have been made last year. From the shotgun with an empty backfield, Campbell fired a strike to Moss over the middle to move the chains and keep the clock rolling.
  
  
• I goofed yesterday when I said that Clinton Portis trails Adrian Peterson for the NFL rushing lead. Portis has 1,206 yards to 1,180 for Peterson.

Skins-Seahawks First Take

Some initial observations, in no particular order.

• The Washington Redskins went back to the formula that worked early in the year. They battled even through four quarters and then dominated the fourth. Seattle ran all of five plays after they scored to tie the game at 17 with 13:24 left in the fourth quarter. Washington wore down the Seattle defense for 45 minutes and then pounded them in the final 15.
  
  
• Ladell Betts had no business fighting for extra yardage there. When it was clear that he was down, he needed to go down. He should buy Shawn Springs a big steak dinner for bailing him out (or buy Hasselbeck one, what was he looking at?)
  
  
• Portis made up about 60 yards on Adrian Peterson today, but he still trails the Vikings' back by about 60. No matter, if you define it the way you should, he's the league's MVP. No player is more valuable to his team, period. Backed up at the three, crowd alive, he carries three times for 40 yards. It got quiet in a hurry.
  
  
• Santana Moss didn't have a huge day, but he's shaking out of his midseason slump. He had one bomb just get knocked out of his hands, he drew a pass interference flag that converted a third and 20 to set up the Redskins' first score and he set up the Redskins' final score by gaining 24 yards on a bubble screen. The numbers weren't great, four catches for 72 yards, but he was in the middle of a lot of good things for the Redskins.
  
  
• The Washington defense was either on or off. They allowed touchdown drives of nine plays (72 yards) and ten plays (62 yards). No other Seattle drive lasted more than five plays and only one, the one that resulted in their first field goal, covered more than 12 yards.
  
  
• They got two interceptions for the second week in a row. The two last week stopped promising Cowboy drives and helped keep the Redskins in it until the late going. One this week set up a touchdown and the other ended the game. And all four of them have been by different players.
  
  
• Decent offense, strong defense. Special teams? Next question. Suisham short from 43 yards. I thought it must have been wind, but after looking again I saw that the streamers atop the posts were limp. Big kickoff return to start the second half. The defense bailed them out. Plackemeier three punts for a 28.3 gross average.
  
  
• Malcolm Kelly got a few shots. He hauled in two for 12 yards; those aren't numbers that make him that elusive other threat, not just yet anyway, but he bears watching.
  
  
• Zorn went to the Sellers well once too often in the fourth quarter. He's a beast but he's not a pass catcher or ball carrier. Yes, he has to catch that ball, but that's not what he was built to do.
  
  
• The Redskins are in the midst of a four-team chase for the two Wild Card playoff spots. They're ahead of the 7-4 Cowboys based on a better conference record right now, but they won't be if things play out as they should and Dallas beats Seattle on Thanksgiving and the Skins lose to the Giants. Atlanta also is 7-4 and Tampa Bay and Carolina are 8-3. It still seems probable that 10 wins will gain a playoff berth. If they lose to the Giants, the Redskins would have to win three out of four from games at Baltimore, at Cincinnati, at home against the Eagles, and at San Francisco. Of that group, only Baltimore has anything to play for.

Live Blog Skins vs. Seahawks Go Here

Had to start a new window, here it is.

Kelly active

So is Sean Alexander. Tight end Fred Davis is the odd man out as he is inactive. Joining him on the bench will be Jason Fabini, Chard Reinhardt, Rob Jackson, Anthony Montgomery, Erasmus James, Marcus Washington, and third QB Colt Brennan.

Live blog will start soon.

Live Blog—Redskins vs. Seahawks

See new window above, sorry about the problem.

NLFN—Portis in

According to Adam Schefter of the NFL Network, Clinton Portis will play for the Washington Redskins in today's game in Seattle. He was listed as questionable with a sprained knee in the official injury report and coach Jim Zorn said during the week that Portis could be a game-time decision.

It remains to be seen whether or not Portis' condition is sound enough for the team to deactivate reserve running back Sean Alexander today, paving the way for rookie receiver Malcolm Kelly to be on the game-day roster for the first time since Week 2. Zorn expressed concern earlier this week about putting Alexander on the shelf this week given the condition of Portis and that of Ladell Betts, who also is recovering from a sprained knee.

The inactive list will be released about an hour before kickoff; I'll start my live blog of the game as soon as the list comes out. Join in for the fun right here at about 3:15.

Live Blog Redskins vs. Seahawks on Sunday

The Redskins are hitting the road to take on the Seattle Seahawks this Sunday. I'll be doing a live blog of the game with the CoverItLive software that allows for you to make comments for a fun, interactive experience. Depending on how long it takes to get the leaves raked and disposed of, we should be getting started at about 3:30 Eastern time with kickoff at 4:15.

If you want to get an email reminder of the blog, just put the information in the form below. I don't even get your email, so I couldn't possibly use it for any other purpose.

See you then.

Flashback Friday: Zorn vs. the Redskins

Jim Zorn faced the team he would wind up coaching twice during his NFL career. His Seahawks were 1-1 in those games. Here are the details from the pages of The Redskins From A to Z:

Seahawks 14, Redskins 0
September 28, 1980
RFK Stadium

The Seahawks took to the ground to control the game against Washington. Seattle outrushed the Redskins 235-78 to take this snoozer.

Not only were the Skins unable to run, their passing game was hampered by four Seattle interceptions, two of them by cornerback Dave Brown. Quarterback Jim Zorn compiled all the points that the Seahawks with a 21-yard scramble for a second-quarter touchdown.

It did not help that the normally reliable Mark Moseley was having an off day. The Pro Bowl kicker from 1979 missed all three of his field goal attempts, from 33, 50, and 52 yards.

Despite the Seahawks' dominance, the Redskins still had a chance to tie the game in the fourth quarter. Trailing 7-0, they marched to a first and goal at the Seattle four, but Brown cut in front of Art Monk and intercepted Joe Theismann's pass to end the threat. Seattle then drove to its other TD, an eight-yard run by Dan Doornick.

Redskins 27, Seahawks 17
September 25, 1983
Kingdome

Joe Theismann completed just nine passes, but they were good for 162 yards and three touchdowns as the Redskins downed the Seahawks.

Theismann's efficient passing was augmented by two takeaways by the Redskins defense that led to a pair of short touchdown drives. The first happened early in the game when the Seahawks' running back Curt Warner fumbled and Tony McGee recovered for Washington at the Seattle 19. Soon after that, John Riggins went over from a yard out and the Redskins led 7-0.

The Redskins stretched their lead in the second quarter with a pair of long Theismann touchdown passes. One covered 64 yards to Charlie Brown. After Jim Zorn drew the Seahawks closer with a touchdown pass to Steve Largent, Theismann launched one 47 yards to Alvin Garrett for another score. The extra point after the second score was missed, and Washington held a 20-10 halftime lead.

That lead held through the third quarter, and then Vernon Dean broke it open in the fourth. He intercepted a pass at the Seattle 48 and returned it to the 22. That set up a four-yard touchdown pass from Theismann to tight end Rick Walker that clinched the win with 5:07 left in the game.

A late touchdown pass from Zorn to Largent merely served to make the final score more respectable.

The Redskins have to have it

The Washington Redskins have to have this one.

I'm not calling it a "must win" because the Redskins could lose this one and still make the playoffs. It's a fine difference, but I'm sticking with it.

When you've lost two in a row, when you are still separated from the pack but on the verge of sliding back into it, when you've scored two offensive touchdowns in three weeks, you have to get a win.

And when you're playing a team that's 2-8 you should get a win. There is nothing to indicate that the 2008 Seattle Seahawks are much better than their record indicates. Yes, there are a few close games among their eight losses, but they've also lost games by scores of 34-10, 44-6, and 26-7.

If the Redskins are going to get their offense going, this would be a good week to do so. The Seahawks are 28^th in the league in total defense. Four quarterbacks have thrown for over 300 yards in wins over the Seahawks, including J. T. O'Sullivan.

This might be a good spot to predict a breakout game for Jason Campbell, but I'm done doing that. His progression in Jim Zorn's offense will proceed in baby steps and it may continue to stagnate unless and until an additional passing game weapon can be uncovered.

Another audition for the role of added weapon will come this week as Malcolm Kelly is expected to be active for this game. He seems to have put his knee problems behind him and he's spent plenty of time boning up on the offense. At 6-4, he might be able to get a few first downs by running to the middle of the field at the marker and just standing there. Seattle has no cornerback on its roster who is listed at over 6-0.

But that's just a possibility. And it would be great if Clinton Portis could tear off a buck and a quarter in less than three quarters of play against the league's 21^st-ranked rushing defense and Campbell and Santana Moss and a host of other receivers could have big days against the second-worst pass defense in the NFL.

It would be great, but it's not something that the Redskins can rely on happening.

However, the one thing that the Redskins can depend on week in and week out is their defense. Don't look now but they are fourth in the entire league in total defense, giving up 276 yards per game. Yes, we'd like to see more pass rush pressure and it sure would have been nice to be able to tackle Marion Barber on Dallas' final six-minute drive to close out last Sunday's game. Despite that, that's a pretty darn good defense out there and they have managed to keep the Redskins in every game this season.

So, while I think that there is a chance that the offense could break out, I'm going to go with the defense to be the driving force in this one. Matt Hasselbeck will have time to throw but he won't be able to find an open receiver. Julius Jones will find precious little running room. The Redskins will move the ball between the 30's but the ability to punch it into the end zone will remain elusive. Shaun Suisham will be able to put the key miss in last year's playoff loss out of his mind and will bang some through the uprights.

And the Redskins will get the one they have to get.

Redskins 23, Seahawks 10

Tuesday Take: Zorn Staying Medium

Even though the Washington Redskins offense has scored just two offensive touchdowns in the past three games, don't look for coach Jim Zorn to go making wholesale changes.

Zorn is staying medium.

He stood steady both at his postgame press conference and in his Monday afternoon presser. There will be no changes in the lineup. Do not expect any major shift in the play calling.

I can't locate a money quote that makes me believe that this is the case. It's more his overall demeanor, very calm, very matter of fact. Zorn said that "a small handful of issues" are preventing the offense from clicking.

Some of these "issues" are pretty big. The inability of the line—and the backs and tight ends, as Zorn pointed out—to protect Jason Campbell has put a severe cramp in the offense to say the least. It would be fair to say that the quality of the opposition the past two weeks—facing two of the top five defenses in terms of sacks in the past two games—has something to do with it.

It also would be fair to say that they need to get the job done against good pass-rushing teams regardless as the road gets no easier. The Seattle Seahawks, the Skins' next foe, are ninth in the league with 20 sacks. Next come the Giants, who have 31 QB scalps over their mantle and the Ravens, who get after it better than their #15 ranking in sacks would indicate.

But there are other issues as well. In the second quarter, a drive into Dallas territory was sandbagged when the Redskins had too many men in the huddle and then, even after that, they had to call a timeout. A sack ensued and after having second and seven it was fourth and 21.

And, as Zorn said, it's not just one issue. Pass protection problems prevented Campbell from finding Devin Thomas, who had broken wide open behind the secondary in the second quarter. In the fourth quarter, Campbell had time but Santana Moss couldn't quite haul in his deep pass.

A missed block here, a blown pass pattern there, a pass just off the mark somewhere in between. Zorn insisting that things are almost there passes the eyeball test, through this set of eyeballs anyway.

The debate is, how do you take care of the issues? Do you change the game plan and take a different approach, perhaps one that makes you rely less on the areas in which you are having difficulties? Do you do what Joe Gibbs did back in 2005 when things weren't going right offensively and go back to the basics and just run smashmouth plays and try to get it done that way?

Or do you believe in your original plan, stay the course and work out the kinks? Do you let your players, all of whom are in their first year in a new offense, finish honing their fundamentals and techniques?

Clearly, Zorn is tacking towards the latter course. He is going to dance with who brung him to 6-4 and work to improve the dance steps.

Redskins Cowboys After Further Review

There isn't much more to be gleaned from this game upon watching it again, but here goes with a few observations:

• It's apparent that the Redskins need another receiving threat to supplement Santana Moss. Chris Cooley is good in his role, but he never has displayed an ability to go deep down the seam. Antwaan Randle El is good for a play a game but that's his ceiling. But there's nobody who truly, consistently will punish the opposing defense for paying excessive attention to Moss.
  
  
• DeAngelo Hall made an absolutely spectacular play in his first game with Washington. OK, by NFL standards it was a routine play, securing an errant Tony Romo pass for a routine interception. But such a play is extraordinary by the standards of the 2008 Washington Redskins.
  
  
• I've never seen the Cowboys—at least not this version of the team—play as physically as they did last night. In particular they de-cleated Clinton Portis and Moss on one third-quarter series and the Dallas offensive line gouged out holes for Marion Barber, who ran hard. The Redskins returned the favor, being particularly rough on Terrell Owens. Fred Smoot flipped him head over heels in the first quarter and Carlos Rogers popped TO in the second quarter, knocking the ball in the air to set up Rocky McIntosh for an INT.
  
  
• It would be better if the Redskins could get more pressure on the other QB, but, unlike others, I'm not putting that high on the list of priorities. Yes, Romo had time to make a sandwich and another one for Jessica back there in the pocket. But the bottom line is that the Cowboys scored just 14 points. You have to score more points.
  
  
• The second-quarter punt that ended up being a touchback was called correctly by the referees. After Rock Cartwright batted the ball back into the field of play, just before sliding into the end zone, everything was set for the Cowboys to be starting their drive at their own one Then the ball bounced off of the shin of Khary Campbell and back to where it touched Cartwright after Rock's momentum had carried him into the end zone. I've heard some say that Cartwright didn't need to bat the ball, that it was going to die on its own, but I'm not so sure about that. In any case, it wasn't certain enough that it was going to stop prior to going into the end zone that such a judgment could be made while flying downfield at full speed, as Cartwright was.

Live Blog Redskins Cowboys 4th quarter

Bennett 25 pass from Romo (Folk kick)
Cowboys 14, Redskins 10

Horton had good coverage on Bennett but the offensive player made a play on the ball and Horton didn't. Barber got the drive going with a nice run and then a pass reception. When he moves, the Cowboys move. When the Skins bottle him up, they go nowhere.

If you don't score, you can't win. The defense is doing its job, now Campbell and the Skins have to put up some points. I think they need 10 more to pull it out.

6:46—We're looking at a big gamble here, going for it on fourth and four at the Dallas 37. I don't know about this unless Zorn has a really good play up his sleeve. I'm usually an advocate for being aggressive, but this doesn't seem like the right time to me.

6:40—And Newman is right with Moss all the way and he breaks up the pass that would have been short of first-down yardage anyway. There's still plenty of time, but the defense has to stop #24. Zorn showed confidence in them, let's see if they live up to it.

4:08—Romo is feeding Barber the rock and he's producing. Time is rapidly slipping away for the Redskins.

2:34—And it slips further away as Romo goes to an open Barber for 10 yards on third and seven. We're in a position where the Skins need an '06-like miracle to pull this one out.

To add insult to injury, Barber gains three on fourth and two to seal it up. I said that Barber never has been a problem for the Skins, but clearly he was today. I don't have his numbers, but he's well over 100.

Final Score
Cowboys 14, Redskins 10

Live Blog Redskins Cowboys 3rd quarter

I like the way the game is going, although I don't like Dallas' ability to get an offense going—especially one featuring Barber—in the latter stages of the second quarter. There's no adjustment you can make for that besides just plain tackling the guy. Still, the late field goal was a nice boost, especially considering that they had no timeouts and the chances of scoring with a middling return were pretty slim.

13:37—We have a Devin Thomas sighting as he catches a short pass to convert a third and three. He then trots back off the field.

8:23—After two more third down conversions, Campbell throws an interception on third and two to kill the drive. He tried to squeeze it in to Moss, but Newman's was too tight on him and he got the pick.

6:16—Dallas goes nowhere after the pick as an illegal formation killed a third-down conversion on a slant to Miles Austing that carried into Redskins territory. After that a false start made it third and 17 and Romo's was off target on a deep pass attempt.

3:41—Another promising drive goes astray. After two big plays—a 24-yard pass to Randle El and a 20-yard Portis run—the drive stalls after Campbell gets sacked and Suisham is short—short?—on a 46-yard field goal try. The defense might have to come up with another turnover at some point here. I still like the way it's going, but it could get away in a hurry as the Redskins are not creating any margin for error.

End of third quarter
Redskins 10, Cowboys 7

At the end of the quarter, Randle El left for the locker room walking gingerly.

Live Blog Cowboys Redskins 2nd quarter

12:52—The Cowboys are getting a good amount of pressure on Campbell and it is pushing his passes off mark. In general, the offense has had no rhythm since that initial drive. They're not really making mistakes, dropping passes or committing penalties, but they're breaking down everywhere. Certainly, a lot of it can be chalked up to a good defensive effort by Dallas.

9:37—The Redskins get yet another pick. They must have worked on that during the bye week. This time it was McIntosh, who got a tipped ball after Owens was smacked by Carlos Rogers. Dallas had a pretty good drive going primarily on the ground as the Redskins were not wrapping up Marion Barber. Skins with the ball back and on the move with their initial first down since the opening drive.

5:18—A nice drive has turned into a cluster, uh, bomb. On third and six in Dallas territory, the Skins get flagged for 12 men in the huddle and then they have to burn a timeout after a couple more players shuffle in and out of the game. It ends on a third and 11 sack. Campbell got the thing jump started with a 22-yard run on a QB draw. It was a great play call and Campbell carried tacklers for about five extra yards. But it went for naught after second and seven turned into fourth and 21.

1:54—Dallas is threatening again at the two-minute warning. Romo found Jason Witten for the first time today and it was good for 24 yards. They're still trying to get the ball to Owens but he has yet to be able to do anything with it. They're throwing him the quick outs, but Rogers and Smoot are taking him down immediately. They haven't even tried to go to him downfield.

1:46—Just after I type that, Owens gets a big gainer. He went in motion and found a seam in the zone for a catch down to about the three. Dallas is knocking on the door looking to tie this one up.

Barber 2 run (Folk kick)
Redskins 7, Cowboys 7

It sure looked like Barber's elbow was down before the ball broke the plane of the goal line. It wouldn't have mattered much as it would have been second and goal at about the six inch line and a touchdown is the highly probable outcome in that situation.

A great kickoff return by Cartwright sets up a field goal at the end of the half.

FG Suisham 41
Redskins 10, Cowboys 7

The Redskins get the second-half kickoff and they are going in with momentum. Still, they need to get some continuity going on offense. Dallas' last two drives were very effective with one ending in an interception and the other ending in the TD.

Live Blog Redskins Cowboys 1st quarter

15:00—A full and enthusiastic FedEx Field crowd is on hand here. The Cowboys will get the ball first. The Redskins are in the same burgundy pants they wore against the Steelers but they are going with their white jerseys.

13:17—It seems that the Cowboys are a bit reluctant to test how well Romo's finger is doing. On third and four on the opening series, Romo pitched out to Barber, who was tackled just short of the first down. It seems odd that they were running in that situation and it didn't catch anyone off guard.

8:13—You know that Zorn is frustrated about not getting TD's in the Red Zone. He went for it on fourth and one at the 11 and Portis easily picked it up scampering to the two. On the next play, Mike Sellers caught his second pass of the game for the score.

Sellers 2 pass from Campbell (Suisham kick)
Redskins 7, Cowboys 0

A well-balanced scoring drive, 49 yards in 10 plays. I don't have the numbers in front of me but I think there were six pass plays (including a sack) and four Portis runs. They came back from a second and 18 after the sack. They could dispirit the "desperate" Cowboys if they can keep the accelerator to the floor and build up a good lead.

TO head over heels by Smoot
False start
pass to Austin for first down
double reverse goes nowhere
pass to barber for first down

1:29—Deangelo Hall holds on to his first interception opportunity, a poor pass by Romo. It stopped a drive that seemed destined to end up with Dallas scoring some points. They got two third-down conversions on Romo passes to Austin and Barber, but on third and three Romo threw well behind Owens and Hall got the gift pick. Of course, we know that there are no gift interceptions with this team. They generally are returned unopened.

End of first quarter
Redskins 7, Cowboys 0

Redskins vs. Cowboys Pregame

--Clinton Portis is looking very spry during pregame warm-ups. Of course, it's easy to look like that before you get hit and a few large men land on your leg. We will see how things go as the game wears on. I still think we'll see Campbell airing it out more than he has up to this point in the season.

--Art Monk and Darrell Green both said that the induction in Canton was something that tonight won't be able to top, but they were looking forward to this ceremony. It's going on right now but they aren't piping it into the press box. The crowd is here early and they are getting into it.

--There are not as many Dallas fans here as many of us feared (OK, maybe I was the only one). As the cowboys are coming onto the field I'm seeing a smattering of cheering Cowboy fans, but the invasion is not nearly of the magnitude we saw from the black and gold clad hoard a couple of weeks ago.

Portis active

Contrary to earlier reports and week long speculation, Clinton Portis is active and will start.
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Do you have a question for Monk or Green?

Darrell Green and Art Monk will be meeting with the press prior to their Hall of Fame Ring ceremony at FedEx Field on Sunday night. I will be there.

I'll probably get a chance to ask one question of each of them. I've been kicking around a few ideas, but I thought I'd throw it open to you, the sophisticated Redskins fans.

Do you have a question you would like asked to Monk or Green? If so, post it in the comments below. I'll cull through them and see if any are Hall of Fame worthy.

Flashback Friday—Houston’s tackle a classic moment

As it says in the lead paragraph, most people remember Ken Houston's tackle of Walt Garrison at the goal line as a single moment frozen in time. What gets forgotten is that the entire game was a prime time Redskins-Cowboys classic. It was a Monday night matchup between the last two NFC champions, a low-scoring affair where every possession was critical.

October 8, 1973

RFK Stadium--This game will be remembered for the final play, but the events leading up to Ken Houston's goal line stand were electrifying in their own right.

The Skins fell behind 7-0 late in the second quarter, when Craig Morton found receiver Otto Stowe for 45 yards and a Dallas touchdown. The Washington offense finally got it going late in the fourth quarter, driving 57 yards to tie the game on a one-yard Sonny Jurgensen to Charley Taylor touchdown pass with 3:37 left. Just 63 seconds later, Morton overthrew tight end Billy Joe DuPree, free safety Brig Owens intercepted the pass, and dashed 26 yards down the left sideline for the go-ahead touchdown.

Had it not been for an odd hop of the ball, Houston would never have had his moment frozen in time. Dallas went a quick three and out and punted, but the ball bounced off of a Redskin and the Cowboys were back in business at the Washington 31 with two minutes left. Seven plays later, Pat Fischer broke up Morton's pass intended for Stowe, and it was fourth and goal at the four with 24 seconds left.

Morton hit Walt Garrison over the middle at the one. A fraction of a second later, Houston hit Garrison at the one. Just as Garrison's right foot touched the goal line, Houston wrapped his arms around the Dallas fullback in textbook style and drove Garrison backwards. Garrison feebly attempted to lateral the ball, but the whistle had blown. Possession, and the win, belonged to Washington.

Live blog Redskins vs. Cowboys

It's a home game on Sunday, so the live blog will be from the press box at FedEx Field. That means that it's via Microsoft Word with updates every quarter, maybe more often if the stars are aligned correctly and I can get a teathered connection on my laptop.

I'm running a little late with Flashback Friday; check back and I'll have it posted soon.

It’s up to Campbell

The Washington Redskins' fate against the Dallas Cowboys Sunday night will rest largely on the right arm of Jason Campbell.

If Clinton Portis plays—he'll be a game time decision with a sprained MCL—he won't be 100%. Campbell is quoted as saying that he hopes that Portis will be able to work his way up to being 80%.

Ladell Betts practiced on a limited basis on Wednesday and it seems that his status won't be determined until Sunday either.

If those two can't go it will be, according to Zorn, "a committee position". That would be a two-man committee composed of Shaun Alexander, who was picked up a few weeks ago, and Rock Cartwright, who is an excellent special teams performer but not a confidence-inspiring running back.

There is another possibility. If Portis can't go, I think we'll see some of the Wildcat formation with Antwaan Randle El taking snaps at quarterback. Hopefully, he won't think that the shotgun snap is a punt and he will run forward.

But they will go with the standard formation most of the time and that means that Alexander and Cartwright could be carrying the load. If that happens, look for Jason Campbell to air it out.

Campbell had one of his best statistical games ever against the Cowboys in Week 11 last year. He passed for 348 yards and he very nearly brought the Redskins back from a late deficit to win the game in Dallas. Had the Washington defense been able to cover Terrell Owens—he caught four touchdown passes—the Skins may well have prevailed.

They also may have won had Campbell not thrown an interception in the end zone in the last minute of the game. While the Redskins wouldn't have been in the game without Campbell's performance, they ultimately lost in large part because of his mistake.

If Campbell does have to air it out on Sunday night, he will be attacking an area where the Cowboys are vulnerable. Their best corner, Terence Newman, might play but he's coming off of a serious groin injury. Their other best corner, Adam "Don't Call Me Pac-Man" Jones is under suspension, maybe forever. The other corners are nickel back Anthony Henry and rookie Mike Jenkins.

Tony Romo, of course, will be back after missing three games with a broken pinkie on his throwing hand. We don't know if there will be any rust or if there will be lingering issues with the injured digit but I expect him to be near 100%.

But that might not matter if the Redskins secondary is at 100%. It should be as Shawn Springs is scheduled to return and with the newly-acquired DeAngelo Hall ready to play a role. If Hall gets up to speed quickly and Springs can put his injury issues behind him the Redskins will have one of the best secondaries in the NFL.

While it would be a mistake to write off Marion Barber as a threat, the Redskins have done a good job of controlling him. In fact, the whole league has been bottling up Barber pretty well. Since he ripped off 142 yards in Green Bay in Week 3, his best game has been a 100-yard effort in a blowout loss to the Rams.

So, if Portis and Betts are out or playing with limited effectiveness, we should see both teams having problems running the ball. The more accomplished quarterback, Romo, will be going up against the stronger secondary. The QB who still hasn't reached his potential is facing a banged-up group of DB's.

A quarterback can make the leap from being good and having potential to being a star when he puts his team on his back and passes and wills his team to victory when other aspects of the team aren't performing up to par. This could well be Jason Campbell's moment to make that leap.

Redskins 24, Cowboys 21

 

 

Terrible idea

The Washington Redskins will be handing out 50,000 burgundy towels to fans entering Sunday night's game against the Dallas Cowboys. Dan Snyder-owned ESPN 980, the radio network's flagship station, is sponsoring the promotion and is calling the cloths "Redskins Rags".

Of course, we all remember the Terrible Towels that the legion of Steeler fans waved at FedEx Field last Monday night. I don't know if this promotion came about as a response to that—I would think that it would be difficult and expensive to acquire 50,000 towels and have something printed onto them in the space of a week—but in any case it's a bad idea.

The waving of towels is a Steeler tradition. It has been for some 30 years. You can't just take one team's tradition and try to adopt it as your own. That would be like throwing seed corn onto a paved parking lot and coming back hoping to see stalks as high as an elephant's eye.

My high-level inside source inside the organization—a friend of my brother knows someone who has a cousin who is an intern in the PR department—has said that the attempts to bring other teams' traditions to FedEx Field will not stop with the towels. Among other ideas in the pipeline:

• Having a Native American ride a horse into the stadium and planting a flaming spear into the Redskins logo at midfield.
  
  
• Getting the fans to do an Indian chant while making the signal for a first down in unison.
  

Should those Native American-themed ideas prove to be too politically incorrect for DC, there are other ideas being floated around Redskins Park:

• At halftime, the Redskins band will form "Redskins" in script and the senior sousaphone player will dot the "i".
  
  
• Before the game, a semi-prominent celebrity will raise a flag emblazoned with the number 12 in one end of the stadium. It will have to be explained that the number represents not the "12^th man" but the new price for a 12-oz draft beer.
  
  
• A Metallica song will play and fans will be encouraged to jump up and down as the players come onto the field.
  
  
• After the Redskins score, the cheerleaders will do a pushup for each point the Redskins have scored up to that point in the game. (Given the way the Skins have been putting up points lately there is no danger that the cheerleaders will overexert themselves from this.)
  
  
• A rock will be placed on a pedestal outside of FedEx Field and the players will touch it on their way in.
  
  
• Hedges will be planted running the length of the field behind the benches.
  

I'm sure that other ideas are under consideration; perhaps you could leave yours here in the comments.

Brace for another invasion of FedEx

Since what happened on the field last Monday night when the Washington Redskins took on the Pittsburgh Steelers was eminently forgettable, the lasting memory of that game will be the sight of the hoards of towel-waving, black-jersey-clad Steeler fans who were all over the stands that night. The estimates vary, but the lowball guesses have it at 10% to 15% of the crowd, or 9,000 to about 13,500.

Get ready for it to happen again when the Dallas Cowboys come to town on Sunday night.

A check of the listings on StubHub, the official fan to fan ticket reseller of the Washington Redskins, reveals that as of Monday morning there are 1,194 listings for tickets for sale for the Redskins-Cowboys game. Most of the listings are for two tickets but a substantial number are for three or four, so I'll make a lowball estimate of 2.5 tickets available per listing. That adds up to just shy of 3,000 seats that are available to Cowboys fans.

Clicking over to eBay, a search for the event reveals 735 ticket listings. Like the StubHub listings, most of them are offering two tickets but some are for more. But some of them are for parking passes only, so we'll go with an estimated average to two seats per listing. That adds another 1,500 seats available to Dallas fans.

Another popular ticket exchange is on Craigslist. A search for Cowboys under tickets in Washington DC reveals 502 listings. Some are for parking passes, a few are looking for tickets so we'll estimate two available seats per listing. That's another 1,000 tickets that Cowboy backers could snatch up.

So just on those three outlets six days before the game, there are approximately 5,500 seats available for Dallas fans to buy. There are dozens of other ticket resellers. If Dallas fan attendance at past games at FedEx is any indication, thousands of Cowboys backers already have secured tickets to this one.

It's not unreasonable to think that there will be 10,000 silver and blue clad fans in the seats on Sunday night in what is shaping up to be the biggest game of the year for the Redskins.

I hope that the Redskins are preparing to use the silent count again this week.

Torrence cut

The ax has fallen on Leigh Torrence.

The cornerback has been cut to clear a roster spot for DeAngelo Hall, who signed with the Redskins on Saturday.

This move is somewhat surprising. One would think that if a cornerback was going to get cut it would the rookie Justin Tryon. The fourth-round selection has played sparingly while Torrence has served ably as a nickel back while Shawn Springs has been hobbled by various injuries this year and after Carlos Rogers suffered a season-ending knee injury in 2007.

The fact that Tryon made the 53-man roster in September raised some eyebrows and the fact that he was kept over a fairly well-established nickel back will raise some more. Apparently the thinking was that Tryon had more upside potential than did Torrence and that justified keeping him as the fifth CB.

Steeler fan invasion in ‘05 playoffs

I'm watching the NFL Network's "Classic Games" replay of the 2005 divisional playoff game with the Steelers visiting the Colts. The Colts had the best record in the AFC and they were the prohibitive favorite to go to the Super Bowl. Yet whenever the Steelers do something positive, there is a very audible cheer coming from the Steeler fans present in the RCA Dome. And when the Colts were attempting to come back in the fourth quarter there is a notable roar coming from Pittsburgh fans. It wasn't enough to make Peyton Manning go on a silent count, mind you, but clearly there was a sizeable contingent of Steeler fans at the game.

When Mike Vanderjagt missed the late field goal (the worst clutch kick in the history of the game) and the Steelers clinched the game, there was a loud roar from the Terrible Towel wavers.

In the playoffs. In Indy. In the building of the best team in the NFL.

The point here is that Steeler fans are fanatics. They travel well. They will find their way into any building, anywhere at any time.

That doesn't make what happened at FedEx Field last Monday night any less disturbing, but the fact is that it is far from unprecedented.

No down side to Hall signing

Why the Hall not?

That's my attitude towards the Redskins signing DeAngelo Hall, recently released by the Raiders. The move doesn't punch their ticket to the Super Bowl or even to the playoffs, but he can make a good team better. In short, lots of upside at a very low cost and very little risk.

How can a player that the Raiders rejected make you better? A few things are in play here:

• The Raiders didn't want Hall's contract at least as much as they didn't want the player. He had a 7-year, $70 million deal that had an odd provision in it. There were two bonuses that totaled about $16 million that would become guaranteed only if Hall was to suffer a serious injury. Hall wasn't performing well enough to justify that huge risk, in the judgement of the Raiders. While one would have to question why Al Davis would sign him to such a deal in the first place, it's easy to see why they would want to get themselves out from under it sooner rather than later.
  
  
• Hall wasn't a good fit in the Raiders' defensive scheme. According to Bucky Brooks at SI.com, Oakland plays an aggressive bump and run scheme where the corners need to jam the receivers at the line. In the Redskins scheme he will play off of the receiver more and be able to assume a ball hawking role. That's more suited to Hall's style.
  
  
• Quite simply, the Raiders had a choice to make. They could wait it out and see if he would develop into the kind of corner they were paying for. Or they could cut their losses. They chose the latter.
  

The Redskins are paying Hall a pro-rated $1 million this year. They can cut him at any time if he's not performing or if the notorious "MeAngelo" shows up and he becomes a locker room distraction.

There is every reason to think that he'll make the secondary better. Shawn Springs has been out of the lineup several times this year so their depth has been tested. Hall has three interceptions this year, more than the Redskins' corners have combined.

Apparently Hall wants to stick around Ashburn for the long term. He told Jay Glazer of FoxSports.com:

"It's a one-year deal for now, but we'll work something out long-term. That's why I chose them. I don't want to hit the market in the offseason and have to move my family again this year."

If the Redskins decide to let Springs and his $8.5 million 2009 number walk after the season, Hall could be his replacement.

Some have asked about Hall returning punts. It's not something that he's done much, 13 times for a respectable 9.5-yard average over his four-plus years in the league. The fact that he's been his team's starting corner for most of his career might explain why he's had so few opportunities.

A player will have to be released once Hall passes his physical, which should happen on Saturday. Candidates to get the ax are Justin Tryon, Rob Jackson, and, since Springs could shift back to play safety if necessary, Mike Green.

Hall a Redskin

According to multiple sources, DeAngelo Hall, just cut by the Raiders, has signed with the Redskins.

Comment here, more coming later.

Five truths at the bye

 

• The Redskins are a second-tier team—After beating the Eagles on October 5, the Redskins could make a case for being one of the best teams in the NFL. Now, a month and two losses and two uninspiring wins later, it's clear that the Redskins are not there yet.
  
  
• 6-3 at the bye isn't bad—Anyone would have taken that the day before the first game. Many would have said you were nuts if you predicted that record the day after the Giants game.
  
  
• Like the Redskins, Jason Campbell is very good but not yet elite—He's good when the defense has to guess but he's average at best when the run game is taken away. To be fair, the Steelers are an elite defense and nobody would have much of a game against that pass rush. But until he leads a comeback like the ones he almost pulled off in Dallas and in Tampa last year, he has to be considered a cut or two below the best QB's in the game. Considering that he is nine games into learning a new offense and that none of the big receivers the team drafted has contributed anything of significance.
  
  
• If London Fletcher doesn't go to the Pro Bowl there needs to be an investigation—If this requires any explanation, you haven't been watching this year.
  
  
• Carlos Rogers needs to catch the ball—After the game, Jim Zorn expressed some annoyance that Rogers had dropped an easy interception. In practice on Friday, Zorn said, the coaches made a major point of emphasizing the importance of catching the ball before taking off for the end zone. If Rogers gets the easy pick six there it's an entirely different ballgame. It's not like Rogers is about to be benched nor should he be—he's playing at a very high level—but the failure to make plays like that is a major factor why the Redskins are not an elite team.

Redskins Steelers 4th Quarter

15:00—Anthony Montgomery is out with a sprained ankle.

14:44—Nobody was within 20 yards of Moore as he caught a short pass from Leftwich. If they score a touchdown here, it's over.

13:30—It's a last gasp for the Redskins here. Third and eight at the 20. If the Skins can hold them to a field goal here, they would be alive, but just barely.

Holmes 5 pass from Leftwich (Reed kick)
Steelers 23, Redskins 6

The rout is on. Holmes made a nice dive over the goal line after catching the pass at the line of scrimmage. The first interception of the year leads to a touchdown, along with almost seven minutes coming off of the clock.

9:44—The Redskins get a cheap first down on a roughing the passer penalty on a fourth-down play. The drive stays alive but as sloppy as it's been it's only a matter of time. Moss has not bee in on this drive and you have to think that he has tweaked his hamstring. Hopefully it will rest over the bye week.

8:44—The Skins pick up their second third down conversion in 12 tries with a pass from Campbell to Cooley. The Redskins then immediately have to burn a timeout, perhaps stunned by the development. If they can score quickly—and that's unlikely—they can get back into the verge of sort of being partway into the game.

7:19—Campbell gets credited with a TD but it looks like his knee was down when the ball was a good yard shy of the end zone. It's probably going to be fourth and goal at the one.

7:19—That's the call, a good reversal. Now the Skins have to score.

6:55—Campbell tries to go to Lorenzo Alexander, but the ball was knocked down. Steelers take over and the Redskins' last chance fades away.

5:23—Moss is back in the game and looks spry, so he must be doing OK. Can't say the same for the Redskins' chances here.

3:40—Even a miracle chance gets swallowed up with a 14-yard sack on fourth down.

The Steelers were a bit more focused and, as covered in the second-quarter blog here, they made the plays when they have the opportunity. Even after the sequence of dropped INT by Rogers and blocked punt by the Steelers, they converted on third down and maximized their chances. Going back to the first quarter when the Skins had a shot at opening up a nice working margin they twice settled for three, it just wasn't going to be their game.

Another pick by Campbell ends a shot at a cosmetic score with 20 seconds left. It would either have been his second INT or his eighth sack as a Steeler was bearing down on him hard.

 

Redskins Steelers 3rd Quarter

The Redskins have done little to nothing offensively. That's the bad news. The good news is that they're still in it.

14:50—Byron Leftwich is in at QB for the Steelers. Big Ben hit his hand on Golston's helmet just before halftime. We have yet to receive an update in the press box.

12:28—His first pass is a doozie, 50 yards to Nate Washington for a first down at the 11.

Parker 1 run (kick failed)
Steelers 16, Redskins 6

The defensive struggle is over, at least on one side of the ball. That was pretty easy for the Steelers with their backup QB hitting on the bomb and then zipping one to Moore for a third-down conversion. The missed extra point could well come into play but, again, the Skins have to score.

As to Allen's comment on Rogers' hands, yes, but the offense needs to score. They now have one offensive touchdown in six quarters and counting.

8:50—A second-down sack kills the Redskins initial drive of the half before it even gets started. The sacks are starting to mount and the Skins just can't keep operating from the hole.

7:16—The Steelers run a draw on second and 17 from about their own 40. They seem to be content with their 10-point lead. The way the Pittsburgh D is playing, I probably would be, too.

4:10—The Skins have a little something going on offense here after getting their initial third-down conversion of the game.

3:41—But it ends on Campbell's first interception of the year. The ball went through the hands of Portis and into those of Townsend.

3:41—Zorn challenges that the ball was intercepted. It's very close but it does look like Townsend had control just before Portis knocked it out.

1:31—Things are starting to look grim as the Skins waste a sack by Horton by giving up a third and 15 conversion. Another big third down coming up here with four to go.

0:10—The Steelers convert as the third quarter ends.

End of third quarter
Steelers 16, Redskins 6

Redskins Steelers 2nd Quarter

14:43—It's turned into a defensive struggle as neither team can sustain a drive. Campbell took a sack on third and five to kill the Skins last drive before it ever really got started.

12:43—London Fletcher smelled out a flat pass to Moore and dumped him, knocking out the ball for a harmless third and two incompletion. Another three and out for the Skins defense. I swear that Fletcher hangs out in the offensive huddle from time to time.

11:13—A 43-yard pass interference penalty on Rogers gives the Steelers their best scoring threat so far. Rogers didn't see the ball and Hines Ward did and Carlos hit him early. Even if they don't gain another yard they're in field goal range for Jeff Reed.

8:40—A Demetric Evans sack on third and two puts the Steeler field goal team out.

FG Reed 35
Redskins 6, Steelers 3

The Steelers gained 62 yards on the scoring drive, 43 of which were on the PI call.

7:08—So far, Ben Roethlisberger, the Steelers' $100 million man, is 3 for 13 for 27 yards.

6:00—Jason Campbell isn't a whole lot better, 6-13 for 38.

5:33—Rogers drops a pick six. Just a flat-out drop. You have got to make that play. A 13-3 lead in this game would have been enormous.

4:16—The Redskins are settling in to more of a traditional West Cost scheme with short passes in running situations. It's not working very well so far but if Moss breaks a tackle. . .

2:11—The Redskins don't get the pick six out of Rogers. The Steelers do get a blocked punt and now they have a first and goal at the 13. This after Cooley is tackled about a half a yard short of the first down line on third down. A big sequence there.

Roethlisberger 1 run (Reed kick)
Steelers 10, Redskins 6

The Redskins had their chance to make a big play and turn around the defensive struggle but Rogers dropped the ball. The Steelers take advantage of their chance with a blocked punt to set up a TD and they will have the lead going into the locker room.

End of the first half
Steelers 10, Redskins 6

 

 

 

Redskins Steelers 1st Quarter

For the time being, I have live updating. Keep refreshing for the latest updates.

Pregame

--The burgundy on burgundy look is going to take some getting used to. I like it at first glance, but it looks just like the Redskins Band uniforms.

--The Steeler black and gold is quite prevalent here tonight. I'll guess there may be as many as 30,000 Pittsburgh fans here tonight. Monday nights are always big for invading fans, I'm guessing that a lot of tix get sold on eBay and StubHub.

--Samuels and Moss both are starting, a good sign for the Skins. Samuels will help keep the heat off of Campbell so that he'll have a shot at getting the ball to Moss. I'm not going to change my prediction, but I'm considerably more confident that I'll be wrong (if that makes any sense).

--The ESPN crew went four for the Skins and four for the Steelers. That's about where I am, I think it's a tossup.

First Quarter

14:55—Redskins get great field position after a failed surprise onside kick attempt. I like the move by Tomlin but obviously it backfired big time.

13:18—Zorn declines to gamble on his first opportunity and calls on Suisham on fourth and one.

FG Suisham 44
Redskins 3, Steelers 0

You could almost call that a gift three points since the Skins got it without the benefit of a first down.     

--The Redskins have Rogers lined up on Santonio Holmes while Smoot is on Hines Ward.

--Finally one of those tips at the line results in a turnover. Carter with the tip and Griffith with the pick.

--I like going for the end zone right after the turnover, even though it came close to ending in Campbell's first interception of the year.

FG Suisham 43
Redskins 6, Steelers 0

--Another scoring "drive" without a first down for the Redskins. I don't remember a time when the Redskins have had the first two possessions of the game, no first downs and two field goals.

8:50—The Skins get a sack from D. Evans. About seven minutes into it, my pregame analysis is falling apart. Suisham is 2 for 2 and the Redskins have two big plays resulting from pass pressure.

7:25—And then Portis pops one for 22. I could have my worst prediction ever if this keeps up.

5:22—The Steelers are giving the Skins some of a no-huddle look but the Skins are keeping up just fine. Another three and out and Pittsburgh is punting.

2:57—The Skins burn their second timeout on a third down play. It's taking Zorn too long to get the plays in and they're coming up to the line with about 10 seconds left on the play clock. That's not enough to deal with the Pittsburgh blitz packages.

1:18—A couple of good pass breakups by Horton and Smoot on second and third downs has the Steelers punting yet again. So far, so good for the Redskins defense. Big Ben is helping the Skins' cause; he is not sharp at all.

End of first quarter
Redskins 6, Steelers 0

Forces and objects

The Washington Redskins game against the Pittsburgh Steelers tonight will be decided largely by strength against strength and weakness against weakness.

The battle of strengths, the unstoppable force against the immovable object, is the Redskins' running game against the Steelers' rush defense. We all know that Clinton Portis has rushed for 120 yards or more in each of his last five games and that he leads the NFL in rushing yards. Overall the Redskins are third in the NFL is rushing, averaging 155 yards per game. Jim Zorn has been rewarded for his willingness to stick with the run even when the Skins have been behind in games.

Pittsburgh has best overall defense in the NFL (236 yards per game) and the Steelers rank third against the run (72 YPG). Last week they held the Giants to 83 yards rushing, about half of New York's season average.

The Giants, however, were able to pull out that game thanks in large part to their ability to put pressure on Ben Roethlisberger and sack him five times. This was not a surprising development as the Steelers have allowed 24 sacks this year. Only five teams have allowed more.

But the Redskins are ill suited to take advantage of this chink in the steel armor. They have just 10 sacks all year; only the Bengals and Chiefs have fewer.

This paucity of sacks is due in part to Greg Blache's decision to refrain from blitzing in favor of keeping more defenders back in coverage. It's hard to argue with the results as the Redskins are a respectable 11^th in pass defense.

Another reason why the Redskins have such a low sack total is that most of their games have been close. They have yet to build a substantial lead that would allow them to fluff up their sack stats.

And there is every reason to believe that this will be another down-to-the-wire affair. Both teams have significant injuries. Pittsburgh will be without two defensive starters in cornerback Bryant McFadden and safety Ryan Clark. Cornerback Shawn Springs and defensive end Jason Taylor are out for the Redskins.

The key to this game may well be two Redskins who are game time decisions. If Santana Moss' hamstring is well enough to allow him to play, Washington will better be able to exploit the Steelers' issues in the secondary. If Chris Samuels can go on his sore knee, the Redskins will better be able to combat the fierce Pittsburgh pass rush (25 sacks, 5^th in NFL).

I've been thinking that the Redskins were in trouble in this game all week. The matchups, as outlined above, just don't seem to spell success. It's not good when you can't take advantage of the opposition's big soft spot and the other guys are well equipped to take away your major strength.

Maybe Portis will be able to break loose like he did against the Eagles, another team that you're not supposed to be able to run against. You know that Zorn will stick with the run as long as the game is competitive. He doesn't have to rush for a buck-twenty again. Even 80 or 90 yards on the ground will establish the threat of the run and allow Jason Campbell a little more freedom to pass to Moss.

It may come down to the kickers. Shaun Suisham has been pretty good, but he has missed a few that he should have made. Pittsburgh's Jeff Reed is a perfect 10 for 10 this year.

That, it says here, will be the difference.

Steelers 20, Redskins 17