Larry Johnson hasn't been getting much help from the KC O-line
Sunday’s game between the Washington Redskins and the Kansas City Chiefs is likely to come down to a matchup between a stoppable force and a moveable object.
The moveable object is the KC defense. They are among the league’s worst in rush defense (25th) and sacks (tied for 27th). Overall, the Chiefs defense is last in the NFL allowing an average of 402 yards a game.
The stoppable force is, of course, the Washington offense. On average it takes them six quarters to gain 400 yards. I don’t have to go through the agonizing litany of subpar offensive stats compiled by the 2009 Redskins for this audience.
Fortunately for the Redskins, the Chiefs offense is not much better than their defense. They rank 30th in the NFL. They are equally mediocre rushing (24th) and passing (29th).
Running back Larry Johnson is a shell of the back that gained over 1,700 yards in both 2005 and 2006. Perhaps not coincidently he signed a five-year contract extension just before the 2007 season, a deal that guaranteed him $19 million. He has hit rock bottom this year with 93 rushing attempts for 224 yards, an average of 2.4 yards per carry.
On the other hand, perhaps it’s unfair to point to the contract. In 2005 the KC offensive line features such stalwarts as guard Will Shields and tackle Willie Roaf, both potential Hall of Famers. On the line that will start on Sunday, left guard Brian Waters has been to a few Pro Bowls and the rest are rather anonymous. Quarterback Matt Cassel has suffered behind this line as well, having been sacked 17 times.
The Redskins would love to have even one Pro Bowl appearance among their offensive linemen but without Chris Samuels they don’t even have anyone who has been snubbed.
The Washington defense will be the strongest unit to take the field on Sunday. They’re fifth in the NFL (but only third in their division, a sign of the predicament they are in). That’s a good advantage to have, especially since the weather forecast calls for wind and rain showers most of the afternoon.
In our chat yesterday at noon I said that the Redskins would break 20 points at home for the first time since September 21 of last year when they beat the Cardinals 24-17. I’m going to change my mind. The Chiefs have a plus-two turnover ratio; they have lost just two fumbles (although they have put the ball on the ground 10 times) and Cassel has thrown just two interceptions in 130 pass attempts. The Redskins would not have broken double digits in scoring without the takeaways last week. It’s hard to see them breaking 20 points without some very short fields to work with.
Still, they should muster enough offense to win. Jim Zorn probably won’t get the rout that would take some of the heat off of him for at least a week but he will get a badly-needed W.
Redskins 13, Chiefs 7
You forget…the Skin are experts at playing to the level of their opponent. I won’t be surprised if the Skins don’t see the end zone again this week. I think the score is Redskins 9, Chiefs 6 and the Skins D will have to come up big in the final minutes of the game…AGAIN!!!
Are they playing to the low level of their opponents? Or are they playing at their peak and it’s still a low level?
We’ll find out a week from Monday.
I agree- you can’t “play down” to your opponents level if you’re just not a good team to begin with. Washington struggles with teams like Detroit, Tampa, the Rams, etc because they are all on roughly the same level- the NFL basement. No hatin’, just being honest.
It’s tough to say, but I hope for another loss.
I figure a loss with bring about a change maybe at the bye and I figure a change that has anything to do with a coach, brings a change that is of course, Vinny Cerrato. No legit coach wants to work with him.
I know Snyder is deeply rooted but you can’t get rid of him.
Redskins 16 Chiefs 14
To Jason Campbell:
Ask Matt Cassell how he feels playing with a talented offensive line vs one that lacks talent.
Rich,
I hope you are right and the Redskins get a win over the Chiefs. But I would not bet the farm on this. There is a thing about NFL culture. Some teams, even in good years, cannot defeat certain teams. If I am right, the Redskins and Chiefs have faced each other eight times. The Chiefs have won seven of the eight.
Tomorrow’s game is pivotal. I can see the entire season being finished and everyone will start finalizing their futures, although I do not see how firing Zorn in midseason is going to help the team. The iproblem is the offensive line.
Redskins is really stoppable. What I mean is, they can stop whoever passed there way. The only weakness of Redskins is there ofense, I hope they improve it.