Wait, there’s a game this Sunday?

Fox and Zorn both are on the hot seat

Hidden under all of the attention to process this week in Ashburn is the fact that the Washington Redskins have a game to play on Sunday. If they want to get the focus off of process and back to on-field activities, winning this game would go a long way towards accomplishing that goal.

This would be a game where winning ugly, the team’s preferred style, would be acceptable. Yes, the Carolina Panthers are 0-3 but they did win 12 games last year and they rightfully are slight favorites. Nobody with a brain would be upset with a 10-7 win.

Like with the Redskins, it’s hard to find a discernable strength on the Panthers. They’re supposed to have a strong running game with DeAngelo Williams and the now-healthy Jonathan Stewart but they rank 20^th in the NFL in rushing with 101 yards per game, down from 152 per game in 2008.

They have Steve Smith at wide receiver but he has 15 catches for 190 yards and no touchdowns. Jake Delhomme has a passer rating of 54.4. That number can be misleading sometimes but in this case it’s not. He has thrown two touchdowns and seven interceptions.

The Carolina defensive line used to be a feared unit but not so much lately. They are dead last in the NFL in rushing defense allowing 182 yards per game. In three games they have accumulated four sacks.

While evaluating these numbers one should note that they have played three quality opponents. Well, make that two quality opponents (Eagles, Falcons) and one shell of a former quality opponent (Cowboys).

Going into the Lions game, I wrote about how this team responded positively when facing a firestorm of criticism in 2008. They failed to circle the wagons in Detroit. Once again they will have the opportunity to get away from the media and the distractions and focus on football. It would behoove them not to wait until the second half to start playing as they did in Detroit and last game against the Bucs.

It says here that I have to see it to believe it. I think we’re going to see the same movie we saw at Ford Field. The Redskins again fall behind and, like against the Lions, they can’t quite catch back up.

Panthers 17, Redskins 13