Keys to victory 1 Remember the past » The Redskins have a habit of playing a struggling St. Louis team and losing. Coming off a tough loss and playing on the road against a desperate team is always a tough combination. But the Redskins claim to be tough-minded and resilient. If so, they’ll take care of business — and do it early. The Rams struggle to pass protect so make them one-dimensional from the start.
2 Break out the ground game » The Redskins haven’t run the ball well in two of their three games for a variety of reasons. Good defenses will stop their rushing attack. But St. Louis does not have a good defense right now. The Rams allow 5.4 yards per carry and have surrendered big runs. Their ends need to do better against the run, but this is good news for running backs Tim Hightower and Roy Helu.
3 Attack the corners » Corner Justin King was torched by Baltimore’s Torrey Smith last week, and the Rams have allowed seven passing touchdowns overall. Corner Bradley Fletcher had a solid season last year, intercepting four passes and making sure tackles. But the safety play hasn’t been terrific. Quintin Mikell and Craig Dahl both are supposed to be better vs. the run. Losing Oshiomogho Atogwe to the Redskins in the offseason hasn’t helped the coverage.
Matchups to watch
RT Jammal Brown
He’s played well at times and then goes through bad stretches. He must use his feet well.
vs.
DE Chris Long
He’s recorded three sacks and is a solid, but not spectacular, player.
RG Chris Chester
Dallas wasn’t his best game. Chester moves well but needs to play stronger.
vs.
DT Fred Robbins
He can rush the passer, with six sacks in 2010, but he has no sacks yet this season.
LB London Fletcher
One man won’t stop the ground game, but a strong game by Fletcher always helps.
vs.
RB Steven Jackson
He ran for a 42-yard score vs. the Redskins last season. He’s still dangerous when healthy.
Expert’s Take
“[Sam Bradford] has a good arm, good accuracy. A lot of rookies don’t have the poise he showed last year. But even in the last quarter of the season he flattened out. He was getting more flustered by pressure. The arrow was going up for the first three quarters and he leveled off. It hasn’t gone back up yet and that can be concerning.”
– Greg Gabriel, ex-Chicago Director of College Scouting and National Football Post columnist
Examiner Predicts …
We’ve been fooled — often — by this matchup but not this time. The Redskins are limited in terms of talent, but the mindset is legitimate.
Redskins 23, Rams 14
