1 Who will start at quarterback?The decision comes down to: Do you want the known (Rex Grossman; 49 interceptions in 46 career games; 6-10 record in his last 16 starts but 23-16 overall)? Or the unknown in John Beck? Teammates stand behind Grossman; of course, they always say they’re behind a guy. But they do genuinely like him. However, those turnovers haunt an offense that has little margin for error.
2 How will the line perform? With two injured starters, one starter switching positions and a fourth possibly doing the same, the Redskins will be in a state of flux. They did not respond well last week, but that was a lot of change to process for one game. The problem is, the Redskins’ best chance offensively was to become a strong running team. It’ll be hard to find any consistency. And this assumes that center Erik Cook and tackle Sean Locklear can play at a solid level. They haven’t yet shown that they can. But one note: Carolina allows 4.8 yards per carry.
3 How will they respond to Sunday’s loss?
We got a snippet of that in the fourth quarter. Everything they had to deal with in the last 15 minutes they have to contend with this week. Yet in a game where it felt lopsided, the Redskins still gave themselves a chance to possibly tie.
4 Could this be a big week for Brandon Banks? The diminutive returner had a strong day returning kickoffs vs. Philadelphia. The Panthers struggle with their coverage units, having already allowed two punt returns for touchdowns and 26.8 yards on kick returns. Considering the state of this offense, Banks needs to provide a kickstart.
5 Can Tim Hightower and Anthony Armstrong provide a lift? Well … not if the quarterback keeps turning it over and the line struggles. But deep threat Armstrong — assuming he plays — needs to provide some of the big catches he had last season. The Redskins need any good weapons they can find at this point. The Panthers rank 30th in yards per pass allowed. As for Hightower, his help comes in the passing game. He doesn’t break tackles like Ryan Torain and that could be a factor this week.
– John Keim
