1. Can they stop the New York pass rush? The Giants feature terrific speed on the edges — watch out Trent Williams and Jammal Brown — with Justin Tuck (7? sacks) and Osi Umenyiora (eight sacks). But the Giants also will be creative and aggressive rushing the passer. Twelve players have accounted for the New York’s 31 sacks. A big key to winning is keeping the Giants off-balanced, but that leads to our second question.
2. Can they run the ball? James Davis had no rhythm on his runs against Minnesota — it showed when he missed some cuts or hesitated and stutter-stepped. But it’s not like he received good blocking, either. And Keiland Williams is a hard runner but he won’t scare a team at all. So the Redskins need Ryan Torain back in the lineup. He’s not exactly a Pro Bowler, but he is a more effective runner than what they have right now.
3. Is this a must-win game? Absolutely. Another loss all but eliminates the Redskins from playoff contention. The only way they could afford to lose another game is if they still manage to sweep the Giants and the Eagles somehow collapse and a 9-7 team wins the NFC East. That’s unlikely. If they lose this, you can start looking at free agency and the draft.
4. Will LaRon Landry ever return? It’s hard to know because his foot remains in a walking boot. The shame of it is, Landry’s Achilles injury spoiled what had been his best season. Though Reed Doughty is a fine backup, losing a player of this caliber is huge — don’t forget, he was mentioned as a defensive MVP candidate for the league at the halfway point of the season. The Redskins need to be careful with Landry and if they lose Sunday perhaps the smart thing would be to shut him down entirely, ensuring a healthy start to 2011.
5. Should Brandon Banks’ role be expanded? He’s a threat to score whenever he touches the ball on a return. But if the Redskins give him too many touches from scrimmage, it’s easy to see him breaking down. He’s smaller than his listed 5-foot-7, 150 pounds. On offense, he’s a novelty, and on returns, he’s a major threat. The Redskins shouldn’t ruin it. A couple plays on offense is good enough.
