1 How will they respond? St. Louis is 0-3 and has dropped six of its last seven games dating to last season. The Rams clearly are headed in the wrong direction under third-year coach Steve Spagnuolo. But they’re a desperate team in need of a win, especially at home. The Redskins say they’re tough-minded and resilient; if that’s the case, then they’ll come out strong Sunday. 2 What’s wrong with the running game? In two of the three games this season the Redskins have been held to 3.0 yards a carry or less. When they face an athletic front, this will be difficult, as was evident Monday night vs. Dallas, whose linebackers too often were unblocked. For now, Tim Hightower looks like what scouts said: a decent back but better on third down. The Rams offer a chance to get healthy: They’re allowing 5.4 yards a carry.
3 Are teams now paying more attention to tight end Fred Davis? They should, right? Davis makes big plays, so it makes sense that teams now start doing more to take those away. Dallas did it a few times with linebackers underneath and a safety over the top. The result: one catch for 23 yards. Dallas had the athleticism at linebacker to contend with Davis. Not every team is that capable.
4 Is the red zone offense officially struggling? In the last two games, Washington has scored a touchdown on three of its 10 trips inside the opposition’s 20-yard line. Part of the problem Monday was missed blocks or slippery feet. Also, the Redskins’ touchdowns seem to come on plays that leave players wide open, as was the case with Hightower in the third quarter. But when that doesn’t happen, talent must take over, and for now at least the Redskins haven’t had enough guys make plays in the scoring area.
5 Should they tone down their aggressiveness defensively? Part of the reason they’ve made big plays this season is because of their blitzes — Ryan Kerrigan in the opener, for example. When you like to play this way, you know it will hurt you at times. It hurt them on one play vs. Arizona and one play vs. Dallas.
– John Keim
