Rams at Redskins » Sunday at 1
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Three keys to a Redskins victory
1 STAY GROUNDED » The Redskins just won at Dallas and Philadelphia; how excited can anyone be about playing the Rams at home? That’s been the task all week. But good teams put teams like this away early. The Redskins need to be aggressive at the start — and be aware of new coach Jim Haslett’s penchant for on-side kicks, etc. This game will reveal much about where this season is headed.
2 ATTACK THE CORNERS » St. Louis is horrible at cornerback with Ron Bartell and Jason Craft, which means they’ll likely get a lot of safety help. But if the Rams blitz, it’s a touchdown waiting to happen. This is a major area of weakness begging to be exploited. Jason Campbell can’t force it; surely they’ll test his patience with their coverages. Fortunately for Washington, he’s shown lots of patience. His aggressiveness also will pay dividends.
3 BEWARE STEVEN JACKSON » The Rams’ running back is a non-factor in some games because of large deficits. But he remains an excellent back. He’s dangerous going off-tackle. That means using safeties on the edge to pinch him to the middle, where he’s also good but where the Redskins can stack their D. They must stop him on first down and force the Rams to pass; the Redskins will generate pressure vs. skittish QB Marc Bulger if that’s the case.
Key matchups
| DE Leonard Little | vs. | RT Jon Jansen |
| He returned from a Week 1 injury to post two sacks and a pressure three weeks later. He’s small (263 pounds) but explosive. | This would be his toughest individual matchup of the past three weeks, if he starts again for Stephon Heyer. | |
| WR Torry Holt | vs. | CB Carlos Rogers |
| He’s caught 820 passes in his career, but only 15 this season. Poor blocking has hurt the passing game. | He’s proven himself against very good receivers this season. Now he has to prove he can hold onto passes directly at him. | |
| LT Orlando Pace | vs. | DE Andre Carter |
| The 12-year veteran is a massive player (6-foot-7, 325 pounds) who is nearing the end of a Hall of Fame career. | The Redskins must apply more pressure. That could be tough for Carter, but the key is holding his own on the ground. |
State of the teams
The Rams are energized, to some degree, by a coaching switch to Jim Haslett before its bye last weekend. But teams that have been outscored by 104 points in four games don’t get fixed overnight.
The Redskins are playing loose and confident and sense that something special is happening this season. They know, or at least say, that nothing yet has been achieved. But this is a close group that’s growing closer.
The Examiner predicts …
Even if Washington had lost the past two games it would roll in this one. The Rams stink. The Redskins don’t. Hello, 5-1.
Redskins 34, Rams 13
