Is Week 2 too soon for a must-win? Not at all.
Football teams play too few games to rebound from bad starts. After losing its opener badly, Maryland needed to beat Division I-AA James Madison to avoid killing its season. The Terps escaped in overtime. Otherwise, basketball season doesn’t come soon enough in College Park.
Now the crosstown Washington Redskins face the same dilemma against St. Louis on Sunday at FedEx Field.
Washington lost its opener and now plays one of the season’s sure wins. If the NFL had a Division I-AA level, St. Louis would be at the bottom of it. Ironically, the Redskins thought that last year and the 0-5 Rams won their first game.
Washington faces the easiest stretch of its schedule against St. Louis, Detroit, Carolina, Tampa Bay and Kansas City, respectively. Carolina is the only team expected to finish with a winning mark and the Panthers suddenly look vulnerable.
Washington must go 4-1 over this stretch for a playoff chance. Otherwise, owner Dan Snyder will spend November compiling coaches and quarterbacks lists for 2010. Don’t think Snyder isn’t so impulsive. The owner decided after an 0-3 start in 2001 to fire Marty Schottenheimer and did so despite finishing 8-8.
But is it too early to panic?
“A win this week is a must,” receiver Santana Moss said. “I feel like we don’t go into a game saying, ‘We must, we must, we must’ but we know for what we’ve put in we need to get something out of it.”
Losing to the New York Giants wasn’t cataclysmic. The Giants were the better team playing at home. They’ll probably win the NFC East. No, cataclysmic is losing to St. Louis. It meant the difference last year in not having a winning season.
The Redskins’ offense needs a feel-good game, especially quarterback Jason Campbell, whose play parallels his confidence level. St. Louis’ defense allowed 446 yards in a 28-0 loss to Seattle, which is a team comparable to Washington. The Redskins have never scored 30 points under coach Jim Zorn. This should be the time.
The next two games are about confidence. About getting Malcolm Kelly and Devin Thomas into the offensive flow if they’re ever going to do so. About Clinton Portis showing that 100-yard form again. About Campbell discovering his deep touch beyond 30 yards.
It’s now or never, already.
Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Read more at TheRickSniderReport.com or
e-mail [email protected].
