1. Will they score more points?
They’ll have to score more vs. Houston than they did against Dallas last week. Heck, that will be true in most games. But the Texans’ offense is one of the NFL’s best and it just got more high powered thanks to running back Arian Foster. Unlike Dallas, Houston’s offense was clicking in the preseason, too.
2. Can the defense stop the run?
The Redskins haven’t looked great against the run since the preseason games started. Last week, the linebackers had a tough time avoiding blocks by the Dallas line; that’s one reason LaRon Landry made so many tackles. Nose tackle Maake Kemoeatu wasn’t the problem, but stopping the run remains an issue.
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3. Where are the other receivers?
Santana Moss and Chris Cooley were the targets of 18 of Donovan McNabb’s 31 pass attempts. And they caught a combined 12 of his 15 completions. That won’t cut it. Joey Galloway was on the field, but did nothing. Roydell Williams gets no separation and Anthony Armstrong dropped a touchdown pass. If Cooley and Moss are the lone threats, the offense has no chance. And given how two receivers are unproven and another is 38, there’s no guarantee this will change.
4. How will they slow Andre Johnson?
Johnson caught a combined 216 passes (17 for touchdowns) the past two seasons and, though he only caught three vs. Indianapolis, he’s clearly a dangerous threat in any game. It’ll be interesting to see if the Redskins opt to put DeAngelo Hall on him all game; or if they’ll want to keep him on the left side and occasionally use Carlos Rogers, who has the size (6-foot-1) to deal with the 6-foot-3 Johnson.
5. Can they build on a big win?
Of course, Houston is saying the same thing — and the Texans posted a more aesthetically pleasing win. But that doesn’t matter. But for the Redskins, Sunday’s win did not seem to foreshadow anything for the season as much as it was just a good opening game victory. Now, if they can go 2-0 vs. the state of Texas at home? Then things could get interesting.
