The questions I asked before the game Monday… and now the real answers:
1. How big is this game for the Redskins? Obviously it was very big and it was also very revealing. Yes, it’s one game, but a 31-point blowout on national TV – in a game they trailed by 28 points after one quarter – suggests this team is a couple years away from serious contending. The offense lacked rhythm, again; the defense is versatile, but also flawed in that they can’t stop the pass out of the 3-4. This isn’t surprising because it’s why many of us picked them under .500, but there is a talent deficiency that will take a couple more years to solve.
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2. Will Clinton Portis or Brandon Banks play? Didn’t think either would play, but thought Banks had a better shot. Turns out he did play and didn’t look like a guy coming off surgery. No hesitation when he cut.
3. What is the impact of them not playing?
Portis’ absence hurt especially with Ryan Torain tweaking his hamstring in pre-game warm-ups. That left inexperienced Keiland Williams as the ONLY healthy back active. Yep, no reason to think a guy coming off a hamstring might have issues. Anyway, Williams was fine, but he did miss a blitz pickup that allowed pressure. Overall, though, running back wasn’t the issue.
4. Can they run on Philly’s D? Not when it mattered they couldn’t. Washington finished with 105 yards rushing, snapping a four-game stretch by Philly’s D in which it hadn’t allowed any team to surpass 100 yards. But, again, in the first quarter Washington gained 17 yards on six carries as the Eagles rolled to a 28-0 lead. Anything after that point is irrelevant. The Eagles once more got enough pressure through the interior of the Redskins’ line and Williams, though he runs hard, is not all that fast and his cuts don’t make guys miss. This is a good run D so Williams didn’t do poorly.
5. Now the big question: How will Donovan McNabb respond to the past two weeks? Wasn’t expecting a whole lot considering McNabb was supposed to light them up in his return to Philly and did not. McNabb, when it mattered, did not produce. Two touchdowns when you’re down 35-0 is nice for the stats but in the first quarter he missed open receivers and threw an interception. Game over. That interception came as a result of pressure, but McNabb could have reset his feet and didn’t, instead drifting to his left as he threw. The ball sailed on Santana Moss and rather than an easy grab it led to a tipped pick. Hard to blame him on the second interception; maybe had Joey Galloway, you know, run his route with urgency it wouldn’t have happened.
6. Will the Redskins do much different tonight with McNabb? Apparently the answer is yes, they’ll give up 45 points in the first half. Looked like at times they used a little more gun – not that much, mind you, but a little more. But other than that it was a lot of the same stuff. They couldn’t get first downs early. They didn’t get McNabb into a rhythm. They lost control of the game.
7. Where are the Eagles vulnerable?
Clearly it was in the secondary and the Redskins tested them deep a couple times, hitting a deep ball to Anthony Armstrong. The one to Fred Davis was more play design and not as much on the secondary. But it was a sweet play; have liked that play since they started running it in summer practices. But the Eagles did a nice job of stopping the wideouts. No shocker there.
8. How should they defend Michael Vick?
They tried a little of everything and the Eagles/Vick seemed to beat whatever they threw. They tired three-man fronts; Vick ran for a touchdown. They tried to rush four with contain and he beat them. One time, Lorenzo Alexander actually paused when he had a lane to the QB because he had to honor/respect/fear what Vick would do. That hesitation resulted in a 26-yard pass to Jason Avant. They tried to spy him, but he still made plays; it opened up other throws downfield. They went to a dime and the Eagles sprung a shovel pass – what a terrific design, too. Every time the Redskins said check, the Eagles answered with checkmate.
9. Will they be as physical with the wideouts as they were in the first game? The Eagles prevented this from happening by their designs. They spread the field more than in the first game, preventing the linebackers from jamming the wideouts. DeAngelo Hall failed to get a good jam on DeSean Jackson on the opening play. He never hesitated off the line and got open deep. The slot receivers avoided the jams from the linebackers. So they perhaps wanted to be as physical, but they were not.
10. Can they slow the weapons? The Eagles rolled up 592 yards of offense. I can’t top that stat with any sort of analysis.
11. Who will win? I liked the Eagles from the time the Detroit game ended. The Redskins have a 7-9 feel to them; thought that at season’s start and still think that way. Just too much talent is needed and coupled with the first year of a system for everyone and it equals inconsistency. I worried that they’d be able to limit Vick; they couldn’t. I worried about the pressure, but that was less of an issue than feared. Didn’t think McNabb would have a great game; wrote that before knowing of the contract but never thought it would change anything. It’s about the entire offense, not just one guy. Anyway, I had the Eagles winning 21-17. Apparently I gave the Redskins a bit too much credit and not enough to the Eagles’ offense. Man, they are explosive.
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