Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-3, L-3) at Washington Redskins (1-2, L01)

Sunday, Oct. 4, 1:00 pm from FedEx Field

TEAM STATS

WAS:  Pts-13.3 (28th), Yds-341.3 (13th), Pass Yds-249.7 (11th), Rush Yds 91.7 (24th)

TBY:  Pts-13.7 (27th), Yds-296.3 (25th), Pass Yds-210.0 (17th), Rush Yds 86.3 (25th)

LEADERS

WAS:  Campbell (67.6 comp %, 793 yds, 3 tds, 2 ints), Portis (47 carries for 183 yds, 3.9 ave, 0 tds), Cooley (17 catches for 189 yds, 11.1 ave, 1 td), Moss (15 catches ofr 219 yds, 14.6 ave, 1 td).

TBY:  Leftwich (54.2 comp %, 594, 4 tds, 3 ints), Williams (22 carries for 114 yds, 5.2 ave., 2 td), Ward (26 carries for 96 yds, 3.7 ave., 1 td), Winslow (15 catches for 134 yds, 8.9 ave., 2 tds)

PREVIEW

For the second week in a row, the Redskins get to face a rookie coach and QB.  This week it's Raheem Morris and Josh Johnson, a scrambling-type QB from University of San Diego, taking over from Byron Leftwich, who was benched in the fourth quarter of Tampa Bay's 24-0 loss to the New York Giants. 

"I don't want us as an organization to say that game was all Leftwich - but Byron is suffering the consequences," Morris said.

Johnson was a fifth round pick in 2008, and has had 10 career pass attempts, all last week.  The Skins D can expect Johnson to move around a lot, both in the pocket and to the sidelines, where he can utilize his speed and athleticism.  Leftwich was a statue that was taking a beating up front, as the Bucs are missing a couple pieces of their offensive line. 

Morris hopes Johnson's play-making will make the Redskins respect his ability to move outside the pocket, opening up more running lanes for what should be a decent running attack with Cadillac Williams, Derrick Ward and Earnest Graham.

TE Kellen Winslow is Tampa's leading receiver, but that might be testament to the Bucs inability to get a semblance of protection for Leftwich more than anything else.  Michael Clayton, late of Baltimore, and Antonio Bryant are the wideouts.

Bryant, Ward and Graham are all nursing leg injuries though, so it might be a good time to kick a team while they are down.

The Bucs D is giving up 5.2 yards per rush attempt and has only managed two sacks, both disappointments for what should have been an upgraded line, led by three-year veteran Gaines Adams.  "Being drafted fourth overall, [expectations] come with the territory. It's year three for me. Obviously it's time for me to step up."

As for the Skins, they know all about the pressure of expectations.  Almost to a man, they say they have more talent that what they've shown so far this season.

Problem is, they haven't proven it.

Middle linebacker London Fletcher might be the lone voice of realism this week.

"Maybe guys tend to think that (we're an elite team), and that you can just show up.  That's not the case. We're struggling to win ballgames. We're going to be in tough ballgames, week-in and week-out.

"We're not a great football team - never have been since I've been here - and it hasn't been in a long time, since, what, the '80s? It's been a long time since the Redskins have had a great football team. We have to come in here with a workmanlike attitude, with the mindset that we must work to win."

Coach Jim Zorn took a measured approach to the question of whether his team is getting better -- or worse. "In the big picture, I think things are progressing," said Zorn, 9-10 as the team's head coach. "We're getting better. It's not coming in the win. We're going to continue to press on and take care of those details."

Should the Redskins fall this week, to a battered and beaten Bucs team, he might not get the chance to lead them in their progression.

WEATHER

Sunny and 75F.  Beautiful weather for tailgating and watching NFL football.

PREDICTION

If the Redskins don't win on Sunday, against an 0-3 team starting a rookie (running) QB, there will be bloody hell to pay, as if this week wasn't bad enough.  Still, one gets an odd feeling that the Skins still have not hit rock bottom.  Washington is weakest where it is most obvious, on both lines, and Tampa Bay is desperate and has a decent running game if they can get any effort up front of their own.

The Skins eke out a win this week, let's say 13-9.  But it will be neither pretty, nor satisfying, and the vultures will continue to circle.

"No question, yeah, we've got some problems." free safety LaRon Landry, Sept 27, 2009.

BOX SCORE AND RECAP / TEAM STATS / INDIVIDUAL STATS

THE RESULT:  Following a now-familiar theme, the Washington Redskins were pushed around up front on both sides of the ball, got down to a lesser team, and never could find the momentum shift they needed, falling to the Detroit Lions at half-full Ford Field, 19-14.

It was Detroit's first win in 19 games.

Things started well enough for the Skins.  They stopped Detroit after five plays and forced a punt, then marched 75 yards to the Lions one-yard line.  On fourth down, though, coach Jim Zorn decided to go for the touchdown, and Clinton Portis was stopped short of the end zone. 

The Lions then went the length of the field to score their own touchdown, and the wind was taken right out of Washington's sails, right there after two possessions.

"We drove all the way down there," Zorn said. "I didn't think we'd be denied getting in the end zone, and we were, but there was no way a team could drive 99 yards on us."

Zorn even helped the lions out on their drive, taking a penalty instead of forcing the Lions to attempt a 50-yard field goal.  Rookie QB Matthew Stafford pulled the ball down under pressure on the ensuing third down play and went 21 yards for the first down.  On the following play, Stafford hit Bryant Johnson for a 21-yard score.

Detroit controlled the ball, the line of scrimmage and the time of possession, especially in the first half, with drives of 3:51, 5:50, 5:26 and 6:23 as they built a 13-0 halftime lead.

RB Kevin Smith, who averaged less than three yards a run coming into the game, rushed 16 times for 101 yards before leaving due to injury early in the third quarter.

Washington finally got some things going in the second half, as Jason Campbell (27-for-41, 340 yards, one interception) threw for two touchdowns, one to Santana Moss (10 catches for 178 yards ) and Rock Cartwright.  But it wasn't enough, as the final drive died with the Skins desperately lateraling the ball multiple times in an effort to reach paydirt, to no avail.

THE TAKEAWAY:  The Redskins just completed the "soft" part of their schedule, against two of the worst teams in the league last season, with a 9-7 win and a loss to a winless team in 19 games.  This only get rougher from here.

The Redskins defense's inability to get off the field in the first half really tells the story of where this team is at right now.  As a whole, Washington is getting out-worked, out-hustled and out-classed, even by the bottomfeeders of the NFL.

The quarterback was quick to defend his coach and teammates. "Let me make one thing clear: It's definitely not on one person," said Campbell, who threw two second-half touchdown passes but also had an interception that ended a third-quarter drive at midfield. "And it shouldn't be directed on Coach Zorn at all."

"We all got to uphold our part. We all participate. We all go out there and play. Every time, it's something that's here or there, and people can't put this on one person. And if you're a guy that's finger-pointing, then you're wrong."

But it needs to be directed somewhere.  It's hard to win in this league if you don't have talent.  It's harder still if you don't have effort.  The Redskins say they have both, yet they are one play away from being 0-3.

The Skins were out-rushed 154-65, 116-0 in the first half.  Where was Clinton Portis?  His meager totals?  Twelve carries for 42 yards.  That's getting whipped up front.  Is the offensive line that bad?  Or were they outworked that hard?

And the defense?  Detroit drives of 99, 74, 86 and 85 yards, and 281 yards of total offense, tell the story there.  Embarrassing.

It's going to be a long week at Redskins Park, looking for answers to the many questions about this team's talent, character, and administration.

THE GOOD:  Santana Moss.  10 catches for 178 yards.  Passes to Moss were the only things that worked with regularity.

THE BAD:  The complete absence of a running game.  Washington had 10 possessions in the game, none of four minutes length and only two over three minutes.

THE UGLY:  The defense.  It's an absolute embarrassment to allow the repeated drives the Lions had.  They were facing a rookie QB, who had throw five interceptions in his first two games, and all he did was walk his team down the field time and time again. 

Defensive coordinator Greg Blache should feel his seat getting hot, and his words after the game sounded like a coach defending his scheme, "... we didn't execute. It was one guy one time, and it was one guy one time, it was not one person all the time."

"It was execution. They executed, and we didn't. We talked early on about detail. Taking care of detail. In the run game, we weren't very detailed, particularly early on. We had guys with 'bad' eyes. We had guys with wandering eyes, watching more than they should be watching, which caused some issues."

NEXT GAME:  Washington hosts the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday, Oct. 4 at 1:00 pm.  The Bucs were shut out by the New York Giants on Sunday and are 0-3 this seaason.

         

Washington Redskins (1-1, W-1) at Detroit Lions (0-2, L-2)

Sunday, Sept. 27 at 1:00 pm from Ford Field.

LEADERS

WAS:  Campbell (68.9 comp. %, 453 yds, 1 td, 1 int.), Portis (35 carries for 141 yds, 4.0 ave., 0 tds), Cooley (14 catches for 151 yds, 10.8 ave., 1 td), Randle El (11 catches for 137 yds, 12.5 ave, 0 tds)

DET:  Stafford (50.7 comp. %, 357 yds, 1 td, 5 int.), K. Smith (39 carries for 103 yds, 2.6 ave., 1 td), C. Johnson (8 catches for 141 yds, 17.6 ave., 1 td), K. Smith (9 catches for 62 yds, 6.9 ave., 0 tds)

PREVIEW

The Lions come into this game with a rookie QB, one of the league's worst defenses, and a RB averaging less than three yards a carry.  Oh, and there's the matter of a 19-game losing streak.

The Skins, on the other hand, have a QB completing almost 70% of his passes and a defense giving up just 15 points and less than 300 total yards per game.

No brainer?  Far from it.

The Lions smell blood this week, a chance to get the consecutive-loss monkey off their collective backs.  First year coach Jim Schwartz is standing by his QB, Matthew Stafford, despite leading the league in picks through two games. 

"He's our quarterback," Schwartz said Monday. "We're pleased with him. He's going to be a very good quarterback in this league and we're going to win with him."

Detroit passed on USC QB Mark Sanchez, long thought to be the apple in Daniel Snyder's eye, but went to the New York Jets instead.  The Jets -- and Sanchez -- are 2-0.

The Lions have surrendered 72 points thus far in losses to New Orleans and Minnesota, and give up 4.5 yards per rushing attempt.  To make matters worse, they lost one of their leading tacklers, LB Ernie Sims, with a shoulder injury.

Washington enters this game perhaps relieved to be on the road, after suffering boos and cat calls all afternoon in their 9-7 win over St, Louis at home last week.  Coach Jim Zorn was under particular scrutiny for some questionable play calls in the red zone, leading to just three Shaun Suisham field goals and a turnover on down deep in St. Louis territory.

The Skins have managed just 26 points in two games.

RB Clinton Portis announced this week that "We're all on the hot seat," and looks to achieve his third 100-yard rushing day against the Lions franchise.  He's averaging 4.0 yards per carry, but has yet to reach the end zone.

That task may have been made that more difficult due to the torn triceps of starting guard Randy Thomas.  Thomas was placed on the I.R. and will be replaced by a combination of Chad Rinehart and Will Montgomery.

The defense has allowed 30 points in two games, but only has two sacks and is 18th against both the run and pass. One of the teams' stated goals this week is to pressure Stafford, a rookie making his third NFL start, into continuing the pattern of throwing interceptions; he has five in two games and has been sacked three times.

WEATHER

Indoor.  72F.

PREDICTION

The Redskins have had much difficulty in the red zone this season, and the Loins have surrendered 36 points per game.  Sounds like the prefect panacea, but the Skins have to show it first before we'll buy into it.  I think the Skins win this one, but far from convincingly.  Skins 19-14.

"If I could see it now, if I could see every play that was going to fail before it failed, I wouldn't call it." coach Jim Zorn, after repeated failure in the Red Zone, in last Sunday's 9-7 win over St. Louis.

THE RESULT:  Amidst fans' boos right up to -- and past -- the final whistle, the Washington Redskins earned their first win of the 2009 season, barely beating the St. Louis Rams 9-7, before a rambunctious and unsatisfied crowd of 87,780 at FedEx Field.

Shaun Suisham was the hero of the day for Washington.  He kicked field goals of 21, 28 and 23 yards, leading the home team to victory over a Rams squad that lost their opener 28-0 the previous week.

Several players noticed -- and commented -- on the vocal displeasure exhibited by the Skins faithful.

"I understand that they want us to beat the Rams by 40," said Cooley, who led the Redskins with seven catches for 83 yards. "But we still won, and if we continue to win games, that's great. The booing was unnecessary."

Cooley and the rest of the Redskins players may not like the booing, but after a decade of not hosting a playoff game and missing out on the playoffs altogether last season, there may be more negativity in the future should the team not right the ship, starting this weekend in Detroit.

St. Louis almost pulled off the upset late in the game, but QB Marc Bulger completed a pass to WR Donnie Avery on third down deep in Redskins territory, but safety Chris Horton knocked the ball loose, stopping the drive.

The game was eerily reminiscent of the Rams' 19-17 upset at Fed Ex last season, one of just two all season for St. Louis.

Washington spent a good portion of the day shooting itself in the foot.  WR Devin Thomas and FB Mike Sellars both dropped potential touchdown passes, Santana Moss (three catches for 35 yards) coughed up a fumble, and rookie Brian Orakpo's roughing the passer penalty negated a fumble recovery.

"It can be just one or two plays in a game to make it look a whole lot different," Campbell said. "You catch two passes in the end zone and you're up 14-0, but that's just the way it is sometimes in this game.

The Skins had several sustained drives and controlled much of the play between the 20s, but just did not find the recipe for a touchdown.

"I have got to look at this thing very hard because it is my responsibility," Washington coach Jim Zorn said. "I can wave all kinds of magic wands, but I have to come up with the right play."

QB Jason Campbell finished 23-of-35 for 242 yards, and Clinton Portis carried 19 times for 79 yards.

THE TAKEAWAY:  The win is huge, coming off the loss opening day against New York, but Zorn has to find a way for his team to be more efficient in the Red Zone.

Washington outgained St. Louis 362 to 243 and had scoring drives of 83, 64 and 74 yards, plus another long drive that ended with the Skins turning the ball over on downs deep in Rams territory.  But failed gadget plays (halfback option on third down after two runs?), penalties and poor execution, resigned the Redskins to kick field goals and fill out Suisham's resume.

THE GOOD:  Jason Campbell.  He controlled the ball, moved the chains, didn't turn it over, and hit the receivers where he needed too.  He can't catch it as well.  Players have to make plays, and if Thomas and/or Sellars comes up with a play when called upon, we're probably not wringing our hands over the Detroit Lions this week.

THE BAD:  The Red Zone offense and play calling.  A third down halfback pass in the Red Zone is perfectly acceptable, but you should use it when the other team is expecting run, not on third down after two failed runs.  Another fourth-and-one rushing attempt was quashed by a missed assignment.  The drops.

If Zorn can't straighten the Red Zone problems out, it will be a long season for the Burgundy and Gold.

THE UGLY:  Inactive reserve linebacker Robert Henson.  After the game, he posted to this Twitter account that the fans that booed were "dim-wits" that "work 9-to-5 at McDonald's". 

He received a tremendous backlash and has since apologized, but the young player, who hasn't even taken a snap in a game to this point, should gain some perspective from this incidence.  Players often feel an isolation with the fans, and that's due to a plethora of reasons.  But c'mon, man.  Calling your fans "dim-wits"?  Yikes!

NEXT GAME:  Sunday, Sept. 27 at 1:00 pm against the winless in 19 games Detroit Lions from Ford Field.  Does the streak end here?

NOTES:  G Randy Thomas tore his right triceps and is lost for the season.  His position will be filled by Will Montgomery.  Montgomery had a holding penalty on the failed halfback option play that would have negated the play, had Portis connected.  The Redskins signed RB/KR Anthony Alridge to take Thomas' place on the roster.

DETAILS

Redskins host the St. Louis Rams, Sunday, Sept. 20 1:00 pm at Fed Ex Field.

PREVIEW

The St. Louis Rams come calling this week in the Redskins first home game of the season, and coach Jim Zorn couldn't have asked for a better schedule.  The Rams were one of the worst teams int he league last season, and judging by their opening day 28-0 loss to Seattle, this year's prospects don't look much better.

Rams first-year coach Steve Spagnuolo, who served as the Giants' defensive coordinator the past two seasons, wasn't pleased with his team's play on either side of the ball last week.

Marc Bulger was 17 of 36 for 191 yards and got sacked three times, while Steven Jackson rushed 16 times for 67 yards.

"We'd drive the ball and then shoot ourselves in the foot," Bulger said. "We have to find a way to get past that 30 and start handing the ball to [Jackson]. He's too good of a player to not be able to use, and that's on all of us."

Skins' QB Jason Campbell wasn't stellar in his opening day performance against the Giants, either.  He went 10-for-26 for 211 and a TD, but also threw a pick and fumbled on a sack, leading to Osi Umenyiora rumbling 31 yards for a Giants score.

Look for the Skins to really establish Clinton Portis and to try to dominate on both lines of scrimmage.  The Rams have a lot of holes and although they have some talented pieces, there's still not enough there left to plug up the soft spots.

It seems like the "Greatest Show on Turf" is long gone from St. Louis.

WEATHER

Glorious.  Sunday's forcast calls for sunshine and a high temp of 78F.  The humidity will be around 60% and the UV Index is high, so wear your sunscreen.  I forgot for last week's game up in New York and I'm still peeling.

PREDICTION

The Redskins win this one, but it won't be the cakewalk it should be based on talent.  The Skins have an awful lot of work to do yet to become a team, but with home games against St. Louis and Detroit in consecutive weeks, they have time to work on it.  Consider the next two weeks the real pre-season.

Skins win this one 16-10, Portis has a nice day but folks will still be nervous about Campbell.

"Osi made a great play on the ball. It's something you have to understand as a quarterback you have to feel it more or slide up in the pocket." -- Jason Campbell, on Osi Umenyiora's sack, fumble recovery, and touchdown, Sept. 13, 2009.

BOX SCORE AND RECAP / TEAM STATS / INDIVIDUAL STATS

THE RESULT: The New York Giants controlled both lines of scrimmage, outrushing the Washington Redskins and putting constant pressure on quarterback Jason Campbell, and opened the 2009 season with a 23-17 win over a division rival before a sellout crowd in Giants Stadium, the last home opener in the big bowl in East Rutherford, NJ.

The Giants jumped out to a 17-0 lead in the first half and cruised home from there.

Eli Manning threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Mario Manningham and Lawrence Tynes added three field goals, including a 45-yarder in the fourth quarter that was set up by an offside penalty by newcomer Albert Haynesworth, who did little else in his Washington debut.

The game-changer was Umenyiora's second quarter TD. He beat Chris Samuels on an outside speed rush, knocked the ball from Campbell's hands and scooped it up, rumbling 37 yards for the score. Campbell held the ball too long on the play, one of the knacks against the embattled QB.

The Skins got a late TD on a 17-yard pass from Campbell to TE Chris Cooley with 1:30 left on the clock. Washington's other TD was a second quarter score from punter Hunter Smith, who took a fake field goal eight yards with 21 seconds remaining in the first half.

Shaun Suisham added a 27-yard field goal in the third quarter.

THE TAKEAWAY: Clinton Portis ran for 62 yards on just 16 carries, but the Skins had just five non-Portis carries, so it wasn't a shift in philosophy or anything. Washington just found themselves in a hole early, and threw quite a bit trying to catch up.

But New York dominated the time of possession, holding the ball over 12 minutes more than the Skins. The Giants outgained Washington 351 to 272. The Giants also sacked Campbell three times and pressured him all day.

THE GOOD: Chris Cooley. He had seven catches for 68 yards and score. He and Antwaan Randle El were Campbell's favorite targets all day, each finishing with seven grabs.

THE BAD: Jason Campbell. He finished 19-for-26 for 211 yards, one TD and one INT. But he looked indecisive all day, dumping the ball off to Cooley or Randle El, usually the safety valve. The offense could not take advantage of the Giants inexperience in the secondary, especially rookie free agent corner Bruce Johnson.

“I didn't hear, 'Bruce got beat,'” said DE Justin Tuck. “All I heard was him making tackles, him breaking up balls." Johnson had three tackles and a forced fumble.

THE UGLY: Antwaan Randle El's getting sacked on the end-around pass. On the second play of the game -- directly after Portis busted a 34-yard run to open things up, coach Jim Zorn got tricky and called for an end-around pass. Randle El got caught by Chase Blackburn and was pulled down for an 11-yard loss.

"I should have thrown it away," said Randle El. "You either have it or you don't."

He didn't.

NEXT GAME: The home opener at FedEx Field against the St. Louis Rams, who were embarrassed on the road in Seattle, 28-0. Game time is Sunday, Sept. 20 at 1:00 pm.

This is the first installment of my weekly game preview, which will come out Friday afternoons before every Redskins game. Please expect quite a bit of format tweaking as we go along, since I'm just kicking this thing off.

To start with, I plan on posting twice weekly until I really get in the hang of it: Fridays, as mentioned, with the game preview, then the day after the game with the review, analysis and commentary.

With that, here we go!
_________________________________________________

WASHINGTON REDSKINS
(8-8 in 2008; 4-4 on the road; 2-4 in division; 265 PF, 296 PA)

OFFENSIVE LEADERS

J. Campbell: 315/506; 62.3%--3245 yds--13 tds--6 ints--38 Sacks--84.3 rtg
C. Portis: 342 carries for 1487 yds--4.3 per--9 tds
C. Cooley: 83 catches for 849 yds--10.2 per--1 tds
S. Moss: 79 catches for 1044 yds--13.2 per--6 tds
A. Randle El: 53 catches for 593 yds--11.2--4 tds

DEFENSIVE LEADERS

L. Fletcher: 96 solo--37 assist--0 sack--1 fumb rec
R. McIntosh: 60 solo--27 assist--2 sacks--2 fumb rec--1 int
C. Horton: 57 solo--19 assist--1 sack--0 fumb rec--3 int
L. Landry: 49 solo--16 assist--0 sack--2 fumb rec--2 int
A. Haynesworth (TEN): 41 solo--10 assist--10 sacks--3 fumb rec

KICKING LEADERS

KICK: S. Suisham: 25/25 PAT; 26/36 FG; long of 50; 9 touchbacks
PUNT: H. Smith (IND): 53 for 2343; 44.2 ave; 23 inside 20; 2 touchbacks; 11 fair catch

RETURN LEADERS

KICK: R. Cartwright: 51 for 1307; 25.6 ave; 0 td
PUNT: A. Randle El: 39 for 254; 6.5 ave; 0 td
_________________________________________________

NEW YORK GIANTS
(12-4 in 2008; 7-1 at home; 4-2 in division; 427 PF, 294 PA)

NYG OFFENSIVE LEADERS

E. Manning: 289/479; 60.3%--3238 yds--21 tds--10 ints--27 sacks--86.4 rtg
Jacobs: 219 carries for 1089--5.0 per--15 tds
A. Bradshaw: 67 carries for 355--5.3 per--1 td
S. Smith: 57 catches for 574 yds--10.1 per--1 td
Hixon: 43 catches for 580 yds--13.9 per--2 tds

DEFENSIVE LEADERS

A. Pierce: 72 solo--23 assist--2 sacks--2 fumb rec--0 int
K. Phillips: 55 solo--12 assist--0 sacks--0 fumb rec--1 int
J. Tuck: 52 solo--15 assist--12 sacks--3 fumb rec--1 int
M. Kiwanuka: 34 solo--17 assist--8 sacks--2 fumb rec--0 int
O. Umeniyora: INJ

KICKING LEADERS

KICK: L. Tynes: 3/3 on PAT; 1/1 FG
PUNT: J. Feagles: 64 for 2814; 44.0 ave; 23 inside 20; 5 touchback; 13 fair catch

RETURN LEADERS

KICK: A. Bradshaw: 39 for 867; 22.2 ave; 0 td
PUNT: D. Hixon: 24 for 242; 10.1 ave; 0 td
_________________________________________________

PREVIEW:

This matchup is the very definition of rivalry. Separated by just a couple hours by car, there's plenty of emotions on both sides of the ball. New York can't help but feel cheated out of a chance at the Super Bowl last season, and they enter 2009 as one of the favorites in the division once again.

The Giants do have some soft spots that the Redskins should try to take advantage of. Starting corners Kevin Dockery and Aaron Ross are injured, and the G-Men are expected to play Corey Webster, Terrell Thomas, an second-year man from USC, and Bruce Johnson, an undrafted free agent rookie out of Miami (FL) at the corner spots.

The defensive line for the Giants will look to provide plenty of pressure on the Redskins up front. Mathias Kiwanuka, Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora, returning from injury, all really get after the passer and are adequate against the run as well.

At receiver, both Plaxico Burress and Amani Toomer are gone, leaving Domenik Hixon and Steve Smith as primary targets for QB Eli Manning. Manning is solid, if not spectacular, but does have a propensity to leave a little too much air under the ball or force it in at times.

The Giants running game is as solid as they come. Brandon Jacobs is a horse--just ask Laron Landry after last season's opener. Ahmad Bradshaw is a quick change-of-pace back that will inherit many of the carries that went to Derrick Ward, who fairly split carries with Jacobs.

The Giants kicking game isn't much to write home about. Lawrence Tynes is a journeyman who did not play much last year, and punter Jeff Feagles is one of the oldest players in the league, but still serviceable.

Bradshaw and Hixon are both dangerous return men though, and can go all the way any time they touch the ball. But with both being asked to do more on offense this season, it may cut into their burst in the return game.

The Redskins game plan should be simple: attack the corners with quick hitters and soften them up the middle with heavy doses of Clinton Portis and Ladell Betts. The offensive line is still trying to gel, after a pre-season of inconsistency and sporadic scoring while the first team was on the field.

Keeping Jason Campbell upright is a key. If the embattled QB can control field position and take advantage of matchups with Santana Moss, Malcolm Kelly, Antwaan Randle El and especially Chris Cooley in the slots, the Skins should be able to stay in the game.

The defense should be a strength this season. They added Albert Haynesworth up front to clog up the middle and provide needed pressure from the middle of the line. He registered 10 sacks from the tackle position for Tennessee, despite constant double-teaming.

If the Skins can get to Manning two or three times, it'll make their day a lot easier. Manning tends to get "happy feet" when he feels the rush.

The other key addition is rookie Brain Orakpo, a stud OLB from Texas. He'll be active on the weak side, chasing down RBs and QBs alike. He joins London Fletcher and Rocky McIntosh at LB, and they will be busy all day Sunday shutting down Jacobs and Bradshaw.

In the backfield, Carlos Rogers is nursing a call injury, but is probable for the game. He'll join DeAngelo Hall and Fred Smoot covering the Giants inexperienced receivers. Landry and Chris Horton, the find of last season's draft, will provide plenty or necessary run support, as New York's tight ends are not much of a threat.

As for the kicking game, the Skins feel like they significantly upgraded their punter, signing Hunter "The Punter" Smith away from the Colts, but could not find anyone to unseat incumbent Shaun Suisham, one of the league's least-accurate kickers.

Rock Cartwright returns kicks once again; he'll do a solid job. But Randle El was disappointing returning punts last season--he seemed of fair catch punts 2-to-1 over returning, and when he did his average was near the bottom of the league. Neither men had a return TD last season.

WEATHER

The weather for Sunday couldn't be more perfect for an early September game. The 4:15 game time temperature should be in the mid-seventies and sunny, with just a trace chance of precipitation. The forecast calls for mostly sunny skies with scattered clouds, and as it gets dark, the temps should settle into the upper sixties.

PREDICTION

As most Skins-Giants games, I expect this one to be hard-hitting, tightly contested and concentrating on both teams' running games, with the passers being opportunistic. The Giants are traditionally very tough at home, and there's no reason to suspect a change in that for 2009.

If the Skins show and can get to Manning a couple times early, they could stick around and make things interesting in the fourth quarter. But I expect that Jacobs will eventually wear out the Skins and the Giants pull out a close one.

Let's say 20-16 Giants.