One Game Out of First

After making the decision to start Matt Flynn in fantasy (said no one ever) I told friends that if the Skins lost yesterday, my Panic meter would hit a 12/10.  Having to play Vick, Rodgers, and Stafford wasn’t a whole lot of fun, and I wanted to think the much-maligned defense could still stop an average NFL quarterback.

We did, despite some really troubling parts of the winning effort.  But, first thing’s first: with the win, we sit one game out of first place.  A win against Dallas in two Sundays will propel us into a tie for first, assuming Philly doesn’t go on a tear.  As bad as the Redskins have been this season, the ability to even be sniffing the top of the division counts as a marvelous break in our favor.  I also think some credit should be given to this team for crawling out of a 14-point hole on the road.  Yeah, Oakland isn’t very good, but for a 0-3 team, I wonder if the players saw it all slipping away after Mychal Rivera scored.  I know I certainly did, so the performance by all involved provides a great jolt heading into the bye week.

I will come back more to some nit-picky defensive things, but we should acknowledge the unit played well when they needed to down the stretch.  After giving up a large game on a fake punt, the defense forced the Raiders to punt.  In the third quarter, after a horrendous fumble by Logan Paulsen, the defense forced a field goal three plays later that Janikowski missed.  While David Amerson’s touchdown certainly helped the team, I’m not entirely willing to give him tons of credit given the poor decision by Flynn.  But, the rookie executed when he needed to.  In addition, the seven sacks by the front seven were excellent, and it’s good to finally see those sacks come from multiple sources.  On offense, RGIII threw no interceptions, a remarkable improvement from the previous three games.  I liked the offensive play calling overall.  RGIII can air it out, but he did well to capitalize on short gains.  Of even better emphasis was the running game.  The Skins rushed for 32 times for 122 yards, a real improvement from the first three games in which the team fell far enough behind that rushing had to be abandoned.  Roy Helu’s work when Morris left the game helped to eat clock and to keep the play-action pass game relevant.  And, for me, that’s the strength of this offense.  Washington receivers generally have not distinguished themselves as great route runners or, for that matter, pass-catchers.  But, the play-action pass helped this team a ton last year and did so again yesterday.  Griffin went 10-for-13 for 119 yards on play-action passes.  I think yesterday’s play selection was what Kyle Shanahan wanted to do all year, and now that he’s seen the team respond to a deficit, I hope he continues to keep the team running downhill.

Given the above paragraph is rather long, this was an ugly win.  I also can’t help wondering, considering the inability of the Redskins to tackle, what Terrelle Pryor could have done if he started this game.  Broken tackles remain the largest weakness of this defense, especially when it comes to cornerbacks in the open field.  I think it’s also time to phase out London Fletcher…his poor play was noticeable yesterday, and the tackling machine we all love hasn’t been near a point of attack with any good regularity.  The time-sharing with Nick Barnett should help this as the season goes on.  Lastly, the offensive effort in general will not beat Dallas in two weeks, despite their weak secondary.  With any luck, RGIII will improve during the bye week.

Still, folks, we are in the mix for the time being.  Let’s enjoy it, because if yesterday is any judge, this won’t be around for long.

Week 4 NFL Power Rankings

1.      Broncos (4-0)

A point differential of +88, a quarterback without any picks, three wide receivers that all gain tons of yards…there looks to be very little stopping this team.  In order to beat Denver, someone needs to score at least 50 points.  The lack of a consistent running game will continue to be some red flag, but it doesn’t look like the Broncos will lose for a bit.  The game against the Patriots on November 24 looms large as their biggest test going forward, but I wouldn’t sleep on Dallas this weekend.

 

2.      Seahawks (4-0)

While Houston lost this game (rather than Seattle winning it), the Seahawks are 5-1 in their past six road games, a marked improvement from previous years.  It’s also impressive for this team to win games with Russell Wilson going crazy.  He makes plays when needed, a lot like the defensive unit.  I’m a little worried about Indianapolis this week pulling an upset, but it will be a small glitch, nothing more.

 

3.      Saints (4-0)

While a lot of attention has gravitated toward Denver, another potentially dominant offense is playing in New Orleans.  They are third in offensive yards gained and Drew Brees, amazingly, is only 36 yards behind Peyton.  The defense has been the real shock this season.  New Orleans has allowed less than 200 passing yards per game and only 13 points per game.  Given how tough the SuperDome can be for opponents, it’s fair to bet that New Orleans might be there at the very end.

 

4.      Patriots (4-0)

I haven’t been high on this team, and their defense still has some concerns.  But, Aqib Talib got paid on Sunday night, effectively cementing his place as a top tier cornerback and worth a new contract next year.  Tom Brady also shined against Atlanta (the first TD throw was one of the better flat-footed throws I’ve seen).  Considering that Atlanta was 34-5 at home, that’s a great win.  The loss of Vince Wilfork hurts, though.

 

5.      Chiefs (4-0)

While the gap looks to be more of a chasm, the Chiefs have an identical record to Denver.  The offense and defensive stats aren’t otherworldly, but KC doesn’t beat itself in games.  Should be an entertaining game against Tennessee this week.

6.      Colts (3-1)

As I said, I like Indy this upcoming week against Seattle.  A surprise win there definitely puts them in the driver’s seat for the NFC South.  They have run the ball much better than expected (149.5 per game on average), and Andrew Luck thus far hasn’t lost a game through a poor decision.  Like I said last week, he’s not lighting it up, but the Colts have gotten a jump start to making the playoffs.

 

7.      Lions (3-1)

Certainly a strange inclusion among the top ten teams of the league, but a healthy Reggie Bush makes a world of difference for the Lions.  His 180+ yards of total offense against a very good defense really turned my head.  Anytime Matthew Stafford throws the ball less than 40 times in a victory is a good thing.  If the Lions continue such a balanced game, they might be scary.  If they’re for real, though, we will know after they play Green Bay this weekend.

 

8.      Bears (3-1)

I still like the Bears and any ranking of them should mention just how much their defense can flat out win games.  But, Jay Cutler looked to be his old self, throwing a really bad interception in the third quarter.  We will see a great game between the Bears and Saints this week.

 

9.      Packers (1-2)

They were off this week, but nobody’s talking about the Packers.  If they lose this week, I promise I’ll drop them.

 

10.  Dolphins (3-1)

Not a pretty game last night, and any improvement has to come from the line out.  I could have put the Titans, Chargers, or Bengals here, but I think Miami would have a chance against those teams.