Wild-Card Preview: Redskins vs Seahawks

Game 4:

Sunday, January 6, 2013

4:30pm – FOX

Seattle Seahawks @ Washington Redskins

A lot of focus is being placed on Russell Wilson and RG3,
two of a record three rookie QBs in this year's postseason.
Photo credit to ESPN.

The Redskins and Seahawks definitely have a history over the past decade. The Redskins have won six consecutive matchups against Seattle in the regular season, but it is Seattle who has had Washington’s number in the postseason, knocking them out in each of the Redskins’ last two appearances.

Both of those playoff meetings were in Seattle, and the Seahawks won them pretty handily. But this time it won’t be Matt Hasselbeck taking snaps for Seattle; it will be Russell Wilson. And it won’t be Todd Collins or Mark Brunell for the Redskins; it will be Robert Griffin III.

The Redskins are on a 7-game winning streak, during which they have outscored opponents by an average of ten points per game.

The Seahawks, of course, turned heads by scoring 50 points in Weeks 14 and 15 and nearly doing the same in Week 16. But they have not played well on the road this year, where they are 3-5. Those three wins came against the Panthers in Week 5, the Bears in Week 13 - when Chicago was in the midst of the collapse that ultimately cost Lovie Smith his job - and against the Bills in Canada - where Buffalo never wins.

The Seahawks are a solid team, but I just don’t think they can beat a good team when they're on the road.

The Redskins’ defense came to play against Dallas on Sunday Night and I think they will have a solid game plan for Seattle this week. Washington’s defense is ranked very low in the NFL, but they have been one of the better defenses in the league during their seven-game winning streak.

On offense, RG3 and Alfred Morris have enough tools to overcome a Seattle defense that is phenomenal at home and less-than-impressive on the road.

Once I thought things through, I didn’t have as much trouble making this pick as I originally thought I would.

Puff’s Pick:

Seattle Seahawks – 18

Washington Redskins – 27

MVP: Ryan Kerrigan

2012 Week 17 Preview: Redskins vs Cowboys

The Cowboys/Redskins rivalry began before Dallas even got
the expansion team and is one of the best in the NFL.
Photo credit to Dallas Observer Blogs.

The Redskins’ playoff hopes hang in the balance, but not as much as the Dallas Cowboys, at least not currently – by game time, they may be on equal ground.

The Cowboys will win the NFC East with a victory. A loss knocks them out of the playoffs.

Likewise, the NFC East goes to Washington with a win, but they will need Minnesota and Chicago to both lose their matchups in order to get in with a loss to Dallas.

This is the first time Washington and Dallas will meet for a Week 17 matchup in which the winner clinches the division title, but they are no strangers to meeting in intense circumstances.

The Redskins/Cowboys rivalry is one of the most intense in all of sports. Some even go so far as to say it is the most intense in the NFL. They have met twice in the NFC Championship Game, and the Redskins won both meetings, going on to lose to the ’72 Dolphins and beat the ’82 Dolphins in those Super Bowl appearances.

NFL.com counted down the Top 10 games in their rivalry. Both NFC Championship meetings made the list, and you can see the other eight games here.

But those games are history. All that matters now is tomorrow’s game and the matchups within it.

Washington’s secondary has overachieved the past few weeks, but in the Thanksgiving matchup, Dez Bryant torched the Redskins with 8 catches for 145 yards and two scores. His thumb isn’t 100% but I expect him to be a major part of Dallas’ game plan Sunday.

On the Cowboys’ side, their defense has had to patch up a lot of holes with half of their defensive starters missing the past several games. So far they’ve done a good job of doing so, and their performance against New Orleans, up until the final few minutes, is why I give them a chance to shut down a Washington passing attack in which RG3 may or may not be at full strength.

The problem is that Washington also has an excellent run game – tops in the league, or near the top at least. If RG3 is healthy, that adds a lot to it, but Alfred Morris seemed to do all right for himself last week despite Philadelphia’s linebackers not having to worry about which rookie would be carrying the ball on any given play.

Washington’s offensive line has been one of the best in the NFL, for the first time in decades. Usually, that would not be enough for me to give them the edge over Dallas’ defensive line, mostly because of DeMarcus Ware. But Ware has been battling injury all season. He has still put up impressive numbers, but he has not been quite as intimidating a force as in past seasons.

I give Washington the edge in this one, but I expect it to go down the wire, which is the way it should be for a game like this between these two teams. This one ought to have Redskins and Cowboys fan alike on the edge of their seats until the clock reads 0:00. Anything less would be a disappointment.

Puff’s Pick: Washington Redskins over Dallas Cowboys

Monday Night Football Afterword: Redskins vs Giants

Rober Griffin III tries to high-step out of a tackle on an
electric run in the second half. Photo credit to Washington Times.

It took a little bit of luck – an early missed field goal by Lawrence Tynes – and a lot of luck – a fumble that almost wasn’t by Robert Griffin III that bounced right into the hands of Josh Morgan, who took it for a score – for the Redskins to defeat their division rival on Monday night. Luck did not make it any less of a statement game for Washington.

The mantra of the defense seemed to be ‘bend, but don’t break’ all night long. For many defenses, this is not the way you want things to go because it means time of possession favors your opponent. In Washington’s case, it was the best philosophy to take. They gave up a lot of yards. They held Eli Manning to 280 passing yards, but New York eclipsed the Redskins’ rush yards allowed per game before the third quarter ended. But as New York’s field shrunk, Washington’s defense tightened, giving up just one touchdown and forcing four field goals, three of which Tynes connected with.

The low scoring of the Giants was enough for the Redskins to pull out the win as Kai Forbath continues to be perfect on field goal attempts this season and RG3 threw a touchdown pass in addition to the fumble-touchdown in the first quarter.

The best part for the Redskins? The victory came on a national stage. With San Francisco’s loss to the Rams and no shortage of doubters when it comes to the Falcons, the Giants seemed primed to take their place as the favorite among NFC playoff contenders. Now the NFC East is, once again, wide open with the Redskins and Cowboys trailing New York by just one game.

As a Redskins fan, the fourth quarter is a dreadful time to be leading. Washington has always become too conservative, but yesterday the Redskins took a shot downfield and converted a first down near field goal range. They ran the ball after that, but it was refreshing to see a running back push through a pile to gain six yards on 3^rd & 3. Alfred Morris finished the game with well over 100 yards and has topped 1,000 yards on the season. Griffin III has broken Cam Newton’s record for rushing yards in a season by a quarterback.

The Redskins have beaten their last three division opponents since their heartbreaking loss in New York. They still have the Eagles, who they blew out, and the Cowboys, who they outran, left on their schedule in addition to a showdown with the Ravens next week and the Browns later in the schedule.

The Giants also have to face the Ravens and Eagles, but they will have two challenges in the next two weeks against the Saints at home and the Falcons in Atlanta, leaving a very real possibility for the Redskins, or the Cowboys, to sneak away with a division title in a year neither was popularly expected to contend.