The Redskins were pretty bad all away around last night.  Jason Campbell did not look good last night completing 24 of 39 passes for 199 yards with 1 INT.  He also carried the ball 4 times for 13 yards (3.3 ypc) in this game.  Quinton Ganther also had a poor game with 13 yards rushing on 7 carries (1.9 ypc) and he also caught 1 pass for 16 yards.  Santana Moss led the way in the passing game for the Redskins last night with 8 grabs for 92 yards (11.5 avg).  The Redskins finished up with 218 total yards on offense (43 rushing, 175 passing) in this game as they only had possession of the ball for 24:58.

Safety LaRon Landry led the way for the Redskins on defense with 11 tackles and 1 QB hit.  LB London Fletcher (8 tackles, pass defensed) and safety Reed Doughty (3 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception) also pitched in for the Redskins on D last night.  The Cowboys finished up with 393 total yards on offense (108 rushing, 285 passing) in this game.  The Redskins are now 4-11 on the year.

To say this game was ugly for the Washington Redskins (8-6) would be an understatement, as the New York Giants (4-10) embarrassed them.  Jason Campbell did not play well at all, but he got very little protection and little help from the running game.  Campbell threw 2 interceptions and 1 touchdown, gaining 192 yards through the air on 15/28 pass attempts.  Campbell was sacked five times though, so not all of the blame can fall on him since he was pressured all night by the Giants front line.  The running game only gave him 89 yards, and he accounted for 36 of those rushing yards.  Unless it is Michael Vick in 2003, its usually not a good sign when your quarterback leads you in rushing.  Its never a good sign when your leading rusher only has 36 yards either.

The Redskins didn’t do much of anything right on defense, and found themselves down 24-0 at halftime.  Eli Manning lit them up for 3 touchdowns and 268 yards on 19/26 passes.  They also gave up a lot on the ground, with the Giants gaining 114 yards on 30 carries.  Ahmad Bradshaw only needed 9 carries against them to get 2 touchdowns and 61 yards.  The Redskins did not come out ready to play and the Giants took advantage.  A very poor effort by the Skins.

The Washington Redskins (4-9) have been making a habit out of blowing fourth quarter leads this season, but that didn’t happen Sunday against the Oakland Raiders (4-9).  With only a 17-13 lead going into the fourth quarter, the Redskins blew up for 17 points in the final quarter while also holding the Raiders scoreless.  Jason Campbell had a good day at quarterback for the Skins, throwing two touchdown passes and finishing 16/28 for 222 yards.  Quinton Ganther pitched in pretty nicely as well, rushing for 2 touchdowns and 50 yards on 14 carries.

On defense the Redskins played great, especially in the final quarter.  Brian Orakpo lead the way for the D, tying a franchise record with 4 sacks.  He also had 6 tackles and a forced fumble.  The Raiders lost their starting quarterback Bruce Gradkowski after injuring his knees, and the Raiders could not get much offense going with JaMarcus Russell back under center.  The Redskins only gave up one third quarter field goal for the Raiders’ only points of the second half.  A very solid game for the Redskins.

The Washington Redskins (3-9) have been losing a lot of close games this year, and holding on to a lead in the 4th quarter has been a problem for them.  Their opponent on Sunday, the Oakland Raiders (4-8), have won two of their last three and both of them were comeback wins.  If the Redskins want to avoid another late let down, they cannot let Raiders’ quarterback Bruce Gradkowski have a game like he did last week where he threw for over 300 yards and 3 touchdowns.  The Redskins do have a solid pass-defense, and are holding teams to under 200 yards on average.  If they can keep Gradkowski in check, they should win.

The Redskins offense needs more out of their running game.  With Clinton Portis and LaDell Betts both out, they will need Quinton Ganther and Rock Cartwright to step up.  Jason Campbell has been playing well lately, so if he can have another similar game his performance against the Saints last week, then the Redskins have a great shot.  This will probably be a close game, but I think the Redskins will be able to hold the Raiders off.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:  Washington Redskins 24, Oakland Raiders 20

The Redskins have promoted Quinton Ganther to the starting line-up and his first start will come against the Raiders in Oakland on Sunday.  He is now set up for success as the Raiders are allowing 158.7 yards rushing per game and 4.6 yards per carry.  Ganthers has played in 4 games for the Redskins this season and he has carried the ball 19 times for 88 yards (4.6 ypc).  He has also caught 2 passes for 14 yards (7.0 avg) this year.  Look for Ganther to make the most of his big chance with the Redskins this weekend.

The Redskins have placed starting RB Clinton Portis on the Injured Reserve List due to a serious concussion.  Portis played in 8 games for the Redskins this season and he carried the ball 124 times for 494 yards (4.0 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He also caught 9 passes for 57 yards (6.3 avg) with 1 TD grab.  This injury has really hurt the Redskins this season as it has put too much of the pressure on Jason Campbell to carry the team through the air.

The Redskins have released 27-year old kicker Scott Suisham in kind of a knee jerk reaction to his missed game winning field goal last week against the Saints.  Suisham played in 12 games for the Redskins this season and he connected on 18 of 21 field goals  (85.7%) and 20 of 21 extra points which was good for 74 points.  In his six years in the NFL, Suisham played in 55 games in which he has made 85 of 107 field goals (79.4%) and 96 of 98 extra points which is good for 351 points.  The Redskins have signed 22-year old Graham Gano who was a good kicker in college at Florida State but he is a unproven player in the NFL so the jury is out on him.

The Washington Redskins (3-9) went toe-to-toe with the undefeated New Orleans Saints (12-0), but they fell short in overtime.  Bad luck and turnovers cost the Redskins this game.  With a 7-point lead, the Redskins had an opportunity to pretty much seal the game late  in the 4th quarter, but Shaun Suisham missed a 23 yard field goal and the Saints stayed alive.  Suisham has now been cut by the Redskins.  Also, with 22 seconds left in the first half, the Saints turned an interception thrown by their quarterback Drew Brees into a touchdown when Robert Meachum stripped Kareem Moore (who had intercepted Brees) and returned it 44 yards for a touchdown.  The Redskins lost three fumbles in this game, and if they would have just held on to the ball they would have won.

The Redskins offense gave their best effort against arguably the best offense in the NFL this season.  They held the Saints to 55 rushing yards, but they gave up way too much in the passing game.  Drew Brees threw for 2 touchdowns and 419 yards on 35/49 pass attempt.  He had the one interception, but it turned into a Saints touchdown anyway.  This was almost the upset of the season and if they had a reliable kicker it probably would have happened.

The Washington Redskins (3-8) should pretty much put another loss in their record as they don’t have much of a chance against the New Orleans Saints (11-0).  The Redskins may be able to score some points, but they have no chance at keeping up with Drew Brees and the explosive Saints offense.  The best bet for the Redskins is to try and eat up as much clock as they can and keep the ball out of Brees’ hands.  That means Rock Cartwright will have to have the game of his life running the ball.

The Redskins defense probably already has a headache just trying to prepare for the Saints offense.  They are not a bad defense, but the Saints are on another level and will probably do whatever they want on offense like they have done most of the year.  They average 426 total yards of offense and no team has been able to beat them this year, so there is no way the 3-8 Redskins will be able to do what every other team has failed to do.

FINAL SCORE PREDICTION:   Washington Redskins 17, New Orleans Saints 42

30-year old DE Andre Carter is having his best season with the Redskins.  With DT Albert Haynesworth taking up blockers on the inside it’s preventing teams from doubling Carter and the results have been really good this year.  Carter has played in 11 games for the Redskins this season and he has made 46 tackles, 5 tackles for a loss, defensed 3 passes, forced 3 fumbles and he has 9 sacks.  Opposing QBs better keep tabs of where Carter is as he has been living in the other teams’ backfield most of this year and it should continue.