The Rams scored the last 16 points in this game as they seemed to want it more than the Redskins did.  Donovan McNabb completed 19 of 32 passes for 236 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INT.  He also carried the ball 2 times for 25 yards (12.5 ypc) yesterday.  Clinton Portis (7 car, 44 yards) and Ryan Torain (7 car, 46 yards) led the way on the ground for the Skins in this game.  Santana Moss (6 rec, 124 yards, TD) and Chris Cooley (5 rec, 53 yards) led the way in the passing game for the Redskins yesterday.  The Redskins finished up with 116 yards on 17 carries (6.8 ypc) and they also completed 19 of 32 passes for 233 yards.

The Redskins didn’t play much D in this game.  London Fletcher (9 tackles), DeAngelo Hall (8 tackles) and Kareem Moore (6 tackles, 2 passes defensed and 1 interception) led the way for the Skins on D yesterday.  The Rams finished up with 133 yards rushing on 36 carries (3.7 ypc) and they also completed 23 of 37 passes for 232 yards.  The Redskins are now 1-2 on the year.

The Redskins and Rams are both coming off heart breaking losses.  But the Redskins have a better team than the Rams do…..period.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Redskins have the ball:  I look for the Redskins to try to run a more balanced offense this week as they need to start getting something out of their running game.  Clinton Portis has not played too well so far this year but he will be taking aim at a Rams’ D that is giving up 142.5 yards rushing and 4.7 ypc so far this year.  Donovan McNabb will still be taking his shots down the field to WRs Santana Moss and Joey Galloway against a Rams’ D giving up 248.5 yards passing per game so far this year.  TE Chris Cooley will also get targeted quite a bit in his game by McNabb.

When the Rams have the ball:  The Redskins will likely go all out to stop Steven Jackson forcing rookie QB Sam Bradford to beat them with his arm.  The Redskins will have to get after Bradford to force him into making some mistakes which he’s more than capable of.  His favorite receivers are Danny Amendola and Mark Clayton so the Redskins will need to keep tabs on them.

PREDICTION:  REDSKINS 24, RAMS 17

31-year old WR Santana Moss looks like he’s about to have a big comeback year in 2010.  He played in 16 games last season for the Redskins and he caught 70 passes for 902 yards (12.9 avg) with 3 TD grabs.  This season though he seems to be on the same wavelength with Donovan McNabb which could lead him to posting really big numbers this year.  Moss has caught 16 passes for 166 yards (10.4 avg) in his first two games this year with the Redskins.  If Moss keeps up this pace he will make the Pro Bowl.

The Redskins have signed 25-year old RB/KR Chad Simpson.  Simpson played in 14 games for the Colts last year and he carried the ball 15 times for 102 yards (6.8 ypc) with 2 TD runs and he also caught 3 passes for 1 yard (0.3 avg).  Simpson also returned 38 kickoffs for 898 yards (23.6 avg) last year for the Colts.  Simpson has now played in 25 games in parts of two years in the NFL in which he has carried the ball 30 times for 147 yards (4.9 ypc) with 3 TD carries and he has caught 6 passes for 31 yards (5.2 avg).  Simpson has also returned 53 kickoffs for 1,242 yards (23.4 avg) with 1 TD return in his NFL career.  This was a good signing for the Redskins as Simpson can provide depth in the backfield while helping out on special teams.

The Redskins have released 30-year old RB Larry Johnson.  Johnson played in the Redskins first two games in which he carried the ball 5 times for 2 yards (0.4 ypc).  24-year old undrafted rookie RB Keiland Williams will move up the depth chart and be Clinton Portis’ top backup for the time being.  Williams hasn’t carried the ball yet this year for the Redskins but he has caught 4 passes for 15 yards (3.8 avg).

The Redskins were winning this game 27-10 with 3:51 left in the third quarter before a gigantic meltdown.  Graham Gano missed a 52-yard field goal in OT and then the D gave the game away.  Donovan McNabb was outstanding in this game for the Redskins as he completed 28 of 38 passes for 426 yards with 1 TD pass and 0 INTs.  Clinton Portis didn’t get much going on the ground in this game for the Skins as he carried the ball 13 times for 33 yards (2.5 ypc) with 2 TD runs.  WR Santana Moss (10 rec, 89 yards), WR Joey Galloway (3 rec, 88 yards) and TE Chris Cooley (3 rec, 64 yards, TD) led the way in the passing game for the Skins last week.  The Redskins finished up with 18 yards rushing on 17 carries (1.1 ypc) and they also completed 28 of 38 passes for 403 yards.

The Redskins had 4 players with 10+ tackles in this game and they still gave up 526 yards to the Texans.  Reed Doughty (14 tackles, 1 pass defensed), Rocky McIntosh (14 tackles), DeAngelo Hall (13 tackles) and LaRon Landry (11 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 pass defensed, 1 sack and 3 QB hits) were the busy bodies on D for the Skins yesterday.  The Texans finished up with 58 yards rushing on 24 carries (2.4 ypc) and they also completed 38 of 52 passes for 468 yards.  The Redskins are 1-1 on the year as they have won a game they should have lost and lost a game they should have won.

The Redskins and Texans both won hard fought, emotional battles over division foes last week.  We’ll find out soon enough on Sunday which team still has enough gas in the tank to prevail.  Here is a look at the match-ups:

When the Redskins have the ball:  The Redskins will likely try to run the ball more this week in an attempt to keep the high powered Texans’ offense on the sideline.  Clinton Portis should be up to the challenge against a Texans’ D that gave up 4.4 ypc last week.  The Colts did throw for 419 yards on the Texans last week so Donovan McNabb should have more success putting the ball in the air in this game.  He will need to spread the ball around more this week though as Santana Moss and Chris Cooley caught 12 of his 15 completions.

When the Texans have the ball:  The Texans’ game plan will likely be much different this weekend against the Redskins.  Arian Foster will likely only get around 20 carries instead of the 33 he got last week.  Matt Schaub has to be licking his chops after watching game film of the Redskins’ D last week.  Look for Andre Johnson to potentially have a monster game this week.  Kevin Walter, Jacoby Jones and Owen Daniels will also likely see a big bump in targets this week.

PREDICTION:  TEXANS 27, REDSKINS 17

The Redskins took advantage of some big miscues by the Cowboys to win this game.  Donovan McNabb was so-so in his first game for the Redskins as he completed 15 of 32 passes for 171 yards.  He also had 1 carry for 17 yards in this game.  Clinton Portis led the way on the ground for the Redskins in this game with 63 yards on 18 carries (3.5 ypc).  TE Chris Cooley (6 rec, 80 yards) and WR Santana Moss (6 rec, 77 yards) led the way for the Redskins in the passing game last night.  The Redskins finished up with 89 yards rushing on 23 carries (3.9 ypc) and they also completed 15 of 32 passes for 161 yards. 

The defense was solid as they held the Cowboys to only 7 points despite giving up a lot of yardage.  Safety LaRon Landry was really busy as he finished up with 17 tackles and 1 pass defensed.  London Fletcher has his usual type game with 11 tackles and 1 tackle for a loss.  Rocky McIntosh was also very active with 10 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack, 1 pass defensed and 1 QB hit.  CB DeAngelo Hall made the biggest play in this game for the Redskins.  On the last play of the first half he recovered a Tashard Choice fumble which he returned 32 yards for a TD.  He also had 8 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss and he defensed 2 passes.  The Cowboys finished up with 103 yards rushing on 23 carries (4.7 ypc) and they also completed 31 of 48 passes for 277 yards in this game.  The Redskins got a huge home division win to start the 2010 NFL season.

The Redskins were swept by a combined score of 24-6 last season by the Cowboys.  The Redskins have a couple of new sheriffs in town this year in QB Donovan McNabb and head coach Mike Shanahan.  The new look will begin this Sunday Night and here’s a look at the match-ups in that game:

When the Redskins have the ball:  Mike Shanahan’s new zone blocking scheme will be implemented for this game which means Clinton Portis could very well look like a new RB.  I look for the Redskins to attack the middle of the Cowboys’ D early and often to keep them honest before heading to the air.  Donovan McNabb has always liked to throw to his TEs so Chris Cooley and Fred Davis could have a huge game against the Cowboys’ safeties who aren’t the most talented pair around.  If the Redskins can keep DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer out of the backfield then Donovan McNabb is going to take some deep shots to Santana Moss, Joey Galloway and Anthony Armstrong. 

When the Cowboys have the ball:  The Redskins are going to let ILBs London Fletcher, Rocky McIntosh and NT Maake Kemoeatu handle the Cowboys’ running game.  That way the rest of the guys can deal with Tony Romo and his outstanding receivers.  LaRon Landry will likely get Jason Witten detail most of the night.  Reed Doughty will likely have to give help to whoever his guarding Miles Austin which means that Dez Bryant and Roy Williams will likely have single coverage.  The Redkins will blitz OLBs Andre Carter and Brian Orakpo as soon as they get off the bus in an attempt to get into Tony Romo’s head.

PREDICTION:  COWBOYS 17, REDSKINS 13

The Redskins were only 4-12 last season so 7.5 wins might seem a tad high.  But with Mike Shanahan and Donovan McNabb on board I think the Redskins are going to be a team on the rise.  I would make a small bet on the over for the Redskins in 2010.  The Redskins are also 40-1 to win the Super Bowl but I wouldn’t go that far despite thinking the Skins are going to be decent in 2010.