The Washington Redskins lost a tough game last weekend and they look to rebound and get back on track against the Rams in St. Louis.  The Rams are going downhill fast as they have played lousy football on both sides of the ball.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Redskins have the ball:  The Redskins likely want to be more balanced and this sets up to be the perfect game to feed the ball to Tim Hightower and Roy Helu.  The Rams are giving up a stunning 174.3 yards rushing per game and 5.4 yards per carry so far this year, and the Redskins are going to be aiming at it all day long.  The Rams are equally as awful against the pass (252.0 yards per game), so look for Rex Grossman to attack them down the field as long as the O-Line gives Rex Grossman time to throw the ball.  WRs Santana Moss, Jabar Gaffney and Anthony Armstrong are matchup problems for the weak secondary of the Rams.  TEs Fred Davis and Chris Cooley are also likely to have good games this Sunday.

When the Rams have the ball:  The Rams are going to have RB Steven Jackson back in full this weekend, so the linebackers of the Redskins better be ready.  The Redskins are going to have to get after Sam Bradford and hit him a few times as he has already been sacked 12 times this year.  Bradford likes to drive the ball down the field to WRs Brandon Gibson, Mike Sims-Walker and Danario Alexander, so he will have success throwing the ball if the has time to do so.

PREDICTION:  REDSKINS 23, RAMS 21

The Redskins are only running the ball 42.1% of the time so far this year, and you have to think that Mike Shanahan would like to get that % closer to 50/50.  25-year old Tim Hightower has been doing most of the work in the running game for the Redskins so far this year.  He has played in all 3 games for the Redskins so far this year and he has carried the ball 59 times for 209 yards (3.5 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He has also caught 9 passes for 74 yards (8.2 avg) with 1 TD grab so far this year.  22-year old rookie RB Roy Helu could push Hightower for touches soon.  Helu has played in all 3 games for the Redskins so far this year and he has carried the ball 16 times for 91 yards (5.7 ypc).  Helu has also caught 5 passes for 55 yards (11.0 avg) so far this year.  The Redskins hope that Hightower and Helu will give them a solid running game the rest of the season.

The defense kept the Cowboys out of the end zone the whole game and the Redskins were winning until the Cowboys hit a 40-yard field goal with only 1:47 left in the game.  The bad Rex Grossman showed up last night as he completed 22 of 37 passes for 250 yards with 1 TD pass and 1 INT.  He also lost a key fumble late in the game, that really cost the Redskins.  Tim Hightower rushed for 41 yards on 14 carries (2.9 ypc) and he also caught 5 passes for 39 yards (7.8 avg) with 1 TD grab.  Roy Helu pitched in with 15 yards rushing on 5 carries (3.0 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 17 yards (8.5 avg).  WR Santana Moss (5 rec, 70 yards), WR Jabar Gaffney (5 rec, 60 yards) and TE Chris Cooley (4 rec, 41 yards) led the way in the passing game for the Redskins last night.  The Redskins finished up with 65 yards rushing on 22 carries (3.0 ypc) and they also completed 22 of 37 passes (59.5%) for 233 yards as they only had possession of the ball for 28:24.

The defense was in bend but don’t break mode last night.  LBs Rocky McIntosh (7 tackles and 1 QB hit) and London Fletcher (7 tackles and 1 QB hit) led the way for the Redskins in this game.  CBs Josh Wilson (4 tackles, 4 passes defensed and 1 fumble recovery) and Kevin Barnes (3 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception) also made big plays last night.  The Cowboys finished up with 125 yards rushing on 26 carries (4.8 ypc) and they also completed 22 of 36 passes (61.1%) for 250 yards.  The Redskins are now 2-1 on the year.

This should be a very interesting game as the Cowboys and Redskins split last season’s two meetings, with each team winning on their home field.  It could be different this time around as the Cowboys are pretty banged up right now.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Redskins have the ball:  The Redskins are going to try to come out somewhat balanced in this game by making sure that Tim Hightower and Roy Helu get their fair share of cracks running the ball against a Cowboys’ D that is only allowing 59.5 yards rushing per game and 3.0 yards per carry so far this year.  The Redskins are going to have to make sure that they give Rex Grossman time to throw the ball as the Cowboys already have 10 sacks on the season (4 by OLB DeMarcus Ware).  If Grossman has time to throw the ball, he’s going to have a big day as he threw for 322 yards and 4 TDs in his lone start against the Cowboys last year.  The Cowboys have a lot of backups playing in the secondary due to injuries, so TE Kellen Davis and WRs Santana Moss, Jabar Gaffney and Anthony Armstrong could all have big games this Sunday.

When the Cowboys have the ball:  The Cowboys are a passing team, so look for Tony Romo (fractured rib) to be throwing the ball a lot on Monday Night.  The Redskins are likely going to be blitzing a lot in this game to try to force Romo into making some mistakes with the football.  The Cowboys will likely be without both starting WRs (Dez Bryant and Miles Austin) due to injury.  That means that WRs Jesse Holley and Kevin Ogletree will need to step up.  TE Jason Witten caught 13 passes for 167 yards (12.8 avg) with 1 TD grab against the Redskins last year, so the safeties are going to have to step up.  Starting RB Felix Jones has a separated shoulder but he’s still going to try to gut it out for the Cowboys on Monday Night.  The front seven will need to show him what a bad decision he is making by playing.

PREDICTION:  REDSKINS 26, COWBOYS 20

There appears to be a changing of the guard at TE for the Redskins.  25-year old Fred Davis appears to have taken over as the starting TE, leaving 29-year old Chris Cooley on the bench a lot.  Davis has played in both games for the Redskins this year and he has caught 11 passes for 191 yards (17.4 avg) with 1 TD grab.  He has now played in 45 games in his first four years with the Redskins and he has caught 83 passes for 1,043 yards (12.6 avg) with 10 TD grabs.  Chris Cooley came into this season kind of gimpy with a bad knee and that could be the biggest reason why Davis has bumped him to the bench.  Cooley has played in both of the Redskins’ games so far this year and he has caught only 2 passes for 21 yards (10.5 avg).  Cooley has now played in 105 games in his first 8 years with the Redskins and he has caught 422 passes for 4,659 yards (11.0 avg) with 33 TD grabs.

The Washington Redskins were in a fight to the end against the Cardinals yesterday.  Kicker Graham Gano made a 34-yard field goal with 1:45 left in the game and the defense made it stand up.  Rex Grossman was both good and bad yesterday as he completed 25 of 43 passes for 291 yards with 2 TD passes and 2 INTs.  Tim Hightower led the way on the ground with 96 yards on 20 carries (4.8 ypc) and he also caught 1 pass for 10 yards.  Rookie RB Roy Helu also had a solid game with 74 yards rushing on 10 carries (7.4 ypc) and 3 receptions for 38 yards (12.7 avg).  TE Fred Davis led the way for the Redskins in the passing game as he caught 6 passes for 86 yards (14.3 avg) with 1 TD grab.  WRs Jabar Gaffney (5 rec, 62 yards) and Santana Moss (5 rec, 61 yards, TD) also pitched in for the Redskins in the passing game yesterday.  The Redskins finished up with 172 yards rushing on 35 carries (4.9 ypc) and they also completed 25 of 43 passes (58.1%) for 283 yards as they had possession of the ball for 38:30!

The defense didn’t play well, but good enough to win.  LB Rocky McIntosh led the way for the D yesterday with 8 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 1 sack, 1 pass defensed and 1 QB hit.  CB Byron Westbrook (6 tackles), safety Reed Doughty (6 tackles, 1 fumble recovery) and LB London Fletcher (5 tackles, 1 pass defensed, 2 QB hits and 1 interception) also made a lot of good plays for the Skins in this game.  The Cardinals finished up with 93 yards rushing on 15 carries (6.2 ypc) ad they also completed 17 of 30 passes (56.7%) for 231 yards.  The Redskins are now 2-0 on the season.

The Washington Redskins looked great against the Giants last weekend.  Now the Cardinals come calling to Washington this Sunday.  It’s going to be another solid challenge for the Redskins.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Redskins have the ball:  Tim Hightower is going to want a piece of his old team, but the Redskins are going to want to stay balanced offensively this Sunday.  Rex Grossman and the offense has to be licking their chops after watching game film of the Panthers/Cardinals game last weekend.  If Cam Newton and his gang can throw all over the Cardinals defense, the Redskins should have a field day.  If the offensive line gives Grossman time to throw the ball, he will likely spread it around to Santana Moss, Jabar Gaffney, Anthony Armstrong, Chris Cooley and Fred Davis…with likely a lot of success.

When the Cardinals have the ball:  The Cardinals were pretty balanced last week, so the defense is going to have to be on their toes.  The front seven is going to have to deal with Beanie Wells (90 yards rushing, TD), while also putting pressure on Kevin Kolb.  DeAngelo Hall and Josh Wilson are going to have their hands full with Larry Fitzgerald and Early Doucet.  The safeties are going to have to deal with TEs Jeff King and Todd Heap, and the Redskins are going to need O.J. Atogwe and Reed Doughty to step up.

PREDICTION:  REDSKINS 30, CARDINALS 27

31-year old QB Rex Grossman really paid back head coach Mike Shanahan for his confidence in him last weekend against the Giants.  Grossman completed 21 of 34 passes (61.8%) for 305 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 INTs  (110.5 QB Rating).  He has now played in 5 games in his two years with the Redskins and he has completed 95 of 167 passes (56.9%) for 1,189 yards with 9 TD passes and 4 INTs (87.1 QB Rating).  Grossman has led a team to the Super Bowl (Bears), so he knows how to win.

The Washington Redskins completely dominated the Giants in the season opener yesterday.  Rex Grossman made Mike Shanahan look like a genius as he completed 21 of 34 passes for 305 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 INTs.  Tim Hightower had a heavy workload in this game as he carried the ball 25 times for 72 yards (2.9 ypc) with 1 TD run.  He also caught 3 passes for 25 yards (8.3 avg) with 1 TD grab.  TE Fred Davis (5 rec, 105 yards) and WR Santana Moss (6 rec, 76 yards) led the way for the Redskins passing game yesterday.  WRs Jabar Gaffney (3 rec, 54 yards, TD) and Anthony Armstrong (2 rec, 24 yards, TD) also made big plays in the passing game for the Skins.  The Redskins finished up with 74 yards rushing on 28 carries (2.8 ypc) and they also completed 21 of 34 passes (61.8%) for 258 yards in this game.

The defense was really solid for the Redskins yesterday, especially in the second half of the game.  Safety Reed Doughty (11 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss), LB London Fletcher (8 tackles) and LB Rocky McIntosh (7 tackles and 1 QB hit) led the way for the Redskins on D in this game.  Rookie LB Ryan Kerrigan had a HUGE impact on this game in his NFL debut.  Kerrigan had 5 tackles, 1 pass defensed, 1 QB hit and a interception which he returned 9 yards for a TD.  NT Chris Neild also had a big impact in this game as he had 4 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, 2 sacks and 1 QB hit.  The Giants rushed for 75 yards on 20 carries (3.8 ypc) and they also completed 18 of 32 passes (56.3%) for 240 yards in this game.  The Redskins start out the 2011 season with a 1-0 record.

The Giants swept the Redskins last year by a combined score of 48-21.  A lot has changed since then as the Redskins were adding a lot of players while the Giants were subtracting players.  The Giants’ D has also been hit with a lot of injuries, especially in the secondary, which is going to even things out a lot tomorrow.  Here is a look at the matchups tomorrow:

When the Redskins have the ball:  The Redskins are going to get back to the kind of football that Mike Shanahan wants to play starting tomorrow.  Look for Tim Hightower to get 25-30 carries in this game against a very so-so front seven on the Giants’ D.  This will allow the Redskins to control the clock and keep their defense on the sidelines.  Rex Grossman’s strength is throwing the deep ball.  If the Redskins give him time to throw the ball, he’s going to be looking deep to Santana Moss and Anthony Armstrong.  Armstrong caught 8 passes for 181 yards (22.6 avg) with 2 TD grabs against the Giants last year.  WR Jabar Gaffney and TE Fred Davis will handle the short stuff in the passing game for the Skins.

When the Giants have the ball:  Inside linebackers London Fletcher, Rocky McIntosh and NT Barry Cofield are going to have to control the middle of the field against the Giants’ running game.  They did well against Ahmad Bradshaw last year (3.0 ypc) but not so good against Brandon Jacobs (6.9 ypc, 3 TD runs).  The Redskins can’t afford to let the Giants run the ball tomorrow.  If they can slow the Giants’ running game a bit, then they can turn OLBs Brian Orakpo and rookie Ryan Kerrigan after Eli Manning.  Manning  makes some horrible decisions when the heat is on.  Still, WRs Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham are both really dangerous.

PREDICTION:  REDSKINS 23, GIANTS 20