First Look: Washington Redskins

Record: 2-4
Streak: Won 1
All-time vs. Denver: 5-6-1
Last time: Redskins 27, Broncos 17 (11/15/09)
The Line: Broncos by 11.0

The last time these teams met, the Broncos were at the beginning of their tailspin in the Josh McDaniels era after having started the season 2-0. With the lead, Broncos QB Kyle Orton was knocked out of the game with a foot injury and the Redskins were able to come back and hand Denver a painful loss.

Going back even further, John Elway connected with Rod Smith in the closing seconds of a game on a hail mary TD pass to propel the Broncos to victory. It was the first reception in Rod Smith's illustrious career.

Who can forget the Bailey/Portis trade? Bailey will be hobbled and on the sidelines for this meeting and Clinton Portis is long retired. Regardless, you just don't see superstar for superstar trades in the NFL anymore.

All I have to say about Super Bowl 22 is let us never speak of the 2nd quarter again.

Who's Hot?

The Bronco offense. After scoring 33 points in a LOSING effort, we became the most prolific scoring team in NFL history through the first 7 games of the season. Despite starting slow, Manning and company stormed back with 16 points in the final 12 minutes of the game. It would have been more if Ronnie Hillman had not fumbled near the goal line.

Robert Griffin III. After a sluggish start to the season RGIII had a strong performance against the Chicago Bears defense last week. Griffin threw for 298 yards and 2 TD's while rushing for another 84 on the ground.

Jordan Reed also caught 9 balls for 134 yards and a TD.

Who's Not?

The Broncos offensive line. Just a terrible performance Sunday night against the Colts. Sure we only have 2 players starting at their natural position, but Orlando Franklin will not be back this week so expect a similar lineup. They allowed Peyton Manning to be sacked 4 times (he had been sacked 5 times in the previous six games combined) and failed to open up any holes in the running game despite facing a light box count much of the evening.

The Washington Redskins rushing defense. Ranked 29th in the league and allowing an average of 126.2 yards per game, the Redskin defense surrendered a 6.9 yard per carry average agaisnt Matt Forte and a Jay Cutler-less (at least in the 2nd half) Chicago Bears offense.

Matchup to Watch: Robert Griffin III vs. Von Miller and Wesley Woodyard

You can guarantee both players will be pulling some "spy" duty this week. Remember last year and Von's dominating performance against Cam Newton? Think more of the same here. Miller and Woodyard both have speed to burn and must be utilized to keep the young QB from running through our secondary.