Topsy-Turvy League

Though I'm sure some readers figured I'd stay mum about the fact that the Redskins lost against the until-then-winless St. Louis Rams this past Sunday, I am hoping to prove that that's certainly not the case. After the win in Philly, that too a come from behind win against a fierce division rival in one of the unfriendliest stadiums in the League with the ironic distinction of being in the City of Brotherly Love, I was among those who believed that there was a good chance that the team would be 7-1 by the end of the next three weeks. Yet here I am a little over a week later talking about a team that is now officially 4-2 and tied for second place in the division.

The situation with the Rams is one that couldn't have been any better for us. They were a winless team coming to Washington. They had just gotten a new head coach and had been a team that was averaging a two-touchdown deficit per game thus far this season. Given that the Redskins had been racking up about that much per game so far this season, it was reasonable to assume that the team would do well enough to keep on that winning record. It would be an understatement to say that their predictions (and mine) were quite premature. The Redskins have been getting off to slow starts every game this season and it isn't surprising that they would get off to a slow start this game either. However, I was somewhat hopeful when that slow start started off with a turnover in favor of the Redskins. With the ball being carried out of the endzone by the Rams, the Redskins recovered a fumble on the four yard line and then punched it in for a touchdown on the first possession of the offense.

It certainly seemed like an auspcious start to the game but it wasn't all rosy and the team didn't seem to get started on a roll the way they previously had been. Against teams with vaunted defenses, the Redskins got the running game going early and spiced it up with passes in medium and long range to keep the opposition guessing as to what was going on. This week however was a flashback to the Skins of old. There were multiple sacks on QB Jason Campbell, there were lots of turnovers (though no thrown interceptions so Campbell's streak continues) and some turnovers, like the fumble by Pete Kendall were just too costly to be overlooked. When a pass late in the first half was deflected into the air, Kendall came down with it and rather than downing it, he attempted (nobly) to gain yardage. Unfortunately the ball was popped loose and returned for a touchdown.

One would think that a sense of urgency would enter the team but instead, they retained their relatively blase attitude and ended up going three and out many more times than they previously had. Not that players like Clinton Portis weren't doing their damnedest to keep the game going. But the first touchdown was about as high as the highlights went for a long time and it wasn't until the fourth quarter that the team finally appeared to be making moves to improve on the situation thus far. Behind by 6, the Redskins drove down the field and managed to score a touchdown to go up by 1 point. It finally seemed as if the play calling was back to the aggresive mode it had been in previous situations. But once more the Skins managed to turn things over despite being given opportunities to capitalize on the inept play of the Rams.

A deep pass in the fourth quarter with just minutes remaining put the Rams in field goal range but penalties for unsportsmanlike conduct drove them back out of field goal range. Do or die time for the defense of the Skins and though they had held their own throughout the day, they couldn't hold on long enough to keep the Rams from again returning to field goal range and with the final seconds counting down the Rams took the lead and won the game by 2 points. It was a game that Redskins could have and should have won but it ended up being a feather in the cap of new Rams head coach Jim Hastlet. I congratulate him and his team for coming to Washington and proving that no team can be called a no-account time at all in this league.

Don't believe me? Well take a look at the results throughout the league this week. The Giants, the defending Super Bowl champions, lost their first game, and rather badly I might add, to the Cleveland Browns who are on their way to D.C. next week. The Cowboys lost to the Arizona Cardinals who had been handed their butts in Washington about a month ago. Dallas also suffered the loss of QB Tony Romo for at least four weeks with a broken finger so that probably helps the Redskins in their bid to remain high in the rankings of the NFC East. I guess this week was the week of unexpected fortunes for everybody. Still, I think back to last year when the Giants lost their first six games and then turned around to win the Super Bowl. I also think back to Norv Turner's first season when he went 6-1 and then lost the rest of the season. I think this year's team is much better overall but they need to prove it. Hopefully they won't look down on the Browns coming to town this coming weekend but rather that they will consider them a team of the same caliber as Dallas or the Giants. Certainly the Giants would agree.