Game 16: Redskins (8-7) vs. Cowboys (13-2)

vs.

The Washington Redskins host the archrival Dallas Cowboys for a 4:15pm game at Redskins Stadium, the season has come down to one of few meaningful games this weekend, win and they're in. Lose and they can still get in but it's not anything close to likely.

The Cowboys have cemented the top playoff seed in the NFC, winning or losing this game cannot affect their playoffs so the big question all week has been, who will Cowboys coach Wade Phillips play, and for how long? Even with Terrell Owens out for sure today and maybe longer of course the team will play to win, every team always plays to win and the Cowboys have an added incentive: they have never been 14-2 in team history (op. cit.). That said, you can bet the Cowboys will not parrot the Patriots and keep starters in just to set a team record and risk a shot at a championship.

So here we are, it's the biggest Redskins game since the Seattle playoff loss in round two of the 2005 playoffs. Bigger than that though because of everything this season: the great start, the flagging, calls for Joe Gibbs to resign, the shooting death of Sean Taylor and aftermath and now a team resurgent behind it's playmakers and a backup quarterback off the back shelf. Now, Joe Gibbs is in his element.

Curly R aside: Todd Collins is not Jeff Garcia and any team that was to take a chance on him as a starter next year I think would be sorry. Todd has a good gig here, he will get some time to play next season (all first backups do these days), it will prolong his career not to play full time and he is here with Al Saunders and his system. The Redskins need to step up with a good number but Todd should not be expecting much more than two million dollars a season. I spect we we will be addressing this issue again in the offseason.

Curly R aside continues: as discussed previously there is no decision this week about Jason Campbell versus Todd Collins, Jason is not ready, end of story. If the Redskins win we will be talking about this next week. It's Todd's team until further notice regardless of Jason's status.

How to prep for this game given the uncertainty about who will play for Dallas and all the other things on Joe Gibbs' mind? Easy: do what you do. On offense the Redskins will be smashing on the ground and looking to find open receivers against zone coverage. Clinton Portis, Santana Moss, Chris Cooley, Antwaan Randle El, they are all healthy and raring to go and they are going to give Mike Sellers back his helmet (op. cit.). If the Cowboys start dropping starters on defense look for a lot less man to man from them and that should mean Todd can find guys open on the seams. As for the running game one thing the Redskins have displayed this season is an insistence on sticking with the run even when the opponent is not giving much.

Wouldn't it be awsum if Clinton broke off a c-note today?

On defense the Redskins will be more of the same, looking to get pressure on whoever is quarterbacking the Cowboys and once starting offensive linemen start to sit that is going to get easier. Doesn't matter how many Cowboys offensive linemen are going to the Pro Bowl, if they are not in the game they can't do much. And Brad Johnson may still bear a grudge against Dan Snyder over the whole Jeff George thing from 2001 and something I just learned this week, after Brad and the Vikings beat the Redskins in the Monday Night Football season opener last season he wore his old Redskins jersey out of the locker room to the team bus but none of that matters if a) there are few or no starting linemen in there to block for him and or b) the Brad Johnson that plays today looks much like the Brad Johnson that ended last season with the Vikings. He was done.

On the ground Marion Barber is freakishly hard to tackle but he won't be in the game long, the Redskins will be contending with Julius Jones, a serious football player but not the threat that is Marion.

Wouldn't it be awsum if Fred Smoot grabbed another couple of interceptions?

And speaking of that 2005 playoff run I think there is only superficial similarity to today. The Redskins then were only playing for pride and they did it on the shoulders of Clinton Portis. This team is considerably more balanced, that's all about quarterback play. Even before Jason Campbell went down there was simply no comparison between Mark Brunell's fadeout and QB performance today. How much of that is Al Saunders and how much of it is not Mark Brunell? You tell me.


Player notes: Clinton Portis was named the NFC Player of the Week after the Vikings game. I have commented on this here. Backup center Mike Pucillo was placed on injured reserve this week with a bad back (op. cit.), he started one game in place of Casey Rabach, the win over the Cardinals in October. Reserve Rick DeMulling becomes the backup center. Mike was also a tight end in heavy jumbo though he has been largely replaced by Lorenzo Alexander aka Scarface, The Man That Does It All in these sets.


Washington Post preview, Redskins Gameday (PDF). Campbell's Collins' Corner, newsflash, Todd Collins understands there is a rivalry somewhere around here. Redskins roster, Cowboys roster; Redskins projected starters, Cowboys projected starters; Redskins injury report, Cowboys injury report.

Other previews: The Redskin Report statalicious / Lee's thoughts on the game


This is a gameday open thread.