It might only be Week 4, but Sunday night's NFC East clash between the rival Washington Redskins and New York Giants already carries huge implications in the divisional race.
|  | | Brad Johnson needs a big game to silence his critics -- and keep his starting job. |
Think about it: If the 'Skins win, they will improve to 2-2, the Giants will fall to 3-1, and everyone in the division will be bunched tightly together. If the Giants win, New York will have at least a two-game lead over the second-place team.
For Washington, a loss could be catastrophic. Not only would Daniel Snyder's team fall two games below .500, but the upcoming schedule includes Tampa Bay, Baltimore, Jacksonville, Tennessee and St. Louis in the next seven weeks. The Redskins, however, can't just be concerned with the standings. They have to take a hard look at the scrutiny they would face and the public-relations nightmare for Snyder and his high-priced club.
The defense, the area in which the Redskins concentrated most of their money in the offseason, is ranked sixth in the league. But their problem has been an inability to make big plays on offense. Michael Westbrook's season-ending injury depleted the receiving corps and hampered the passing attack. Albert Connell, the No. 2 receiver last season, needs to step up, but he hasn't yet.
Brad Johnson has made his share of mistakes running the offense. He was a Pro Bowl quarterback last season, and the Redskins enjoyed a good season. Now, he is struggling and so is the team.
But Johnson isn't the only problem. The 'Skins are having trouble executing in the both the running and passing games, things that wouldn't necessarily be solved by a quarterback change.
For coach Norv Turner, this week would be the perfect situation to make a quarterback move to Jeff George because the Redskins are playing at Giants Stadium. Quarterback changes can't be made at home because the fans would be unmerciful. Nevertheless, I don't think Turner should hand the ball to George. He should wait to see how Johnson does. If Johnson struggles, Turner should make the change.
Otherwise, Johnson is the Redskins quarterback and should be given an opportunity to make plays. That won't be an easy task against the Giants.
This New York team remind me of the old Redskins, when we had the "Smurfs" and the "Hogs." They have "Thunder and Lightning," with running backs Ron Dayne and Tiki Barber. When a team starts attracting nicknames, that's when you know they've arrived.
What has impressed me the most about the Giants is the efficiency of quarterback Kerry Collins. I thought Collins would perform well under coach Jim Fassel, but I don't think anyone expected Collins to be completing 71 percent of his passes. It helps, though, when he has such a potent running attack to lean on.
Dayne runs with the patience of a veteran. The rookie doesn't try to bounce things outside. If he has to, he will just move the pile.
In the past the Giants relied so much on their defense that anything the offense could provide was an added bonus. Now the Giants offense has been a
pleasant surprise, causing the defense to say, "If we give them the ball a few more times, really good things could happen."
Fassel's decision to give up the role as offensive coordinator and allow Sean Payton to call the plays has helped the overall team chemistry. When a
head coach is just in charge of the offense, the defense wonders if he likes them. The defensive players get a "we're-on-our-own" attitude. But
Fassel is now able to spend more time around the defensive players, transforming a segmented team into a cohesive unit.
Here are the keys to Sunday night's game for each team:
Washington Redskins
1. Thwart Thunder and limit Lightning. Basically, the Redskins need to shut down Dayne, Barber and the Giants running game, especially the inside
game between the tackles. Defensive tackles Dan Wilkinson and Dana
Stubblefield will have to do a good job in the middle against a Giants offensive line that has really performed at a high level.
2. Collar Collins. The best way to pressure Collins is to put him in third-and-long situations and force him to make mistakes with the ball. He can't be allowed
to sit back and continue to complete 71 percent of his passes. The Redskins need a big rush from Bruce Smith and Marco Coleman, who is tied for second in the league with 4½ sacks.
3. Precision passing. With all the pressure on him, Johnson needs to hit his passes, especially early in the game. Plus, it's tough to mount a long drive for
a touchdown against a team like the Giants. So Johnson needs to take advantage of big-play opportunities and generate some points.
New York Giants
1. Keep Collins standing. The Giants offensive line has done a solid job of protecting Collins, who only has been sacked three times in three games. Lomas Brown has the assignment -- and challenge -- of blocking Bruce Smith in one of the game's best matchups.
2. First-down yardage. With the league's best rushing offense, the Giants have been able to hand the ball to Barber or Dayne on first down and get
Collins into convertible second- and third-down situations. It also allows Collins better opportunities to attack down the field to Ike Hilliard and Amani Toomer.
3. Bury Brad. The Giants need to make the Redskins look over their shoulders and wonder who should be the quarterback. They can cause both a
disruption on the field and a distraction in the minds of the Washington players if they can get to Johnson early in the game.
Former NFL quarterback Joe Theismann, an analyst for ESPN's Sunday Night Football, breaks down the Sunday night matchup every week for ESPN.com.
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