Every week during the season, we’ll scout out the Cowboys next opponent. This week, that opponent is the Washington Redskins.
The Opponent: The Washington Redskins, aka the Raljon Redskins, aka Dan Snyder Will Sue You If You Tease Him.
Record: 2-0
The Line: Cowboys by 5.5.
Last Game: A 22-21 comeback win overt the Cardinals to remain unbeaten. Fear the comeback powers of Rex “The Sex Cannon” Grossman
The Coach: Mike Shanahan, whose current 2-0 record unofficially makes him the most successful Redskins coach of the past two decades. Shanny had a rough first season with Washington. But it’s amazing how quickly a team can improve simply by not having Donovan McNabb or Al Haynesworth on the roster.
The Offense: Well, this is unexpected. And not just the “Rex Grossman not being terrible” part, either. The seemingly minor changes the Skins made to their o-line (bringing in former Raven Chris Chester being the most notable move) have paid off handsomely early in the season. Tim Hightower and Roy Helu both had success running the ball last week (albeit against a crummy defense), and Grossman has had time to go deep and make a quality receiving target out of TE Fred “Sleepy” Davis. This is not a dazzling offense, but it’s certainly better than what you saw from Washington a year ago.
The Defense: Kevin Kolb was able to burn Washington deep a couple of times last week. So despite the addition of CB Josh Wilson, you can still get behind the Skins’ pass defense, particularly if LaRon Landry is covering anyone. DT Barry Cofield has made the line much, much better, and rookie Ryan Kerrigan has thus far provided a solid bookend to Brian Orakpo. The linebackers for Washington aren’t all that great, even if Skins fans will tell you London Fletcher is the greatest player in the history of the universe. Look for the Cowboys, so ravaged by wideout injuries, to make Jason Witten the focus of the passing game and exploit that weak linebacker coverage.
Key Matchup: The Cowboys linebackers versus Sleepy Davis. He’s quickly becoming Rexy’s go-to guy. Shut him down, and the Skins’ pedestrian wideout corps has to do more of the heavy lifting. Prepare yourself. Danny’s boys are coming for the home opener.
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