ES Coverage: 2010 Redskins vs Rams (Final)

[NoLeafClover]

ES Coverage: 2010 Redskins vs Rams

09/26/10

DEFEAT!

Rams 30 - Redskins 16

:helmet:

St. Louis was once the home of the "greatest show on turf," but now those days are firmly behind us. The Rams are desperately looking to pick up a win this afternoon after having lost 27 of their last 28 games.

As for the Redskins, they are looking to put last week's heartbreaking loss behind them by picking up a road victory against a struggling franchise. Their key to success tonight will be to get the newly-revamped running game going early and often. The team cut Larry Johnson and signed Ryan Torain from the practice squad in an effort to shake things up in the running game. In a few hours, we'll see if it pays off.

Last week against the Texans, Clinton Portis rushed for 33 yards, but the team as a whole only picked up just 18 yards on 17 attempts. While it was nice to see Donavan McNabb in rare form last week, the team needs to establish a successful ground game in order to be successful long term. After two games, the 'Skins are currently the worst in the league in rushing - they have 107 total yards, 96 of those coming from Portis.

If the team can get things working on the ground, it should greatly help out the defense. The defense was on the field for just under 40 minutes last week, which wore them down and allowed the Texans to come back in the game in the second half after the Redskins had lead 27-10. Counting the Dallas game, opposing teams have averaged eight more minutes time of possession per game, which is asking a lot of your defense to keep them out on the field that long. Also helping the D will be the return of Kareem Moore, which means other teams can't just pick on Reed Doughty the whole game.

It looks to be an exciting game. I'm Joel, here again with Murf and we are live inside the Edward Jones Dome ready to bring you all of the action. As always, leave comments below letting us know what you see at home and what you want us to focus in on

2:16 PM - It looks like burgundy pants and white jerseys tonight, for those keeping score at home.

2:22 PM - According to Chris Russell from ESPN 980, it's looking like today's inactives will include Trent Williams, Anthony Armstrong, Chris Horton, Chad Simpson, Anthony Bryant, Jeremy Jarmon, Perry Riley and John Beck (third QB). We'll let you know once these are official.

2:27 PM - The press box has Choco Tacos. Life doesn't get any better than this.

2:33 PM - It appears Josh Bidwell was injured during warm ups. We are still waiting for more info, but look for Graham Gano to punt and Rex Grossman to hold if Bidwell can't play.

TONIGHT'S INACTIVES

Redskins:

Anthony Armstrong

Chad Simpson

Chris Horton

Will Montgomery

Trent Williams

Anthony Bryant

Jeremy Jarmon

John Beck (third QB)

Rams:

Laurent Robinson

Craig Dahl

Billy Bajema

Chris Chamberlain

Renardo Foster

Michael Hoomanawanui

Clifton Ryan

Darell Scott

Also, Stephon Heyer is officially starting at left tackle in place of Trent Williams.

2:54 PM - From Murf's Twitter: With Trent Williams out and Will Montgomery inactive, the Redskins have exactly one sub today on the line - Lichtensteiger. Not good.

2:58 PM - Chris Cooley is practicing holding kicks.

3:05 PM - Graham Gano is punting right now in warm ups. He's hit a few 50+ yarders.

3:09 PM - The inactives have just been updated - Will Montgomery is active today, which means the Redskins will have two backup offensive linemen, not one.

3:19 PM - There is a surprisingly high number of Redskins fans here for the game today. Who knew there were that many Redskins fan in St. Louis?

3:23 PM - Now they are once again reporting that Will Montgomery is inactive and Perry Riley is active. We'll see if this one sticks or if they change it again.

3:25 PM - Wow, continuous line up changes and an unclear punting situation - and here I thought I was going to have to spend the whole pregame talking about Albert Haynesworth's comments.

3:57 PM - The Rams entrance music is "Fuel" by Metallica. Apparently they went looking for songs playing on the radio the year they won the Super Bowl.

4:14 PM - A rough start for the Redskins. Graham Gano (who must have a lot on his mind tonight) puts the opening kick out of bounds, putting the Rams on the 40 yard line. From there, in three minutes and 29 seconds, the Rams march down the field with authority. A 22-yard touchdown run by Steven Jackson puts the Rams ahead. 0-7.

4:21 PM - Well this is not how you wanted to see this one start. Santana Moss fumbles, the Rams return it 45 yards to set up a first and goal at the three. Three plays later, Daniel Fells catches a pass in the back of the end zone to make it 0-14. Two plays, three yards, 41 seconds. Definitely a surprising start to this one. Let's hope the Redskins can get this thing back under control quickly.

4:28 PM - Deep breathes. Maybe this is all part of the plan. The 'Skins are going to lull them into a false sense of security and then break out the big guns.

4:31 PM - Third and 12 after a few dumb penalties. Then a blocked punt on fourth down. Am I the only one having Detroit flashbacks right now?

4:33 PM - Kareem Moore with a big interception. It is really, really, really, really nice to have you back right now Kareem.

4:36 PM - A 27-yard run by Clinton Portis. It looks like things are finally starting to click now.

4:48 PM - At the end of the first quarter, the Redskins are trailing by 14, but they are in scoring position thanks to a 39-yard pass interference penalty.

END OF FIRST QUARTER

0-14

4:52 PM - A six play, 53 yard, one minute and 58 yard drive for the Redskins ends with a 29 yard field goal by Graham Gano. 3-14

4:57 PM - Lorenzo Alexander comes through with a fumble recovery on the kickoff. On the very next play, Donovan McNabb connects with 21-yard pass to Santana Moss in the endzone. Now that's more like it. 10-14

5:04 PM - That Brian Orakpo guy is good.

5:06 PM - Ryan Torain with a 36 yard rush. Looks like it was a wise move by the Redskins picking him back up.

5:08 PM - Donovan McNabb with a 26-yard rush. Ladies and gentlemen, we have a running game.

5:12 PM - After a delay of game penalty pushes them back five yards, the Redskins fail to convert on third down. Graham Gano connects on a 24-yard field goal to put three more points on the board. An eight play, 77 yard, four minute and 54 drive featuring a lot of running by Torain puts the Redskins within one. 13-14

5:16 PM - Wow. They just played Cee Lo Green's song "**** You" on the stadium PA. I guess you can play whatever you want when the stadium is this empty.

5:39 PM - Philip Daniels blocks a 21 yard field goal. What a huge boost for the Redskins going into halftime. They still trail by one with two quarters left to play.

HALFTIME

13-14

While having the Rams go up by 14 early in the first quarter was definitely an unwelcome surprise, overall the Redskins are on the right track in this game. They've already rushed for 115 yards and their time of possession is just under 15 minutes. They shut out the Rams in the second quarter and the blocked field goal gives them a boost going into the second half, so hopefully they can keep this momentum going into the next half.

5:59 PM - A 56 yard catch from Donovan McNabb to Santana Moss (aided by a horse collar penalty at the end of the play) gives the Redskins a first and goal at the eight yard line, but they end up having to settle for a 21-yard Graham Gano field goal. Five plays, 70 yards, two minutes and 20 seconds. The Redskins have the lead for the first time all game. 16-14

6:02 PM - Rams tackle Rodger Saffold's favorite movie is Class Act with Kid and Play. I'm pretty sure that topped AFI's top 100 too.

6:18 PM - And the Rams are back on top. A 12 play, 74 yard, five minute and 24 second Rams drive ends with Kenneth Darby breezing right up the middle for a 12 yard run into the end zone. 16-21

6:22 PM - Kings of Leon, who are in attendance tonight, were just shown on the jumbotron, which elicited loud boos from the fans. Tough crowd here in St. Louis tonight.

6:33 PM - The fire alarm went off twice while the Redskins were on offense. Trust me, St. Louis, they are not on fire right now. Stop sounding the alarm.

END OF THIRD QUARTER

16-21

The Rams offense is just wearing down the Redskins defense by keeping them out on the field. Meanwhile, the Redskins offense, which was looking good in the second quarter, has completely stalled out.

6:41 PM - An 11 play, 46 yard drive takes five minutes and 20 seconds off the clock. The Rams drive ends with a 37 yard field goal. The Redskins offense really needs to respond. Things are only going to get worse the longer the defense is left out on the field. 16-24

6:56 PM - DeAngelo Hall looked like he was filming a Buffalo Wild Wings commercial the way he just slipped out on the field. I wonder if a sprinkler got him.

6:59 PM - The Rams continue to increase their lead with a 29 yard field goal by Josh Brown. A nine play, 41 yard drive that takes four minutes and 27 seconds off the clock. 16-27

7:06 PM - The announced attendance tonight is 52,370. That seems like an incredibly generous number.

7:08 PM - From Murf's Twitter: Is it too early to ask for a bye Week 3 next season?

7:09 PM - McNabb throws his first interception of the season. Somewhere nearby, a fat lady begins warming up her voice.

7:18 PM - Josh Brown adds to the Rams lead with a 36 yard field goal. Seven plays, 23 yards, one minute and 55 seconds off the clock. 30-16

:helmet:

PHOTOS

To see a slideshow of ExtremeSkins game photos click HERE

To see the complete set of ExtremeSkins game photos click HERE

:helmet:

AUDIO

To listen to comments from Lorenzo Alexander click HERE

To listen to comments from Adam Carriker click HERE

To listen to comments from Andre Carter click HERE

To listen to comments from Chris Cooley click HERE

To listen to comments from Fred Davis click HERE

To listen to comments from Reed Doughty click HERE

To listen to comments from London Fletcher click HERE

To listen to comments from Graham Gano click HERE

To listen to comments from DeAngelo Hall click HERE

To listen to comments from Albert Haynesworth click HERE

To listen to comments from Stephon Heyer click HERE

To listen to comments from Kedric Golston click HERE

To listen to comments from Brian Orakpo click HERE

:helmet:

THE NEW GUY'S TAKE

The best thing I can say about this game is that, mercifully, it's over.

The Redskins were completely outplayed and beaten down by the lowly St. Louis Rams. From Graham Gano's opening kickoff, which sailed out of bounds and allowed the Rams to start their drive on the 40, things quickly spiraled out of control. St. Louis marched down the field with authority, capping their drive off with a 22-yard touchdown run by running back Steven Jackson.

Immediately following that, receiver Santana Moss fumbled the ball, which the Rams recovered and took 45 yards down the field, putting them on the Redskins' three. Three plays later and the Redskins suddenly found themselves down by 14-0.

They never really recovered. The team briefly rallied in the second quarter, putting together three successful drives that put 13 points on the board, but it was short lived.

In the end, the Redskins offense was only on the field for about 25 minutes. They ran the ball only 17 times, which did net them 116 yards, but most of the yardage came from just a handful of big runs. Making matters worse, 115 of those yards came in the first half. In the second half, the team had five carries, but only managed to gain one yard.

The offense also had two turnovers -- the Moss fumble and quarterback Donovan McNabb's first interception of the season. They were zero for three in the red zone on the day.

The defense also struggled. They were on the field for 35 minutes and they gave up 365 yards of total offense and 30 points. They allowed the Rams to convert seven of their 16 third downs. Jackson left the game with an injury, but it didn't matter -- the Redskins couldn't stop his backups either. They simply had no answer for Sam Bradford and Company, who marched down the field with ease and completely controlled the tempo of the game.

There were mental errors too. The Redskins were penalized nine times for a total of 65 yards.

Last week's loss against the Houston Texans was heartbreaking, but there were still positives to take away from it. They fought hard and showed what they are capable of. It was a loss you could build off of.

This week, however, it's hard to find any positives. The team imploded, looking like the Redskins of old, not a Mike Shanahan coached team. They were completely outplayed by a team they should have been able to beat easily. Not a single facet of the game -- offense, defense or special teams -- clicked.

But the game is over now and it's time to refocus and look ahead to a huge divisional game next week against Philadelphia. This week may have taught us nothing about the 'Skins, but next week will show us how capable they are of putting an awful game behind them and moving on with their season. It's still early and it's still a new Redskins team, no matter how much they looked like the Redskins of old today.

It's a long season and we are only three games in. Next week McNabb gets a chance to square off against his former team. It should be exciting. And most of all, it should go a long way to helping us all forget that this game ever happened.

[themurf]

Like I said on Twitter, here's another reason the ground game needs to suck less: the Redskins are just 5 of 23 on 3rd downs in '10. Run better, less to go on 3rd downs.

[Paigums]

Why isn't Anthony Armstrong active?

PS - Choco Tacos?! Wasn't that your nickname in college?

[TheLongshot]

Why isn't Anthony Armstrong active?

He's still recovering from injury.

I am curious why Monty isn't active. Lichtensteiger is the only active backup. If ANYONE gets hurt, this could get ugly.

Edit: looks like the list was fixed.

[JimmiJo]

I can't imagine two sexier men covering a game for us. Then again, I tend to drink heavy and then remove my pants.

Let's make this one special,shall we?

[NoLeafClover]

I can't imagine two sexier men covering a game for us. Then again, I tend to drink heavy and then remove my pants.

Let's make this one special,shall we?

Too bad you aren't here in the press box with us - but not pantsless, of course. They frown on that.

[Paigums]

Ug. Not the start I was hoping for.

[NoLeafClover]

Ug. Not the start I was hoping for.

That's a bit of an understatement.

[Paigums]

Davis got mugged. And we'll take it.

[Paigums]

Hello, endzone. So nice to see you

[bredskin]

Good job guys...must have been a horrible locker room to cover.

[themurf]

Photos are posted and they're pretty awesome, if I do say so myself.

[MWCREDSKINS]

Thanks as always

[SonOfWashington]

That about sums it up.