Washington Redskins(0-1) at Green Bay Packers(1-0), tonight at 9.pm.
After a horrible week one loss to San Diego - a 1-15 team in 2000 - the Redskins desperately need a big win if they have any hopes of staying competitive. Last week, quarterback Jeff George struggled to find receivers, running Back Stephen Davis could not find any holes to run through, and the defense let the Chargers run all over them.If the Redskins have any chance against Green Bay tonight, they must improve their play offensively. After going 8-18 on his passing attempts with two interceptions, George was replaced by Tony Banks early last game. Despite his disappointing play, however, coach Marty Schottenhiemer insists that George is his starting QB. To remain in the game, George will need to be much more efficient this week with his passes. Stephen Davis also needs to get many more touches at the ball. As the Redskins' greatest offensive threat, the outcome of the game may rely on his play.
Defensively, the Redskins face a harder task than they did last weekend. Offensively, Green Bay looked brilliant in its season opening win against Detroit. Quarterback Brett Favre seemed to return to his 1996 MVP form, completing 22 of 28 attempted passes - two for touchdowns. The story of the game, however, was running back Ahman Green. Bailing out Favre on several third and long situations, Green averaged 9.2 yards per run on his 17 carries.
The Packers looked just as strong on the defensive side last week, with three sacks from defensive end Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila. Considering that George does not handle pressure from the defense well, Biamila will be instrumental in throwing off the Redskins offensive attack. Overall, the Packers' play was reminiscent of the team that won back-to-back Super Bowls in 1995 and '96. Strong on either side of the ball, if they continue such play they should be a favorite to win the NFC.
But in the short term, it is hard to predict how the two-week layoff will affect either team; if the Packers can pick up where they left off, they should be able to defeat the Redskins. Washington won't go down easily, however. The Redskins feature a strong defensive line, and if George and Davis can get in sync, they should be a much stronger team than they were in Week One.
Watch tonight on ABC as Favre goes for his 143rd consecutive NFL start, hoping to lead his team to victory.
