The Redskins have no shot against Giants

Let's get one thing straight right out of the gates: The Redskins will lose Sunday against the Giants. The Redskins will start the season 0-1; the Giants 1-0. It is almost inevitable.

You disagree? Why? What gives you any clue that the Redskins are any better than the Giants, a team that cruised past D.C. twice last year? The Skins couldn't score more than a touchdown in both games. Do you think the Redskins improved that much? Or the Giants fell that much?

Do you honestly believe that receiver Plaxico Burress - who is no longer with N.Y. - meant that much to the Giants? Let me remind you that Burress did not play when the teams met Nov. 30, and the Giants still won 23-7.

Will Albert Haynesworth make that much of an impact? Gosh, I hope so, because the Skins will need all the help they can get. I can already see Giants running back Brandon Jacobs literally running over Laron Landry. Again.

I can already see the Redskins stuffing the line of scrimmage with nine players, and Giants QB Eli Manning doing some sort of trick and abusing DeAngelo Hall for 55 yards to Hakeem Nicks.

I can already see Jason Campbell being flattened over and over again by the Giants superb defensive line, which, despite its relative thinness, has been pretty adept at shutting down the Redskins' rushing attack. (The Skins averaged just 3.3 yards per rush last season against the G-men.)

Why can I see all of these things? Because they've all happened before. The Giants have had the Redskins' number. Let's face it.

But, there is hope. Haynesworth, a monster defensive tackle, was brought in to stop the Giants from doing what they Giants like to do - run the ball down your throat, and then play-action pass you to death. If Haynesworth and the defense can stop the Giants running game - no easy task - then the Redskins might have a chance. Manning isn't his brother.

Offensively, I have less confidence that the Skins will succeed. QB Jason Campbell has been known to get flustered under pressure, and that's exactly what the Giants do. Rush the passer. They even drafted a kid out of Virginia - Clint Sintim - who is very, very good at rushing the passer. The Redskins will need to get their ground game going against the Giants to have success, in my opinion. I don't see it happened, but there's always hope. The Redskins need to challenge the Giants with the deep pass.

Honestly, though, my prediction?

Giants, 30-14.