The test cometh

The Giants game is in the rear-view mirror, and we've come to the trap game.

What's a trap game?

The Redskins are expected to destroy the Rams. Not to just win - that would be too easy - but to actually rout them. The Redskins are such locks to win that, among media members who predict game results, the Redskins were picked to win by each and every person.

That's a tough situation to be in. Fans expect 300 passing yards from Jason Campbell, and 100 rushing yards by Clinton Portis. Oh, and for the defense to harrass Rams QB Marc Bulger and blow up the Rams running game.

This is the same situation that the Redskins went into against the Rams last year, and the Rams came away with the underdog win, a win which started the Redskins' slide out of playoff contention.

What do the Redskins have to do to beat the trap? And should Jim Zorn be worrying about his job if the Redskins lose?

Jason Campbell must make good decisions.
Contrary to popular belief, Campbell doesn't have to throw for 300-plus yards against St. Louis and he doesn't have to throw for three-plus touchdowns. He does, however, have to play with confidence and not make stupid mistakes. The problem is, Campbell has rarely looked calm and confident in his time with the Redskins.

The offensive line must do its job.
The OL has to keep Jason Campbell upright as well as open up running lanes for Portis and Ladell Betts. The line did a decent job against the Giants, who have one of the best defensive lines in the game. Against the Rams, the Redskins should have a chance to establish an identity. The Redskins are always seem to be more confident - and perform better - when they get the running game going.

Portis must be consistent.
Portis got off to a strong start last week, carrying the ball 34 yards on the Redskins first play of the game. After that, though Portis had 15 carries for 28 yards, which ain't good at all. In years past, the Redskins have gone as Portis has gone. If he had a good game, the Redskins had a good game. That is to say that the Redskins QBs haven't led the offense, Portis has. I don't think it has to be that way, but that's the way it has been. Portis doesn't have to be crazy good, but Campbell has played better when Portis is doing well.

The defense must assert itself - pressure pressure pressure
Albert Haynesworth can dominate. The Giants did a good job of limiting him, but Rams don't have the Giants talent on the line. Haynesworth needs to control the middle of the defense, and the Redskins need to attack Bulger, pressure him into mistakes, and take advantage of the mistakes.

What the Redskins need to be wary of is underestimating the Rams and allowing Bulger and running back Steven Jackson go wild. Jackson has the potential to control the game. That would be a real surprise, with the Redskins' additions on the defensive line.

Really, though, it comes down to Campbell. I think if the Redskins lose this game against the Rams, there will be a significant amount of pressure on Danny Snyder to dump Zorn and to not re-sign Campbell.

Quick hits

• Campbell needs to show that he has learned in his years in Washington. If not, there's nothing to save him.
• Portis has to show that he's not over-the-hill. He didn't have a great game against the Giants, but the Rams' defense shouldn't be close to the Giants' D.
• Who's going to make an impact at receiver for the Redskins? Randle El was the leader last week in the slot. Will any of the second-year players step up? Will Moss have an impact? He was shut down against New York.
  
• Rookie Orakpo had a so-so game against New York. He should have a better game against St. Louis. The Redskins should use him as an attacking linebacker. He can rush the passer much better than he can drop into coverage.
  
• Maybe the Redskins will have a punt return against St. Louis. They had just one against the Giants - for zero yards.
  

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.

What to expect tonight against Patriots

It's preseason, week 3, which usually signifies a longer stay on the field for Jason Campbell, and he needs it. The starting quarterback has played, probably, 15ish snaps. I could go add it up, but I won't.

Look for Campbell to play a half. And perhaps the Redskins starting offense can score a touchdown. For a change.

Five other things to look for against New England:

1. How much time will Todd Collins get?
After his performance last week, rookie Chase Daniel has been getting a lot of good press. Coach Jim Zorn probably won't play a lot of Collins, if at all. The team knows what Collins can do. He's not going to surprise anyone. He's solid, but aged. The Redskins want to see what Daniel can do, and they want to see what Colt Brennan can do. Brennan has had two bad games in a row, making ginormous mistakes at bad times.

2. Who's the No. 2 receiver?
OK, Santana Moss is No. 1. No doubt about that for now. But the team seems desperate to get Antwaan Randle El out of that second receiver spot and into the slot receiver/third receiving spot that he performed so well in when he was with Pittsburgh. It looks like Malcolm Kelly might be getting a shot at No. 2, if he can stay injury free. Devin Thomas has been slipping, and looks like he's at No. 4.

3. How well will the first-team defense stand up against Tom Brady and the Patriots?
All through camp, this defense, with its pass-rushing additions, has been talked about as being fantastic. I, myself, have said the defense has looked pretty dang good in preseason games. Tonight, the defense will get a strong challenge from Brady and the Patriots, who did a pretty good job of dismantling the Redskins the last time the two teams met. In that 52-7 bombing, the Patriots did a good job of attacking the Redskins' flats. We'll see if Pats coach Bill Belichick goes for the same thing (though, it being just a preseason game, Belichick probably won't bother game-planning).

4. Will anyone on the defense below the first team stand out?
Maybe I haven't been paying too close attention, but has there been a standout on defense, who isn't a starter? Chris Wilson might be the closest thing, delivering a bone-jarring sack in the Pittsburgh game. Kareem Moore has showed something, it's just a little hard to figure out what, right now. Haven't seen much in the secondary.

5. What becometh of Dominique Dorsey and Anthony Alridge?
The two running back speedsters haven't shown much so far, though they haven't been given too many chances. Dorsey has looked explosive on punt returns, but he hasn't been given too much shots. Alridge has been hurt all camp, and has shown absolutely nothing. The Redskins don't have too much in pure speed, so Dorsey and Alridge were brought in to help in that department. Alridge will get his first playing time of the season tonight.

The game is on nationally on CBS. Enjoy the show.

Backups at the forefront against Steelers

Yeah, Clinton Portis is going to play, and yes, Albert Haynesworth will be suiting up. But this weekend's game is still all about backups.

It's the preseason, and that means it's Colt Brennan's time.

With that in mind, here are five backups to watch come Saturday.

1. Colt Brennan.
The exciting rookie has turned into a so-so sophomore. His performance last week against Baltimore (4-of-12) was putrid, and reports out of camp say that he hasn't looked his best recently. He's battling for the backup job behind Jason Campbell, but Todd Collins has looked solid if not spectacular, and could make the job his with another poor showing out of Colt.

2. Chase Daniel.
The rookie out of Missouri set records in college, but he didn't get on the field last week. He's probably fighting for a spot on the Redskins' practice squad (or a spot elsewhere in the league), but Daniel reportedly has looked good in practice. The knock on Daniel coming out of college was his height, but guys like Jeff Garcia and Doug Flutie can play in the NFL.

3. Marko Mitchell.
The rookie wide receiver was invisible last week. He's had a good week in practice, and the Skins need someone at the position to step up and grab the 5-6 positions.

4. Brian Orakpo.
OK, he's not a backup, but the rookie defensive end/linebacker is exciting. Look for him to play sparingly but provide some defensive highlights. I have a feeling this pass rusher will be a great one.

5. Justin Tryon.
The second-year cornerback had a strong training camp, but he hit a huge speedbump against the Ravens, giving up play after play, especially inside slants. After the game, he sounded like he had learned much from his shaming. We'll see come Saturday.

What to look forward to in Game 2

The Redskins will try for a second time to score some points when the team takes on Pittsburgh Steelers Saturday.

Here are five things I'm looking to see out of the team on game day.

Tomorrow, look for a breakdown on individual players.

1. Score some points.
The Baltimore Ravens, yes, are a good defensive team, but it was still very disappointing to come away without at least a field goal in four quarters. The Redskins gained just 196 total yards. The first team offense did the best against the Ravens, which is a small comfort. Jason Campbell and Co. will get a longer look Saturday, and some points would be nice. The offense needs to get some drives and stay on the field longer. The Ravens had almost 30 more plays on offense than the Redskins did (80-51).

2. Portis and Haynesworth in and out.
Having Clinton Portis play in the preseason is good. Getting used to the pounding is good. Getting injured is NOT good. 4-5 touches would be fine by me. Similarly with Albert Haynesworth, it'll be good to see him in some live situations, but having him get injured could be disastrous.

3. Throw the ball downfield ...
Last Thursday against the Ravens, the Redskins barely tested the Ravens' deep coverage. Maybe that was by design, maybe not. But the Steelers have also have a tough defense that will challenge the Redskins' ability to get down the field.

4. ... and also show the ability to run the ball.
Washington ran 19 times for 56 yards, a net average of 2.9 yards per carry. That isn't going to cut it. A good passing game usually will open up a rushing game, but the same could be said of a good rushing game opening up the passing game. The team did neither against the Ravens, and that's why they were shut out.

5. Backup defense needs to be better.
In the second half, the defense needs to show the ability to stop Pittsburgh QB Dennis Dixon. The Skins couldn't stop Troy Smith from throwing for 200 yards in limited work, and Baltimore ran up most of their 500 yards against the Redskins' backup defense. These backups are playing for jobs, and the second half is where the jobs could be won - or lost.

Redskins links

• A listing of Redskins on Twitter, if that's your sort of thing. Also, find me on Twitter. The Redskin I want to see start tweeting? Fred Smoot.
• Backup receiver Marques Hagans trying to bounce back from a disappointing game against Ravens. Also, he can still chuck that football.
• Backup defensive linemen J.D. Skolnitsky and Antonio Dixon are trying to win roster spots.

My favorite Greg Blache quote of the week

I might have to start quoting the Redskins defensive coordinator every week ...

"Rookies are coming to a new world, and so they play like aliens. We have to get them into the system."