DENVER - Wow, Monday night games really create a short week. I still feel like its Tuesday. Regardless, it's time for a Broncos vs. Redskins breakdown.
First, a flashback to 1989.
The Dallas Cowboys were a franchise in upheaval. The Hat ( Tom Landry) had been fired, a cocksure college guy named Jimmy Johnson was head coach, and a rookie named Troy Aikman was quarterbacking the team. The Cowboys went into Washington DC in Week 8 winless. The Redskins were 4-4, with playoff aspirations despite a mediocre start.
In old RFK Stadium, the Cowboys played desperate, almost reckless football, and won their first and only game of the year. It was a slap in the face of a (then) proud Redskins franchise. The Skins finished 10-6, missing the playoffs by a game.
The reason I bring this up is because we could see that type of desperation when the Denver Broncos and Skins lock horns on Sunday. There could be a lot of desperation on the field---gadget plays, going for it on 4th down, etc. I'm just not sure which team it will come from. The Broncos MUST get a win, because the following week presents a huge challenge in the Chargers. The Redskins are floundering, and have to find a way to get the ship straightened---if only for a game.
Here's the kicker: I'm not sure the Redskins are bold enough to play that desperate, and I'm not sure the Broncos feel they have to empty the playbook to get a win. Against the Steelers, we saw the "Wildhorse" and we saw Russ Hochstein in as a tackle eligible in the first series. Those formations caught the Steelers off guard, but they didn't result in anything more than a field goal.
If the Redskins pull out all the stops, the Broncos are in for a fight. Gadgets have a way of annoying a team to death. They keep the defense off-balance, and make coaches second guess. If the Broncos spring something on the Redskins (heck, just a deep pass will do the trick!!), they should cruise.
If neither team gets overly creative, this will be a slow-death win for the Broncos, like a python squeezing the life out of its prey.
My guess is Josh McDaniels gets back to hammering the ball on the ground to regain some lost balance, then play-actions deep. The Redskins will be stout defensively, but with a putrid, banged-up offense, they really have no counter.
Broncos get back into the win column, 27-13.
One more note: My father served in the Korean War, and was a civilian advisor to the troops in southern Vietnam. He's one of the best men I've ever known in my life; I thank him for his lessons when raising my sister, brother and I, and I thank him---along with every other veteran in the country---for his/their service to the greatest nation on the planet.
First, a flashback to 1989.
The Dallas Cowboys were a franchise in upheaval. The Hat ( Tom Landry) had been fired, a cocksure college guy named Jimmy Johnson was head coach, and a rookie named Troy Aikman was quarterbacking the team. The Cowboys went into Washington DC in Week 8 winless. The Redskins were 4-4, with playoff aspirations despite a mediocre start.
In old RFK Stadium, the Cowboys played desperate, almost reckless football, and won their first and only game of the year. It was a slap in the face of a (then) proud Redskins franchise. The Skins finished 10-6, missing the playoffs by a game.
The reason I bring this up is because we could see that type of desperation when the Denver Broncos and Skins lock horns on Sunday. There could be a lot of desperation on the field---gadget plays, going for it on 4th down, etc. I'm just not sure which team it will come from. The Broncos MUST get a win, because the following week presents a huge challenge in the Chargers. The Redskins are floundering, and have to find a way to get the ship straightened---if only for a game.
Here's the kicker: I'm not sure the Redskins are bold enough to play that desperate, and I'm not sure the Broncos feel they have to empty the playbook to get a win. Against the Steelers, we saw the "Wildhorse" and we saw Russ Hochstein in as a tackle eligible in the first series. Those formations caught the Steelers off guard, but they didn't result in anything more than a field goal.
If the Redskins pull out all the stops, the Broncos are in for a fight. Gadgets have a way of annoying a team to death. They keep the defense off-balance, and make coaches second guess. If the Broncos spring something on the Redskins (heck, just a deep pass will do the trick!!), they should cruise.
If neither team gets overly creative, this will be a slow-death win for the Broncos, like a python squeezing the life out of its prey.
My guess is Josh McDaniels gets back to hammering the ball on the ground to regain some lost balance, then play-actions deep. The Redskins will be stout defensively, but with a putrid, banged-up offense, they really have no counter.
Broncos get back into the win column, 27-13.
One more note: My father served in the Korean War, and was a civilian advisor to the troops in southern Vietnam. He's one of the best men I've ever known in my life; I thank him for his lessons when raising my sister, brother and I, and I thank him---along with every other veteran in the country---for his/their service to the greatest nation on the planet.
