Behind another great outing by C.P., the Skins come out victorious against the 'Hawks. Seattle's a tough place to play and we certainly have had our struggles there in the past so it was good to come out with the win. It was also a little interesting in that Seattle and us run similar offenses so we had to change some of the terminology to disguise our plays. It was a tougher than expected game but a win is a win and we are 7-4 and control our own destiny moving forward. Here are my thoughts in no particular order:
1. Great game by Portis again. That guy is a tremendous player and gains more of my respect with each passing week. He continues to get beaten up but only comes back each week to run even harder. He is a great team guy and probably the best RB blocker in the league. You don't see featured running backs of star quality block the way he does. He works on on every single play whether his number is called or not.
2. JC was solid in his performance. Made the plays he needed to and had a few crucial drops that could have jacked up his numbers (most notably Sellars catch for a probable TD and a deep ball to Moss on the sideline). Still, all in all a good game for him.
3. Moss had a decent game. He is good with the ball after the catch and made a couple of nice runs on short screens for first downs. We should utilize him more in these types of situations whether it is screens or crossing routes to better utilize his elusiveness.
4. Line play was better. After being porous the last couple of weeks, they gave JC a bit more time to allow plays to develop and let him make the passes. They still need to improve especially with the Giants D line coming to town this week.
5. We controlled the clock and racked up yards but we still have to score more points. FGs for TDs is not going to cut it.
6. Defense was okay. Was surprised that we had as much difficulty stopping the run as we did. Not sure if it was because we didn't respect their running game or what but that is going to be a huge issue when we play the Giants. Hopefully Jacobs will still be hurt but I'm not counting on it. We have been good all year stopping the run but we sucked yesterday.
7. Suisham normally has a strong leg but he seemed to be struggling yesterday. He missed a very makeable 43 yard attempt and most of his kickoffs were short.
8. What was up with Betts fumbling with a minute and a half left? The game was essentially over at that point as long as we hold on to the ball and the one thing you can't have happen (a turnover), happens! Unacceptable!
9. I liked the use of Sellars in the offense. Most of the season he has been used as a blocker but the last couple of weeks he has actually gotten his hands on the ball and he normally gets positive yards. I like seeing him get a few opportunities in the game. Hopefully that continues.
10. Finally, I'm happy we got the "W." I'm looking forward to getting the Giants at home. I expect a very tough and typical NFC East battle. Our offense has been stagnating and that is going to have to improve. If we can manage a victory against them, we will be in really good shape as the schedule lightens up after them with games against the 49ers, Bengals, and struggling Eagles.
For now, I am happy being 7-4 at this point of the season. Lets keep this thing going!
HAIL TO THE REDSKINS!!!!
