A different view...

[The Mayor]

Originally Posted by Mattyk72

The run D did it's job.

It was the lack of pressure on 3rd downs that killed us.

We just couldn't buy a stop.

Yeah...that was my take on the D too. The stats support this.

Minnesota had 34 rushes for 86 yards, a 2.5 ypc average. That's quite good. True, their were a couple of missed tackles in there but remember that the Minnesota O-line is very good.

To me, it was Minnesota's 3rd down conversion ratio of 9 of 17 that was most concerning to me. It's true that our pass D has been hurt by the loss of Springs and then Prioleau on the opening kickoff, but I believe it was mostly the lack of consistent pressure on the QB that allowed the completions and consequently, the first downs. If you can presure the QB consistently, then you can get by with average talent in the backfield.

As for next week against the Cowboys, I'm somewhat optimistic. The Boys O-line isn't as good as Minnesota's and I think our offense will get better each week, especially as Portis becomes healthy. But we shall see. Win or lose, good or bad, I remain a die-hard Redskin fan.

The Mayor