Can the redskins beat the lions without portis and moss

[SmootSmack]

Well, this is sort of blasphemous I suppose, but I agree with you sandtrap. And I think ChiefX alluded to this as well. The key is not going to be can we beat Detroit in a shootout, it's going to be can we control the clock and prevent the Lions from engaging us in a shootout.

That said, I have a feeling the Redskins will come out the gate with a couple of deep plays and then settle things down

[BDBohnzie]

No Moss means Randle El becomes non-existant. Randle El's big plays this season have come because he is playing opposite of Moss. Without Santana, you have Caldwell, Thrash or McCardell (or perhaps Cooley at the slot) playing, none of which are speedsters like Moss is.

No Portis means more carries for Mike Sellars. While Betts will take a bulk of the carries, you will see more Sellars in on short yardage situations.

While both are important, the Skins have a better chance without Portis than without Moss.

Can the Skins win? Absolutely. The defense is finally going on all cylinders, and will give Kitna and their Receivers fits. As Smootsmack et al. said before me, the key for the Skins offense will be to control the clock, and grind the ball with Betts, Cartwright and Sellars.

If Kevin Jones is finally 100%, he could be the factor. Give the Lions another dimension to their offense.

[hurrykaine]

Judging by Gibbs v 2.0, this game will likely resemble the Cleveland and Cinci games from 2004, the Oakland game from 2005, and the Tennessee game from 2006.

Games that we should win easily but won't, for whatever reason. If we don't win this one, season's pretty much done.

I count 2 losses to Dallas, 1 more to the Giants up in the Meadowlands, 1 to New England, 1 to Greenbay. That's 5, and adding the home loss to NYG and Lions will make it 7, which will cause us to rely on late season math to have any hope of making the post-season.

Of course, predictions mean nothing and that's why the play the games.

[SmootSmack]

Originally Posted by hurrykaine

Judging by Gibbs v 2.0, this game will likely resemble the Cleveland and Cinci games from 2004, the Oakland game from 2005, and the Tennessee game from 2006.

Games that we should win easily but won't, for whatever reason. If we don't win this one, season's pretty much done.

Or it could be like the Lions, 49ers, Vikings games of 2004; the 49ers, Rams, and Cardinals games of 2005; the Texans game of 2006, the Dolphins game of 2007 (as some examples).

Games we should have won...and did

[firstdown]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

Or it could be like the Lions, 49ers, Vikings games of 2004; the 49ers, Rams, and Cardinals games of 2005; the Texans game of 2006, the Dolphins game of 2007 (as some examples).

Games we should have won...and did

Hmm, we won the Dolphins game in 07.

[MTK]

Originally Posted by firstdown

Hmm, we won the Dolphins game in 07.

Right, that was his point

[firstdown]

Originally Posted by Mattyk72

Right, that was his point

I missed the part we did as we did win.

[hurrykaine]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

Or it could be like the Lions, 49ers, Vikings games of 2004; the 49ers, Rams, and Cardinals games of 2005; the Texans game of 2006, the Dolphins game of 2007 (as some examples).

Games we should have won...and did

So Gibbs has an 8-8 record against weak teams...not a very strong case for this weekend's game.

[skinsfan_nn]

Originally Posted by hurrykaine

So Gibbs has an 8-8 record against weak teams...not a very strong case for this weekend's game.

Why so? You think the Lions are a weak team? If so you have no case. Remember they are 3-1.

We will defeat the lions at home.

[hurrykaine]

Originally Posted by skinsfan_nn

Why so? You think the Lions are a weak team? If so you have no case. Remember they are 3-1.

We will defeat the lions at home.

remember they gave up 56 points a week ago. "Weak" is relative, but yes, I'd consider them weak.

[GTripp0012]

Originally Posted by hurrykaine

So Gibbs has an 8-8 record against weak teams...not a very strong case for this weekend's game.

8-8? wtf?

If you are going to make up numbers to try to prove a point, it's probably better to reconsider making it in the first place.

[hurrykaine]

Originally Posted by GTripp0012

8-8? wtf?

If you are going to make up numbers to try to prove a point, it's probably better to reconsider making it in the first place.

Smootsmack listed 8 teams he thought we should've beaten and did, and I listed 8 teams I thought we should've beaten and didn't. That's where the 8-8 comes from. 8-8 against lowly teams isn't confidence inspiring as we head into this weekend is my point.

[SmootSmack]

Originally Posted by hurrykaine

So Gibbs has an 8-8 record against weak teams...not a very strong case for this weekend's game.

They've also beaten, among other, the Jaguars, Saints, Seahawks, and Eagles when not thought possible.

[Paintrain]

I don't think we beat the Lions without Moss and Portis.. We need to score 24-28 to beat Detroit and without our 2 most explosive offensive weapons, that's not going to happen. Unless the defense plays lights out and Carlos Rogers realizes how to cover/tackle a WR, we could be in for a long afternoon...

[Longtimefan]

The team has issues that at this time make predicting the outcome of their game virtually impossible.

With the current injury situation,several things have to go right in order for them to be successful. Without Portis, the running game can have some success with Betts depending on the O-line's ability to create running lanes. Betts is the type back that does not fare well in a platoon type situation, he, like most backs needs to run repeatedly to get in a flow for where the holes are going to be. He's more productive when he gets the opportunities like he did last year.

If Moss can't go that will definately be a blow to an already decimated offense. I'm just more than a little concerned with his injury problems, and being such an intrigual part of the offense, not just for now, but as the season continues to progress. Maybe if we can control the tempo with the running game, limiting Detroit's chances, that will enhance our chances at winning. A shoot-out is not in our best interest.