Redskins aiming to play spoiler yet again

By Connor Byrne  |   Wednesday, November 29, 2006  |  Comments( 4 )

Washington Redskins
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On the heels of their 17-13 stunner over the Carolina Panthers last weekend, the 4-7 Washington Redskins, who are all but out of the NFC playoff race, have the opportunity to spoil things for another aspiring playoff team this weekend.

Washington, which sent the Panthers to 6-5 last weekend at FedEx Field, will remain in front of its faithful fans in hopes of knocking the Falcons down to 5-7. Judging by the way Atlanta has played lately, it's a very good possibility. In fact, few teams in the NFL are in more disarray than the Michael Vick-led Falcons, who have dropped four straight games. Moreover, they've been defeated by two teams well out of playoff contentions in their respective conferences, the Detroit Lions and Cleveland Browns.

Vick, whose confidence has seemingly shattered, has to face a newly confident Redskins defense. Although Washington's 'D' has struggled mightily throughout this season, it came up big in the win over Carolina, stymieing former Pro Bowl quarterback Jake Delhomme and the Panthers' rushing attack. Delhomme, a much more adept passer than Vick, threw for only 168 yards on 23 completions and tossed two interceptions. The team's most productive runner, DeAngelo Williams, averaged a meager 3.7 yards per carry.

Although Vick -- who gained vast amounts of attention this week by flipping Falcons fans the middle finger after last Sunday's loss -- has all kinds of athletic ability, it could be his inability to pass effectively that leads to his team's demise. Over the course of Atlanta's four-game losing skid, Vick completed just 45.3 percent of his passes for three touchdowns and four interceptions. He was Superman-like on the ground, though, accruing a whopping 354 yards on only 35 carries.

Despite Vick's athletic ability, if the Redskins' defense can continue keeping him unconfident in the pocket, the team will have a great chance of winning. Though he's only accumulated two pro starts, second-year Washington quarterback Jason Campbell has proven the ability to manage games and put his team in positions to win. As long as the Skins can throw 20 points on the board, they can probably win this game.

If Washington can emerge triumphant against Atlanta, the Redskins will find themselves one step closer to a miracle playoff run in the painfully weak NFC. As crazy as that sounds, their final four opponents after this weekend are all beatable. Head coach Joe Gibbs would probably like to take it one game at a time, though.

--Connor J. Byrne can be reached at cbyrne@realfootball365.com.

Get more on the Washington Redskins at RealFootball365.com.
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