Looking ahead: next week will tell us who this team really is.

Yes,anybody who thinks we will win big is .I couldnt believe some of the Dallas predictions.Were not going to blow anybody out,were going to have to scratch and claw for every win

Yes,anybody who thinks we will win big is .I couldnt believe some of the Dallas predictions.Were not going to blow anybody out,were going to have to scratch and claw for every win

Big to me is 2 scores lol

which is what we beat the giants by

I don't think the Skins finally win big this game simply because Stephen Jackson will be back, and I know damn well they will be determined to put the ball in his hands. That Rams team with and without S.Jax are two different teams. It's gonna be another close one, and I hope the guys are good and po'd after this loss on Monday night.

He was back this past week and they still got smoked. They've got bigger problems.

I'd say something like 27-14

He was back this past week and they still got smoked. They've got bigger problems.

Yep, he had a whopping 23 yards rushing.

IMO, I think next week will really show us what this team is made of. This is a classic trap game, and one that the Skins have consistently blown in years past. A lot of the media types said the Dallas game was a "must win" for Shanahan, but I don't think that was ever true.

The Rams game, however, will be. Will our squad bring a Grand Canyon-sized chip on our shoulders into this game and step on the throats of a depleted Rams squad? Or will we be conservative and tighten the leash on Rex, and continue to settle for FGs?

(I think the Dallas-Detroit game is going to be key for the same reason: I think it's the game where Dallas is exposed for what they are, and Detroit takes their step to the next level).

Things I'm looking for next week:

-- More Screens. I'd like to see Kyle call more screen passes to Hightower. We could have run the clock out last night with a heavier diet of screens, especially when Ware was basically jumping the snap count on every down towards the end. When we did throw them we got huge gains.

-- Rex the Amnesiac Gunslinger. By now we know what we have with this guy, which is to say, he's going to win us some games by having absolutely no conscience, a short memory, and brass cojones. But we'll likely lose some too. It's Favre Lite, minus the dong pics. I just hope we don't put the training wheels back on or start getting conservative. We'll never develop a vertical passing game without DOING it in games and giving players chances to make plays.

-- Continued execution and special teams excellence. Rocca's botched hold notwithstanding, our special teams have been pretty awesome this year, and we've been generally playing penalty-free football. I can't stress how awesome this is. It's a joy to watch a team just line up and know how to run plays and look like they've done it before. (Ask yourself if you'd rather have that or the shoot-from-the-hip and pray-for-a-miracle Cowboys/Romo offense).

-- More dominance from Dirty 30, more forced turnovers, more aggressive play. His presence was felt immediately and you have to think balls are going to bounce our way eventually if we keep attacking the ball.


What are you guys looking for next week?Let me preface this by saying that I agree with your mindset and outlook about this season. Organizational improvement > short term results. Fighting Dallas tooth n nail on the road > than winning at home on a fluky play but giving up 30+ points in Dallas.

Now, I'll say this: every week is a new data point in evaluating your team. But I think the fact that we played pretty much identical games the last two weeks is great evidence that we now know who this team is. We're a supremely talented defensive team that will merely produce above average results because of specific flaws, and we're a fundamentally improved offensive team with a strength on the OL, but who is looking for an answer at RB and at QB, as well as a WR who can get behind the (if AA is hurt) safeties.

I'm with ya on the screens, I thought they set them up pretty well & almost broke a couple big, just didn't go to it much.

I watched the Rams v. Philly, they hit Vick a lot & they would've been right in that game if not for drops by their wr's. Same thing v. G men, several drops. I think anybody that can get to Rex consistently can beat us, and the Rams seem able w/Spag's blitzing.

The Rams are a desperate team in search of it's first win of the season. Regardless of the status, desperate teams playing at home should always be a concern, especially when they're going against a team struggling to sustain drives and scoring TD's once inside the red-zone.

Regardless of how well we play on defense, if you don't score points and sustain offense this is the kind of team that will hang around, gain confidence and make a few plays at critical times, often being just enough to win. I've never liked the idea of playing teams desperate for a win...especially in their house.

He was back this past week and they still got smoked. They've got bigger problems.

The only way we effectively shut him down is if we do what Baltimore did and go up big on them early, forcing them to pass to get back in the game. They abandoned the run because Baltimore went up big on them early. If we let S.Jax run on us early, it will open things up for them down the stretch.

With all that being said, we need to come out this game and attack them offensively. If we can get a big lead early I don't think it will be close, we will take the game out of S.Jax's hands and let K.O. tee off on Bradford all day. But I know that this week they will be determined to come out and run the ball, because Bradford doesn't have enough weapons to be able to shoulder the load offensively.