 Division Preview: Redskins & Seahawks
By Chris Pokorny, PFCritics Writer January 10, 2006
On Saturday, the Washington Redskins will take on the Seattle Seahawks for the first game of the 2005-2006 NFL divisional playoffs. Both teams met each other earlier this season, and the Redskins upset the Seahawks after Josh Brown's "perfect kick" sailed wide of the goal post. The Seahawks scored a touchdown late in the game to tie it, but had a chance to win it as time expired. Brown missed his kick, and the Redskins won in overtime. The Seahawks are looking not only for revenge, but their first playoff victory in a long time. The Redskins offense was horrid last week, but will be looking to pick up a win just like they did earlier this year. Now that these two teams meet in the second round of the playoffs, who will come out on top?
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| NFC Divisional Playoff Game - Team Stats |
|
Washington Redskins - #6 |
vs. |
#1 - Seattle Seahawks |
 |
Overall Record: 10-6
Road Record: 4-4
Offense: 11th overall
(7th rush, 21st pass)
Defense: 9th overall
(13th rush, 10th pass) |
|
 |
Overall Record: 13-3
Home Record: 8-0
Offense: 2nd overall
(3rd rush, 13th pass)
Defense: 16th overall
(5th rush, 25th pass) |
| Last Meeting - October 2nd, 2005 |
| Quarterback |
vs. |
Quarterback |
Mark Brunell:
20 of 36 for
226 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception. 2 carries, 16 yards.
Note: Brunell had no qualms facing the Seahawks defense. While he
did not tear it up against them, he managed the game properly and was
only limited to one interception. He will be facing a more confident
team this time that is not only well-rested, but looking for revenge. |
|
Matt Hasselbeck: 26 of
38 for
242 yards, 1 touchdown. 2 carries, 16 yards.
Note: Hasselbeck led the Seahawks late in the game after not
being able to punch it in the entire game. Over the season, he has built
a much stronger connection with Joe Jurevicius, adding another viable
option for him. Hasselbeck made sure he did not lose the ball, which
will be important against a Redskins defense that can produce points. |
| Running Backs |
vs. |
Running Backs |
Clinton Portis:
25 carries, 90 yards, 3.6 avg. 2 catches, 18 yards.
Ladell Betts: 12 carries, 35 yards, 2.9 avg.
Note: Portis did not find it easy against the Seahawks defense,
being held to under 100 yards and without a touchdown. Ladell Betts, who
usually comes in and carries for decent yardage, had under three yards a
touch. Portis may be limited with an injury this week, but the Redskins
really need him to set up the pass. |
|
Shaun
Alexander: 20 carries, 98
yards, 4.9 avg, 1 touchdown. 1 catch, 4 yards.
Note: The Redskins have a good run defense, but Alexander pretty
much had his way with them. He did not have a lot of carries, which has
to become a priority for them in this game. It's hard to find a team
that can stop the MVP of the NFL, even if the Redskins are on a roll
defensively. |
| Receivers |
vs. |
Receivers |
Santana Moss:
6 catches, 87 yards.
Chris Cooley: 4 catches, 61 yards.
Mike Sellers: 1 catch, 4 yards, 1 touchdown.
Note: The Redskins spread the ball around pretty well against
Seattle, but still gave their top two receivers the bulk of the catches.
Sellers caught one of his touchdowns against Seattle, which could come
in handy against Seattle if the Redskins can't pound it in on the ground
near the goal line. The Seahawks do not give up a lot of big plays,
meaning that Moss will probably not see a touchdown. |
|
Darrell Jackson:
7 catches,
55 yards, 1 touchdown.
Bobby Engram: 9 catches, 106 yards.
Joe Jurevicius: 1 catch, 17 yards.
Note: The Seahawks receivers also did not do too bad. Engram had
one of his best games of the season, while Jackson caught the touchdown
late in the game. Jurevicius will have to be more of a target this time
to spread the field better, and opening up more options for Alexander. |
| Defense |
vs. |
Defense |
Defense: 1
sack, 17 points allowed.
Note: The Redskins defense did not need turnovers to beat
Seattle; they simply stymied them until the last few minutes of the
game. Washington's defense is good, but that will appear much more
vulnerable than they did last week. Alexander can take one the distance
anytime if you're not careful, and the Seahawk receivers are catching
the ball well. |
|
Defense: 2
sacks, 1 interception, 20 points allowed.
Note: Seattle's defense was not dominating over the Redskins, but
they did a fair job. They thrive better when the Seahawks have the lead,
since they can take more risks while blitzing. If the Seahawks want to
establish their defense early, it'll be as a result of their offense. |
| Special Teams |
vs. |
Special Teams |
John Hall:
Hall was not the Redskins kicker during this game due to his injury.
Note: There's really nothing special to note about the Redskins
special teams unit, except that Derrick Frost is the most aggressive
punter in the NFL when it comes to tackling. |
|
Josh Brown: Remember when
Josh Brown missed "The Perfect Kick?" I watched that kick over and over,
and I still don't know how it missed.
Note: If Brown never missed the perfect kick(or the one earlier),
the Seahawks would have won. That's pretty important. |
| Final Analysis |
|
Washington Redskins |
vs. |
Seattle Seahawks |
The Redskins are
coming off of the worst offensive performance by a team that won a
playoff game in history. Do not get the wrong impression about the
Redskins offense, though. I have seen this offense the whole year, and
they did not play in rhythm whatsoever against the Buccaneers. It has
happened before, but they always find a way to rebound the following
week.
Portis and Betts will see a lot of rotation, and they will simply need
to have tough running all day long. The Redskins can't bank on picking
up 10-yard runs on every play, because it simply will not happen. Once
they pound the ball though, the options for Chris Cooley and Santana
Moss can get wide open with the right play calls.
Defensively, the Redskins will not be as dominating as they were last
week, and rightly so. They are facing a much better offense that
contains the MVP of the NFL, and will quickly find out that they will
need to make more in-game adjustments than they had to against the
Buccaneers. Unlike Portis, Alexander can take it the distance against
any defense, forcing Washington to put more people in the box at times. |
|
Is it time? Can
the Seattle Seahawks finally win a playoff game? I simply cannot stand
to see Matt Hasselbeck lose another heartbreaking game; it'll crush me.
Two years ago, he threw the interception that went the distance against
Green Bay, and last year his pass to Bobby Engram in the end zone was
dropped, causing them to lose to the Rams. If that happens against, I
can't imagine how torn he will feel inside.
Fortunately, Hasselbeck has a much, much better supporting cast this
year. Not only is Shaun Alexander having his best season ever, but his
receivers are not dropping the football anymore. Seattle no longer has
to punt because seven drops occurred on the same drive.
Seattle's defense has a chance to put this game away early. Seattle's
offense will try to establish an early lead, and the Redskins can be
contained. You can't contain them as well as the Buccaneers did last
week, but shutting down the running game and doubling Santana Moss all
game is a must. Whenever you do not double Moss, Brunell will throw it
deep, and more times than not, Moss will make a great catch. |
| NFC Divisional Prediction |
|
Winner - Seattle Seahawks |
| One interesting
statistic: Seattle is 8-0 this year at home. They have been untouchable
in their own stadium, and even though the Redskins won at Tampa Bay last
week, they are not nearly as well as a road team as they are at home.
The stadium will be so loud to start the game, making it difficult for
the Redskins to communicate properly. The communication problems will
lead to an early Seattle run, and by time the Redskins get things going,
it'll be too tough to stop Alexander from slowly running the clock out. Final Score:
Seahawks 23, Redskins 16. |
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| Meet Doc's Advisory Board for: |
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