Riggo's Rag » wild card playoffs http://riggosrag.com A Washington Redskins Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and more. Fri, 24 May 2013 11:56:08 +0000 en-US hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.4.1 The NFC playoff picture, Redskins squarely outside the frame http://riggosrag.com/2010/12/07/the-nfc-playoff-picture-redskins-squarely-outside-the-frame/ http://riggosrag.com/2010/12/07/the-nfc-playoff-picture-redskins-squarely-outside-the-frame/#comments Tue, 07 Dec 2010 17:14:33 +0000 http://riggosrag.com/?p=4033 It’s about that time of the year when the NFL playoffs really start to take shape.  This year’s picture is fuzzier than in the past, but in the NFC there are 9 teams that have separated themselves from the pack and will be fighting for 6 spots down to the final week.  The Redskins of [...]

The NFC playoff picture, Redskins squarely outside the frame - Riggo's Rag - Riggo's Rag - A Washington Redskins Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and more.

]]> It’s about that time of the year when the NFL playoffs really start to take shape.  This year’s picture is fuzzier than in the past, but in the NFC there are 9 teams that have separated themselves from the pack and will be fighting for 6 spots down to the final week.  The Redskins of course are not one of those teams remaining in the hunt, and don’t deserve to be, but there are some other teams still fighting that also may not deserve to be in the picture.

NFC West

At the bottom of the pack record-wise are the Seattle Seahawks (6-6) and St. Louis Rams (6-6)  vying for the prestigious title of NFC west champion, a home playoff game, and hopefully a trouncing by a much better wild card team.  Yes it is true, these two teams that had a combined record of 6-26 last year and could very well finish at or below .500 by season’s end have the chance to play a first round playoff game at home.  The Seahawks still have to play games both at home against the Falcons and at the Buccaneers, whereas the Rams face tough challenges against a good Chiefs team and at the Saints.  Each team also plays division foe San Francisco and they face off against each other in the final game of the season.

Prediction: Everything points to this one coming down to the last week, both teams at 7-8 or worse (with possible wins over San Francisco) and the winner heading into a home playoff game at 8-8.  The Rams crushed the Seahawks in St. Louis 20-3 in week  4, look for Seattle to return the favor at home (where they are 4-2, as opposed to a 2-4 road record for the Rams) in week 17 and we can all look forward to a first round playoff game at Qwest field.

The rest of the NFC after the jump… (more…)

]]> http://riggosrag.com/2010/12/07/the-nfc-playoff-picture-redskins-squarely-outside-the-frame/feed/ 0 Putting It On the Line http://riggosrag.com/2008/01/05/putting-it-on-the-line/ http://riggosrag.com/2008/01/05/putting-it-on-the-line/#comments Sat, 05 Jan 2008 16:30:21 +0000 daveskins http://riggosrag.com/2008/01/05/putting-it-on-the-line/ I guess it is time (or past time) to break this game down. The big factor for this game may turn out to be the weather.  It is supposed to be cold and wet.  This would figure to benefit the Redskins who have a much more solid running game. Shaun Alexander is simply not himself [...]

Putting It On the Line - Riggo's Rag - Riggo's Rag - A Washington Redskins Fan Site - News, Blogs, Opinion and more.

]]> I guess it is time (or past time) to break this game down. The big factor for this game may turn out to be the weather.  It is supposed to be cold and wet.  This would figure to benefit the Redskins who have a much more solid running game. Shaun Alexander is simply not himself anymore, and the Seahawks rely heavily on their passing game.

The problem here on defense is that I don’t know how well we match up.  Our strength since injuries to Rogers and Taylor has been stopping the run.  I’m a bit concerned about them being able to stretch us out and take advantage of our lack of depth.  The good news is that their best receiver, Deion Branch is a game time decision with calf issues. If we can truly shut down Alexander (and I think we can), and force them into a bunch of 3rd and longs, I think we will be able to handle the spread attack.  It is the 3rd and 5 and less type plays that are hard to defend when you have to defend the whole field. Our linebackers have been giving up the 6 and 7 yard middle routes a lot (by design) and if we are forced to shut those down, it will be tough to avoid giving up the big play on the outside.

On offense, I like how we matchup a little better. Seattle’s defense is average (15th in the league), but better against the pass due to a very good pass rush and agressive backfield.  Their run defense is not special, and we should be able to control the clock.  My biggest concern is Clinton Portis’ recent spate of fumbles. With the wet ball, CP needs to be extra careful. Another concern is Heyer against Patrick Kearney.  Though Heyer did a great job against Strahan so let’s hope he can repeat the effort.

Assuming we control the clock and stop the run, we will be very much in this game.  If Cooley and Collins can keep moving the chains when we need it, look for a big game for Portis to seal the deal in a close, hard fought game.  I’m predicting 23-19. Hail Skins!

-DW

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