The Washington Redskins will host their first game of the season as they take on the St. Louis Rams at Fed Ex Field Sunday afternoon. Kickoff is at 1 pm.
The St. Louis Rams scored their first points on special teams last week when they took on the Seattle Seahawks at Qwest Field. Rams defensive end C.J. Ah You blocked a field-goal attempt by Seattle’s Olindo Mare late in the first half. Cornerback Quincy Butler scooped up the ball, and sprinted 51 yards to the end zone. Before the Rams could kick the extra point the play was reviewed and overturned. The Rams had 12 men on the field, negating the play. The Rams never returned to the end zone and were shut out 28-0. After the game C.J. Ah You said “I wasn’t supposed to be out there, I just wasn’t paying attention with the personnel that was out there. It was a mistake on my part, and it cost us… I wondered why I came in there so clean; now I know.”
The Washington Redskins opened their 2009 season last Sunday with a 23-17 road loss to the New York Giants. This was the Redskins’ sixth lost in their last seven games against the Giants. The Redskins first touchdown of the 2009 season came with 5:04 left in the first quarter on fourth and 11 when holder Hunter Smith ran it in from eight yards out on a fake field goal.
The first offensive touchdown of the new season came as Campbell operated out of the shotgun. With a minute and 37 seconds remaining in the game with the Giants leading 23 to 10, Campbell connected on a 17-yard touchdown pass to tight end Chris Cooley. The Redskins’ offense scored on three (two touchdowns and a field goal) of its ten opportunities. Two resulted in turnovers and five of the ten possessions ended in the Redskins punting. Quarterback Jason Campbell finished the game with 19-of-26 completions for 211 yards, a touchdown, an interception (thrown after he had crossed the line of scrimmage), and a fumble that was returned 37 yards for a touchdown. Yet, he finished with a 93.6 passer rating.
The Redskins’ offense produced a couple of three and outs before Jason Campbell started to look like the quarterback that all Redskins’ fans want him to be during the Redskins’ third drive. Starting at his own 26 yard line, Campbell completed an 11 yard pass to Chris Cooley followed by a 23 yard gain by flipping the ball to backup running back Ladell Betts. Then, he hit wide receiver Antwaan Randle El going across the middle for a 35-yard gain. Two plays later, Campbell threw his first interception of the season.
The Washington Redskins and St. Louis Rams have met 33 times with the Redskins holding a 20-8-1 advantage in the regular season series, dating back to a 16-7 victory over the Cleveland Rams in 1937. The teams have split their four playoff games. The Redskins have won eight of the last 13 meetings, but have lost the last two meetings, including 19-17 last year, at FedEx Field
News and Notes:
— The Redskins offense gained 85 yards on the ground. Clinton Portis got 34 on the first play and Jason Campbell picked up 16 on late scramble. That leaves 19 carries for 35 yards for the afternoon. Other “numbers” from the Redskins loss to the Giants can be found in this week’s addition of THN’s weekly blog By the Numbers.
— As a team, the New York Giants lead the NFL in rushing in 2008. On Sunday, they averaged only 3.3 yards per carry and the Washington Redskins’ defense held them to a total of just 103 rushing yards. MLB London Fletcher led the Redskins in tackles with 18; DE/THN Contributer Andre Carter had a sack and a forced fumble. Cornerback DeAngelo Hall also contributed when he returned an interception (a pass that was tipped by safety LaRon Landry) inside the Giants 15 yard line, which led to the Redskins’ field goal.
— The Redskins finalized a contract extension with veteran fullback Mike Sellers. Last week Sellers was named a team captain for his work on special teams. Last season he earned his first Pro Bowl selection as a blocking fullback.
Comparing the Team Leaders:
— The Rams are lead by QB Marc Bulger with 191 passing yards and a QB rating of 63.5. He has no touchdowns and no interceptions compared to Redskins’ QB Jason Campbell who has 211 yards passing and a QB rating of 93.6 and has 1 touchdown and 1 interception.
— The Rams leading rusher is RB Stephen Jackson averaging 4.2 yards per carry with 67 yards on 16 carries compared to Redskins RB Clinton Portis, who is averaging 3.9 yards per carry with 62 yards on 16 carries.
— WR Laurent Robinson is the St. Louis Rams top pass catcher averaging 17.4 yards per catch with 5 receptions and 87 yards. WR Antwaan Randle El is the leading receiver for the Redskins averaging 14 yards per catch with 7 receptions for 98 yards
— The Rams defensive leader in tackles is James Laurinaitis with 14. At this point in the season, the St. Louis hasn’t produced any sacks and has two players tied with one interception each.
— The Redskins defensive leaders are: London Fletcher with 18 tackles, Andre Carter with 1 sack and Deangelo Hall with 1 interception.
Complete Tale of the Tapes:
Total Points Offense: Washington is ranked 20th averaging 17.0 points per game and the St. Louis Rams rank 32nd averaging 0.0 points per game
Total Offense: Washington is ranked 21st with 272.0 yards per game and the St. Louis Rams rank 25th with 247.0 ypg.
Rushing Offense: Washington is ranked 19th with 85.0 yards per game and the St. Louis Rams rank 20th with 77.0 ypg.
Passing Offense: Washington is ranked 20th with 187.0 yards per game and the St. Louis Rams rank 24th with 170.0 ypg.
Total Points Defense: Washington is ranked 20th giving up on average 23.0 points per game and the St. Louis Rams rank 27th giving up on average 28.0 points per game.
Total Defense: Washington is ranked 21st giving up 351.0 yards per game and the St. Louis Rams rank 27th with 446.0 ypg.
Rushing Defense: Washington is ranked 22nd, giving up 103.0 yards per game and the St. Louis Rams rank 27th with 167.0 ypg.
Passing Defense: Washington is ranked 21st, giving up 248.0 yards per game and the St. Louis Rams rank 26th with 279.0 ypg.
Injury Report:
The Weekly Injury Report can be found on the HogBlogs mid-day the day before the Game.
Injured Reserves:
The following players are out for the 2009 season:
QB Colt Brennan (Hip)
Edit: This blog was archived in May of 2016 from our original articles database.It was originally posted by Bernie Marshall