Quick links: Skins criticism

After a disappointing and unimpressive 2-3 start to open the season, the Redskins are seemingly under attack from all angles: fans, former players, media, etc. Here are a few examples:

• John Riggins: "You know what they used to say about the Washington Senators, they're now gonna say about the Washington football team, which is First in war, first in peace, LAST in the NFC East. I'm afraid that's the way it is." [D.C. Sports Bog]


• The Redskins' performance against the Panthers displayed all of the problems with this team. [Hogs Haven]


• Boswell: "This is what Snyder and Cerrato deserve. They brought it on themselves. The Redskins and their fans, however, and Jim Zorn for that matter, don't deserve it. They don't deserve it at all." [Thomas Boswell]


• Wilbon: "See, Snyder is great at the business side of the Redskins but the exact opposite when it comes to the football operations side. Football isn't instinctive to Snyder and it's never going to be, no matter how many fat checks he signs, no matter how many times he sits and stares out at practice." [Michael Wilbon]


• John Feinstein calls for a Redskins boycott and says fans should stop going to games until things change. [D.C. Sports Bog]


• Dave O. on what the future holds for this team: "So the question cannot be avoided: if [the Redskins are] 2-2 against terrible teams (not counting the Giants, obviously), and the two wins were by the skin of [their] teeth, and the offense is likely to get worse instead of better, what's going to happen against the NFC East, Atlanta, Denver, New Orleans, and San Diego?" Probably more losing. [Staying Medium]


• Even current players are fed up. Carlos Rogers: "It starts not only with the players and the coaches. It starts with the ownership. They bring everybody in, and they've got last say-so of everything. So that's where it starts, I guess." [Redskins Insider]

There's a lot more where that came from, but I think you get the point. It really isn't a fun time to be a Redskins fan -- unless you're a masochist too.

Reflecting on the Redskins' loss to the Panthers

After the Panthers scored the last 18 points to sneak past the Redskins 20-17 yesterday, I have to be honest: I was mad, but I wasn't surprised at all. When the Skins went up 17-2, it was more of a mirage than anything. DeAngelo Williams's fumble (recovered by Albert Haynesworth) on Carolina's first offensive play set the Redskins up with excellent field position at the 13 yard line, as did DeAngelo Hall's interception in the third quarter that he returned 44 yards to the Carolina 1. So by forcing two turnovers in Carolina territory, the offense only had to go a combined 14 yards for two touchdowns -- that's 14 points. The Redskins scored only three more points, which is completely unacceptable. But is it shocking? No.

And that's the level the Redskins are at right now. The offense is so terrible that basically being spotted 14 points wasn't enough to pull out a win. Besides not scoring enough points, the offense had only 198 yards of total offense. Nice work, guys.

Other notes:

• Let's start with the good. The defense forced two turnovers and held the Panthers to 248 total yards. Carolina's running game was more than held in check by the Washington defense: On 32 carries, the Panthers averaged only 2.7 yards per carry. Carolina's longest drive of the game was also only 57 yards, and when Carolina scored three times in the second half, their drives were relatively short: 40 yards (TD), 38 yards (FG), and 12 yards (TD).


• Andre Carter had 2.5 sacks, and Brian Orakpo had half a sack. The Redskins forced a decent amount of pressure on Jake Delhomme, who looked average at best. So the defense didn't give up much yardage, forced two turnovers to set up the offense, and rushed the passer effectively -- which is basically what everyone has wanted from the defense. And it still wasn't enough to get a win.


• Jason Campbell finished the game 17-23 for 145 yards and a touchdown. For the amount of pressure he was under -- the Panthers had five sacks -- he was pretty efficient. But besides the touchdown pass to Clinton Portis, there weren't many, if any, explosive plays in the passing game.


• The rushing attack was ineffective. Portis ran 19 times for only 57 yards -- a three-yard average. He did run for a touchdown though, so that's something.


• No receiver had more than 44 receiving yards. Those 44 yards came from Santana Moss, who had four catches. The rest of the receiving corps combined for 13 catches and 101 yards. Shockingly, Chris Cooley failed to catch a pass, and I don't remember Campbell throwing his way even one time, but I could be wrong.


• As mentioned before, the Panthers had five sacks, and the offensive line looked really bad. Losing Chris Samuels so early in the game was a significant loss. The line failed to open up many holes for Portis, and by pushing the Skins' line back inside the five, the Panthers forced a safety. The Redskins have to have the worst offensive line depth in the NFL.


• Shaun Suisham made his only field goal attempt, and Glenn Pakulak filled in for Hunter Smith with an average game. The biggest play of the game, though, came when a player was pushed into Byron Westbrook on a punt return. The ball bounced off Westbrook and was recovered by Carolina deep in Redskins' territory. It's hard to believe that an opposing player can just shove a blocker into a returner, but these are the kinds of plays that happen to the Redskins on a routine basis. Losing teams put themselves in situations like that.


• The Redskins' clock management and Jim Zorn's carelessness with timeouts was terrible. When the Redskins needed to stop the clock late in the fourth quarter, all of their timeouts were gone.


• DeAngelo Hall's inability to tackle Jake Delhomme in the open field with the game on the line was hard to believe. Even Deion Sanders was (probably) shaking his head after that tackling attempt.

Now 2-3, the Redskins face the Chiefs, another team seeking its first win, at home on Sunday. If Kansas City wins, the Redskins will have allowed three teams to gain their first victory against them (not counting the Giants in the season opener).

Week 5 NFL picks

(Home team is in caps.)

Vikings (-11) over RAMS

OK, so did anyone think that Brett Favre would start the season playing this well? I didn’t. Through four games, Favre is third in the NFL in quarterback rating (104.7) and has an 8-1 TD/INT ratio. He isn’t being asked to throw a ton, but with Adrian Peterson in the backfield, he doesn’t have to. If his arm/shoulder/back/whatever can hold up for the entire season, and with the way Peterson and the Minnesota defense is playing, the Vikings (4-0) look like they’ll be a legitimate contender when playoff time rolls around.

Oh, and they play an 0-4 Rams team that has already been outscored by 84 points and will probably have Kyle Boller under center.

CHIEFS (+8.5) over Cowboys

Through four games, here are some quarterbacks with better QB ratings than Tony Romo: Matt Schaub, Kyle Orton, Joe Flacco, Shaun Hill, Jay Cutler, David Garrard, Kevin Kolb, Jason Campbell, Seneca Wallace, and Matt Cassel. Again, it’s early, but Romo is 21st in the league in QB rating and has thrown four touchdowns and four interceptions -- not exactly a strong start to the season. Not to be left out, Roy Williams (11 catches, 214 yards, one touchdown) has had a decent start to the season, but he hasn’t yet rewarded the Cowboys for trading three 2009 draft picks to the Lions for him.

Dallas, by the way, will be playing this game without Williams, Felix Jones, and starting safety Gerald Sensabaugh. I think Dallas win, but it may be close.

Redskins (+4.5) over PANTHERS

Both teams have struggled; I’ll take the points, I guess. One thing worries me though: At some point, Steve Smith (15 catches, 190 yards) has to get tired of hearing about being “the second-best Steve Smith in the NFL” this year and dominate a game or two, right? Hopefully that doesn’t happen today.

EAGLES (-15.5) over Buccaneers
GIANTS (-16) over Raiders

These two games are similar -- and that’s a lot of points. But who feels comfortable going with the Bucs or Raiders right now, even to cover? The early bye week gave the Eagles an opportunity to get healthy, and Donovan McNabb and Brian Westbrook both return this week. Eli Manning is also set to play despite a foot injury, and the Giants’ defense should have no problem frustrating JaMarcus Russell and company.

BILLS (-6) over Browns

Seriously, who knows? Derek Anderson played well last week, but I can’t trust him on the road, even against the Bills.

RAVENS (-8.5) over Bengals

The Bengals almost lost to the Browns last week. Meanwhile, the Ravens went on the road to New England and were a few tough penalty calls and a dropped fourth-down pass away from having an excellent chance to upset the Patriots. I think the Ravens will play with a little extra fire today and have a huge game.

Steelers (-10.5) over LIONS

With consecutive games against the Lions and Browns, the Steelers have a great chance to get to 4-2 heading into a Week 7 showdown with the Vikings. Mike Tomlin can’t be happy with the how the Steelers have finished games lately; look for that to change this week.

Falcons (+3) over 49ERS

Just a hunch.

Patriots (-3) over BRONCOS

Ditto.

Texans (+5.5) over CARDINALS

There’s no reason to think that this won’t be a high-scoring game. I’m a little afraid of Larry Fitzgerald (17 catches, 181 yards, two touchdowns) dominating and having a breakout game, especially since he hasn’t had a 100-yard receiving game yet.

SEAHAWKS (-2) over Jaguars

Random note: Did you know the Jaguars were 2-2? Not that it matters, but I thought they were 1-3 for some reason. Good for them.

Seattle gets Matt Hasselbeck back this week, so I’ll go with the Seahawks at home.

Colts (-4.5) over TITANS

Not that it warrants concern, but I don’t think I’ve seen one person pick the Titans this week.

What the heck happened to Tennessee’s defense? Last year after ranking second and giving up just 14.6 points per game, the Titans are tied for 26th (with the Rams) in points allowed per game (27). Losing Albert Haynesworth certainly had to hurt, but it’s something more than that. They still have nine sacks, a decent amount, and are seventh-best in stopping the run, but they’ve been horrible against the pass -- tied for the worst in the NFL with the Jaguars. Anyway, don’t look for that to change much this week going against Peyton Manning.

Jets (-2) over DOLPHINS

The Jets’ defense has done a pretty good job of limiting the effectiveness of some pretty good quarterbacks: Matt Schaub in Week 1, Tom Brady in Week 2, and Drew Brees in Week 4. This week they get Chad Henne on Monday Night Football. They should force some turnovers and make things easier for Mark Sanchez.

Last week: 5-9
Season: 33-29

Hoge on Skins offense: 'West Coast is not their strength'

In the last year or two, many fans have expressed their dislike of the Redskins' West Coast-style offense under Jim Zorn. Last season the offense was ranked 28th with 16.6 points per game, and so far this season things haven't improved: The offense is currently ranked 27th, scoring 14 points per game, even though they've played against some pretty bad defenses.

So instead of merely speculating why the offense is performing so poorly like the rest of us, Dan Steinberg of the D.C. Sports Bog went to someone who knows what he's talking about: ESPN analyst Merril Hoge.

And here's what Hoge thinks:

"You have a philosophy, a West Coast philosophy, and nobody fits that mold," said Hoge, who comprehensively reviewed the Tampa game on tape. "I don't think they try to take advantage of their strengths. It's like they've got a philosophy and they want to run it regardless. Shoot, I'd run the ball, run a lot of run action, stack receivers, bunch 'em coming off the line. I'd use a different philosophy to take advantage of their strengths. The West Coast is not their strength. That doesn't mean you can't do it some of the time, it just shouldn't be your staple....That, to me, is the biggest way to fail as a coach. Just watch the Tampa game. They did nothing to help their guys. The quarterback has nowhere to throw the ball, so then he gets sacked and looks like an idiot."

Hoge's thoughts aren't particularly shocking -- he's a huge fan of establishing the run and being able to then use the play-action pass. But the Redskins' lack of creativity on offense is rather noticeable, especially when Santana Moss and Chris Cooley are the only playmakers in the passing game.

Hoge had a few more thoughts:

Hoge said the Bucs--once famous for the Tampa-2 zone--were running man concept stuff in their secondary for the majority of the game. He said the Redskins were countering with pass routes that would be most effective against zone schemes. He cited one 3rd-and-10 play in which the Skins ran three curl independent curl routes.

"Man, you're never gonna win a curl route against man, ever," Hoge said. "Give 'em an option route. Stack your receivers. Run them across the field. You just can't run zone concept stuff and think you're gonna win [those battles]. You're not."

. . . . "The great demise for any coach is when he's unwilling to adapt his philosophy to the strengths of his personnel," Hoge said. "I don't care what level you're at, eventually you have to evaluate the strength of your personnel and adjust your philosophy to those strengths."

To be fair to Zorn, I'm not sure exactly what philosophy this team should be shooting for on offense. They can't really be a power running team -- the offensive line isn't good enough. They can't really run the West Coast offense because none of the younger, bigger wide receivers have stepped up and have shown that they can play, plus Jason Campbell isn't one of the best quarterbacks when it comes to making quick reads and getting rid of the ball consistently. And besides Moss, no one on the offense is really a threat to make an explosive, game-changing play.

So basically, Hoge is saying the Redskins are screwed.

Zorn, Redskins should embrace winning ugly

To put it mildly, the Redskins (particularly the offense) have struggled in the first four games of the season. They lost on the road to the Giants by six, beat the Rams at home by two, lost to the Lions by five, and beat the Bucs by three, meaning they're 2-2 even though they've been outscored by six points. The loss to the Giants is understandable: They're 4-0 and look like one of the NFL's best teams. But the other three teams are a combined 1-11 on the season.

In the next two weeks, the Redskins play at Carolina and at home against Kansas City. By the way, those two are a combined 0-7. But as the Redskins' early play has indicated, opposing teams' records don't really mean a whole lot. The Redskins have played down to their competition (unless they're just a bad team too), but they were also an onside kick away from getting the ball back against the Giants and potentially having a chance to score some more points. They were outplayed in New York, but they still lost by less than a touchdown. So, while the Redskins could have lost all four of their games if they didn't make a few key plays, all of their games have been winnable and have at least been competitive in the fourth quarter.

Anyway, here's the point: The Redskins have flaws. Every team in the NFL does, but the Redskins' flaws are more obvious than most: the offensive line is pretty bad; they can't (or haven't been able to) run the ball effectively; besides Santana Moss and Chris Cooley, other receivers haven't stepped up and haven't scared opponents; Jason Campbell sometimes holds the ball too long and doesn't make quick decisions; and the defense can't always get pressure on the quarterback and until recently has struggled to force opposing offenses off the field on third down. I know I left some out, but those are the major concerns.

As you probably have noticed, most of the correctable problems are on the defensive side of the ball. Rookies Brian Orakpo (15 tackles, two sacks) and Jeremy Jarmon (three tackles, one forced fumble) seem like they can get pressure on the quarterback and should keep improving. Albert Haynesworth has been criticized harshly at times, but he's doing a pretty good job occupying blockers inside. Chris Horton, LaRon Landry, and Reed Doughty have, so far, formed a solid group of safeties. Even Justin Tryon showed in the win over Tampa Bay that he's making some strides, taking over the nickel corner role for Fred Smoot and recording a sack. And, of course, London Fletcher is a tackling machine (leads the NFL with 52 tackles).

Obviously, though, the offense has been awful -- 27th in points scored (14 points per game). Jason Campbell has been about average, ranking 16th in quarterback rating (85.5), ninth in completion percentage (65.3), 11th in passing yards (963), and t-11th in touchdowns (five). But after his three-interception performance on Sunday, he's tied for the fourth-most interceptions with five and has been sacked eight times.

As for other individual performances on offense, Moss has 17 catches for 293 yards (10th among wide receivers) and two touchdowns. Cooley has 22 receptions for 254 yards (third among tight ends) and two touchdowns. Portis has the 10th-most rushing yards among running backs with 281 yards, but his 3.9 yards-per-carry average isn't even in the top 25 among qualified rushers. Part of that is certainly due to the lack of running room, but not every offensive line in the NFL is that much better than Washington's line.

But besides those three skill players, the Redskins really don't have any other weapons. No other running back has done much of anything, and Malcolm Kelly, Devin Thomas, and Fred Davis have a combined 10 catches for 82 yards. That's it. Oh, and Antwaan Randle El had a good first game against the Giants (seven catches, 98 yards), but since then he only has six catches for 60 yards -- and he didn't catch a single pass against the Bucs.

It's also worth noting that Rock Cartwright is 18th in kickoff return average (23.9) while Randle El has returned only four punts for 35 yards (an 8.8-yard average).

So, again, here's what the Redskins have:

• a defense that can certainly play better even though it's allowed only 15.5 points per game (against bad teams -- but still);
• an offense that has struggled to score points even against bad defenses;
• a lack of playmakers on offense besides Moss and Cooley (and sometimes Portis);
• an average (at best) offensive line and a group of inconsistent wide receivers who cannot be relied upon;
• and kickoff and punt returners who haven't set the offense up with a short field.

Even with all of this going down, though, Jim Zorn is still striving for perfection on offense:

"I'm just going to keep pushing. It's my responsibility. I feel like I'm the one it's reflecting on as well. It's reflecting on all of us, but I'm the focal point and it should reflect on me. I'm not going to be happy with that and we're going to keep pushing. . . . It's just been something that we're going to continue to push toward. We demand perfection out here during practice, but you really do have to take . . . you have to look at what's being given during a game and that's hard to take. It really is. I still want that perfection in a game as well."

I'm pretty sure the Redskins aren't getting perfection in practice out of many of their offensive players, but statements like that are fine. Coaches are supposed to say stuff like that. But there's basically nothing that this offense will be able to do perfectly. So far, they've seemingly had to struggle for every yard and every point. And that's fine -- improvement, at least some signs of it, should be coming soon. But deep down, I'm sure Zorn knows that this offense will never be a powerhouse and won't start scoring tons of points against anyone. But there's nothing wrong with winning ugly games, even against bad teams -- the key is actually winning. Whether or not the Redskins can actually keep doing that will depend mostly on how well the defense plays.

But a few more deep touchdown passes to Moss sure wouldn't hurt.

Week 4 NFL picks

I don't have the time to break down the matchups this weekend, so here are my Week 4 picks (with a little note on the Redskins game):

(Home team is in caps.)

Buccaneers (+8.5) over REDSKINS

Until the Redskins do two things -- 1) improve their scoring in the red zone and 2) get opposing offenses off the field on third downs -- they shouldn’t be favored over anyone by more than a touchdown.

(Side note: If anyone goes to the game today with a bag over his or her head like the Junkies have been suggesting fans do all weekend, then those fans are even bigger losers than the Redskins for losing to the Lions.)

Raiders (+8.5) over TEXANS

Titans (-3.5) over JAGUARS

Ravens (+1.5) over PATRIOTS

Bengals (-6.5) over BROWNS

Giants (-8.5) over CHIEFS

BEARS (-9.5) over Lions

COLTS (-10.5) over Seahawks

Jets (+7.5) over SAINTS

Bills (+1.5) over DOLPHINS

49ERS (-9.5) over Rams

Cowboys (-3.5) over BRONCOS

Chargers (+6.5) over STEELERS

Packers (+4.5) over VIKINGS

Last week: 9-7
Season: 28-20

Portis will be a game-time decision vs. Bucs

The beginning of the season hasn't been kind to the Redskins -- or Clinton Portis. Already battling some ankle issues, Portis is questionable this week with a calf injury he sustained in last week's loss to the Detroit Lions.

Portis didn't have much to say on the issue and even offered some advice for the reporters: "Whatever Jim [Zorn] say. Game-time decision. Have a nice night, guys. Don't drink too much. Okay?" Well, that was nice of him.

The Redskins' offense, which is currently ranked 28th in points per game (13.3) yet is 13th in yards per game (341.3), could certainly use a healthy and productive Portis. But so far, Portis and the Redskins' rushing attack have struggled: In three games, he has carried the ball 47 times for 183 yards -- a 3.9-yard average -- and no touchdowns.

Over at Staying Medium, a relatively new Redskins blog that breaks down notable plays after games, Dave O. expresses some concern with the Redskins' ground game and the offensive line in general:

And some final wrap-up thoughts for the week:

- Casey Rabach and Chris Cooley are still the weak links of the Redskins running game.

- Much was made of Portis' bone spurs, but I don't think the injuries hurt him too much. When holes were there he made the most of them; the weak running game was due to the pass-heavy play calling in the first half and problems with blocking (see above).

- I'm worried about Chris Samuels. He hasn't been terrible, but he has appeared this year like an average tackle. I don't know if that is a result purely of age or if he is not fully recovered from last year's injuries.

- Chad Rinehart appeared... somewhat adequate. He was overpowered at times, but managed to not be conspicuously awful, which is all I really ask from a backup guard.

None of those things seem to be particularly hopeful at all. Even if Portis is still running well, injuries seem to be catching up to him. And if the line isn't opening up holes for him, this season may not turn around anytime soon.

Week 3 NFL picks

(Home team is in caps.)

Titans (+2.5) over JETS

Are the Titans (0-2) really that bad? And are the Jets (2-0) really that good?

The Titans’ two losses have been by three points each, so it’s not like they’re getting blown out. But they have struggled to stop the pass: They’ve given up 678 passing yards -- worst in the NFL. But they can stop the run: Opponents have gained only 99 yards on 52 rushing attempts -- a 1.9-yard average (best in the NFL). The Titans also have the explosive Chris Johnson, who ran for 197 yards and two touchdowns and caught nine passes for 87 yards and a touchdown in last week’s high-scoring loss to the Texans.

The Jets, meanwhile, have yet to give up 10 points in a game against two strong offensive teams (the Texans and Patriots) and are ranked first in yardage allowed per game (241) and second in points allowed per game (8). Mark Sanchez has also done well in his first two NFL games, throwing for 435 yards and two touchdowns (and one interception).

The Titans are going to force Sanchez to have another strong game and will try to put lots of pressure on the rookie. And the Jets will try to contain Chris Johnson. I think Sanchez is due for a bad game and that the Titans are due for a win. I like the Titans in a close game on the road to get in the win column.

TEXANS (-3.5) over Jaguars

The Texans couldn’t stop Chris Johnson last week, but they still won. This week they face the Jaguars and Maurice Jones-Drew, who is similar to Johnson. They’d like to stop Jones-Drew, but it’s not really necessary if the Jaguars’ defense can’t stop Matt Schaub, Andre Johnson, and Steve Slaton. I expect another shootout, but the Texans come out with another win.

RAVENS (-13.5) over Browns

The Browns won’t be able to run the ball, so they’ll need Brady Quinn to come through against the Ravens’ defense -- good luck with that.

Giants (-6.5) over BUCCANEERS

The Bucs are really a different team now than they’ve been in the last few years -- and that’s not a good thing. Their defense hasn’t stopped anyone, but they can put some points up on the board. The Giants, on the other hand, have a pretty balanced team. The offense is seventh in points per game (28), and the defense is 21st in points allowed (24), though that number will go down. The defense has also forced six turnovers, converting two of them for touchdowns. Byron Leftwich will need to take care of the ball for the Bucs, but he’ll be under pressure all game from a strong Giants’ defensive line.

EAGLES (-7.5) over Chiefs

The Eagles let the Saints embarrass them at home last week. The high-powered Saints’ offense put up 48 points on a decent Eagles’ defense, but then again, New Orleans is going to score a lot of points on everyone. Still, the Eagles’ defense has to be angry and will be looking to attack Matt Cassel.

Redskins (-6.5) over LIONS

The Redskins have heard criticism from all angles this week. Fans have been jumping off the Jim Zorn bandwagon in droves, and all of this is coming after a win -- granted, an ugly win -- but a win, nonetheless. Now, the offense doesn’t deserve any praise until it starts scoring touchdowns, but the defense has been pretty good -- special teams too. Anyway, more than enough experts (Mike Florio, Michael Wilbon, Don Banks, Peter King, Eric Allen, Mike Golic, Seth Wickersham, Jason Cole, Charles Robinson, Michael Silver, and Bill Simmons (taking the points)) are picking against the Redskins this week, choosing to side with a team that has lost 19 games in a row. I think the Redskins are angry and that they play that way this week -- and finally put a decent amount of points up on a bad defense. With that being said, a loss to the Lions would be really, really bad.

Packers (-6.5) over RAMS

In two weeks, the Packers’ offensive line has allowed 10 sacks. Yes, 10. The Rams, though, have only registered one sack (against Washington). Defensive ends Leonard Little and Chris Long have the potential to get to the quarterback, but neither has done so yet. If the line gives Aaron Rodgers time, he should be able to shred the Rams’ secondary -- but that’s a big if. Still, if I were doing any Online Betting, I'd take the Packers on the road.

49ers (+7.5) over VIKINGS

Just a hunch. The Vikings still win, though.

Falcons (+4.5) over PATRIOTS

The Patriots (1-1) should be 0-2, and if they lose at home to Atlanta this week, they’ll be 1-2 heading into a Week 4 showdown with Baltimore. The Falcons, meanwhile, are 2-0, have forced six turnovers on defense, and have looked solid on both sides of the ball. I’ll take the points.

Bears (-2.5) over SEAHAWKS

Seneca Wallace is 5-7 for his career as a starter and has a career quarterback rating of 83.0. That’s not too bad, but I’ll still take the Bears.

Saints (-6.5) over BILLS

Now is not the time to pick against Drew Brees.

CHARGERS (-6.5) over Dolphins

The Dolphins (0-2) need a win, but I don’t see the Chargers losing two in a row at home.

Steelers (-3.5) over BENGALS

The Steelers haven’t lost to the Bengals under Mike Tomlin, and the games haven’t been close either.

RAIDERS (+2.5) over Broncos

The Broncos have done a pretty good job of stopping the run so far -- 10th in the NFL at 70 yards allowed per game. Their defense has also only allowed 6.5 points per game -- best in the NFL -- though that’s mainly because they’ve played the Bengals and the Browns.

JaMarcus Russell has been awful so far (46.6 quarterback rating, 35.2 percent completion percentage), so the Raiders don’t have much of a choice other than to focus on the running game with Darren McFadden and Michael Bush.

I think the Raiders will be able to run the ball, so I’ll go with them. However, this is certainly an important game for the Broncos, who have a chance to go 3-0 before their schedule starts to get much more difficult.

Colts (+2.5) over CARDINALS

The Colts have beaten the Jaguars and Dolphins by a combined six points. They can’t really run the ball, and their defense hasn’t looked that great either. But Peyton Manning has been the best quarterback in the league not named Drew Brees through the first two weeks, and doing any Monday Night Football Betting against him would be very difficult. He usually shines in prime time, especially last week against the Dolphins.

Panthers (+8.5) over COWBOYS

Surprisingly, the Cowboys’ defense has yet to force a turnover or pick up a sack. Then again, facing Jake Delhomme should change that. Anyway, expect a lot of points and a competitive game.

Last week: 9-7
Season: 19-13