Blognosticator - SkinnedAussie
Week 8 - Redskins v Bengals @ Wembley Stadium, London.
If anyone was to say that the game is between two teams with a winning record, you would never guess this game is a Redskins v Bengals clash. Washington is coming off a close loss whereas Cincinnati beat Cleveland.
Hopefully I'll get to see this game live, and if I do, I'll look at doing a follow up to see how wrong (or right) I was. I can't check at the moment as our TV guide only goes to Sunday (30/10/16).
Both teams go in with a 4-3 record, and this is something that a Redskins fan has seen in a long time. The Bengals aren't as good as they were over the last few seasons, but they are still a formidible opponent. Playing at Wembley Stadium will make the teams even but Cinci has played there before.
Kirk is still having problems in the red zone and his go-to, Jordan Reed, has missed the last two and will again miss this week. Vernon Davis has filled in admirably, but will never have the same presence as Reed. Time for DeSean and Pierre to step up. If used, these two can put enormous pressure on opposition defences.
Fumblitis set in, and should be stamped out in time for when the team lands in London. If the fumbles can't be sorted, either work on regathering the ball or just give the other team possession without the fear of injury.
The defence will be under immense scrutiny now that Josh is out with concussion. First it was Jordan Reed, now it's Josh Norman. At least this wasn't a helmet-to-helmet concussion, but as he was knocked out, it is a given he will miss this week. Breeland will be pencilled in as the #1 CB, but the defence will be shuffled around in an effort to reduce the pain.
With Cincinnati running for nearly 150 yards more (271 - 134) than Washington last week, but 'only' 5 more yards passing, our run defense needs to be up from the word go. We seem to match them with our passing defense, but if Josh misses, we could be in trouble. A.J. Green certainly hopes so as he racked up a lazy 169 receiving yards against Cleveland. We need to score early, and often, and get an early lead if we are to control the game. If we know they have to throw the ball, we can make the necessary adjustments and call plays that suit, but if we let them control the game, I, for one, will be having an early night.
Living so far away from the regular action, I will be even further away from this game, so this was compiled early in the week so everything might change by the kickoff time. If I don't get the game on TV, I'll definitely be in Game Centre to follow the game. You all thought I'd be in the chatroom but too many tend to 'discuss' anything and everything that's not the game. Those who do discuss the game talk about plays at a higher level that I understand, or call the result of a play without details. "Nice catch" is sort of explainable – Kirk threw the ball to someone, but who? "Nice run" by who? How many yards? Did he run left or right? How did he get to where he stopped? See what I mean? With home games, I also listen to the live call, but it depends on internet traffic at the time. Nothing worse than a drop-out at a crucial stage of the game!
It is hard to pick a winner this early in the week as predictions rely on players getting through the week, but with the current injury situation, I really can't see us holding the Bengals to a losing score.
Week 8 - Redskins v Bengals @ Wembley Stadium, London.
If anyone was to say that the game is between two teams with a winning record, you would never guess this game is a Redskins v Bengals clash. Washington is coming off a close loss whereas Cincinnati beat Cleveland.
Hopefully I'll get to see this game live, and if I do, I'll look at doing a follow up to see how wrong (or right) I was. I can't check at the moment as our TV guide only goes to Sunday (30/10/16).
Both teams go in with a 4-3 record, and this is something that a Redskins fan has seen in a long time. The Bengals aren't as good as they were over the last few seasons, but they are still a formidible opponent. Playing at Wembley Stadium will make the teams even but Cinci has played there before.
Kirk is still having problems in the red zone and his go-to, Jordan Reed, has missed the last two and will again miss this week. Vernon Davis has filled in admirably, but will never have the same presence as Reed. Time for DeSean and Pierre to step up. If used, these two can put enormous pressure on opposition defences.
Fumblitis set in, and should be stamped out in time for when the team lands in London. If the fumbles can't be sorted, either work on regathering the ball or just give the other team possession without the fear of injury.
The defence will be under immense scrutiny now that Josh is out with concussion. First it was Jordan Reed, now it's Josh Norman. At least this wasn't a helmet-to-helmet concussion, but as he was knocked out, it is a given he will miss this week. Breeland will be pencilled in as the #1 CB, but the defence will be shuffled around in an effort to reduce the pain.
With Cincinnati running for nearly 150 yards more (271 - 134) than Washington last week, but 'only' 5 more yards passing, our run defense needs to be up from the word go. We seem to match them with our passing defense, but if Josh misses, we could be in trouble. A.J. Green certainly hopes so as he racked up a lazy 169 receiving yards against Cleveland. We need to score early, and often, and get an early lead if we are to control the game. If we know they have to throw the ball, we can make the necessary adjustments and call plays that suit, but if we let them control the game, I, for one, will be having an early night.
Living so far away from the regular action, I will be even further away from this game, so this was compiled early in the week so everything might change by the kickoff time. If I don't get the game on TV, I'll definitely be in Game Centre to follow the game. You all thought I'd be in the chatroom but too many tend to 'discuss' anything and everything that's not the game. Those who do discuss the game talk about plays at a higher level that I understand, or call the result of a play without details. "Nice catch" is sort of explainable – Kirk threw the ball to someone, but who? "Nice run" by who? How many yards? Did he run left or right? How did he get to where he stopped? See what I mean? With home games, I also listen to the live call, but it depends on internet traffic at the time. Nothing worse than a drop-out at a crucial stage of the game!
It is hard to pick a winner this early in the week as predictions rely on players getting through the week, but with the current injury situation, I really can't see us holding the Bengals to a losing score.