Tag: Clinton Portis (Page 6 of 6)

      Redskins pull off upset of day, beat Cowboys 26-24

      September 28, 2008 /

      Clinton PortisIt hasn’t taken Jim Zorn long to earn the respect of Washington’s faithful. Zorn’s Redskins beat the previously undefeated Cowboys 26-24 in Dallas on Sunday.

      The score was close, but the game really wasn’t. Washington dominated in nearly all facets of the game, including on the ground where Clinton Portis rushed for 121 yards on 21 carries. The Skins dominated the time of possession battle 38:09 to 21:51 and didn’t turn the ball over once. Jason Campbell was also solid, throwing for 231 yards and two touchdowns on 20 of 31 passing. He also made two great tosses to Santana Moss in the first half that allowed Washington to build a 17-10 halftime lead.

      The Redskins really won this game in the trenches. They held the Cowboys to only 44 yards on the ground and also did a nice job on Terrell Owens. While he caught seven passes for 77 yards and a touchdown, Washington didn’t allow T.O. to beat them deep.

      Speaking of Owens, he mentioned last week that as long as the Cowboys won, he wouldn’t be upset if he didn’t have great numbers. But clearly Dallas got him plenty of opportunities today and they lost. Did offensive coordinator Jason Garrett sacrifice his game plan so that T.O. could get his touches? Or was it just an aberration that Garrett only attempted 11 rushes the entire game despite the Cowboys running the ball very successfully in previous weeks? Hmm.

      Either way, Zorn and the Redskins have been impressive so far this year. The Cowboys are arguably the best team in the NFC and Washington soundly beat them on their home turf. The NFC East is a beast of a division.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      NFL Week 4 Primer

      September 26, 2008 /

      Jason CampbellSunday’s Best: Redskins (2-1) at Cowboys (3-0) 4:15 PM ET FOX
      How stacked is the NFC East? Even Washington, the team expected to be the worst in the division, has looked strong since losing their opener to the Giants. In their sound win over the Packers last Sunday night, the Cowboys proved that they’re the class of the NFC. Dallas has a ton of offensive weapons, but the Skins could keep things close now that QB Jason Campbell is starting to look more comfortable in Jim Zorn’s West Coast Offense. Plus with RB Clinton Portis running well and the Cowboys’ run defense missing S Roy Williams, maybe this is a good time for Washington to face their NFC East foe.

      Upset Watch: Eagles (2-1) at Bears (1-2) 8:15 PM ET NBC
      Philadelphia is coming off an impressive win over the Steelers while Chicago once again gave up a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter while dropping its home opener to Tampa Bay. But the Eagles are banged up right now, with QB Donovan McNabb, RB Brian Westbrook and TE L.J. Smith all missing significant practice time this week. By all accounts, the Bears should be 3-0 right now, but blew wins at Carolina and home against Tampa Bay. Da Bears are tough to beat at home and the defense should bounce back after Brian Griese tuned them up in the fourth quarter and overtime last week. But can the offense generate enough points? Philly’s defense harassed Steelers’ QB Ben Roethlisberger last week and will no doubt attempt to do the same this week against Kyle Orton. As of Friday, Devin Hester is still listed as questionable on the Bears’ injury report, but he could give Chicago a huge boost in the playmaking department if he could return.

      Jon GrudenIntriguing Matchup: Packers (2-1) at Bucs (2-1), 1:00 PM ET FOX
      Aaron Rodgers suffered his first defeat as a starter last week against Dallas, so it’ll be interesting to see how he and the Packers respond. Things don’t get any easier this weekend in Tampa, where the Bucs have won two straight and the offense is clicking with Brian Griese under center. Without the threat of a running game last week, Green Bay wasn’t as effective offensively as it had been in wins over Minnesota and Detroit, respectively. Can RB Ryan Grant bounce back against a tough defensive front seven of the Bucs? And how will the Packers fare without starting CB Al Harris (spleen)? Even though Green Bay is 2-1, it has issues that Jon Gruden and Tampa could expose.

      Other Notable Games:
      Vikings (1-2) at Titans (3-0), 1:00 PM ET FOX
      After notching their first win of the season last week against Carolina, are the Vikings back? Adrian Peterson didn’t run wild last week, but the Minnesota defense stepped up and created scoring opportunities. They might need to do so again this week given the Vikes’ offense could struggle against a tough Titans’ D.

      49ers (2-1) at Saints (1-2), 1:00 PM ET FOX
      The 49ers would go long way in proving they’re for real if they can beat a banged up Saints team in New Orleans this Sunday. With how well the rest of the division is playing so far, the Saints can’t afford to fall to far behind in the NFC South.

      Falcons (2-1) at Panthers (2-1), 1:00 PM FOX
      The Panthers are eager to bounce back following their loss to Minnesota last Sunday, while the Falcons want to prove that their record isn’t just a byproduct of beating two bad teams (Detroit, Kansas City). The Panthers have the better overall talent, but Atlanta (especially DE John Abraham) has had some success playing in Carolina over the years.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Fantasy Fallout: Giants/Redskins

      September 4, 2008 /

      Here are a few fantasy observations from Thursday night’s game…

      1. Clinton Portis was not involved in Washington’s passing game. He was targeted on one pass, which he caught, but it was negated by a penalty. For a player that caught 47 passes last year (that’s almost three a game), this is pretty worrisome, especially for Portis owners in PPR leagues. 84 yards on 23 carries isn’t great (3.7 ypc), but at least we don’t have to worry about him not getting enough touches. It’s clear that he’s the centerpiece of the offense, even to a fault.

      2. Chris Cooley was targeted twice. He had an 18-yard gain negated by a penalty, so he didn’t get his first official catch until late in the second half. Jason Campbell spent most of his time looking to Santana Moss (5-37-1) and Antwaan Randle El (7-73). No other player caught more than a single pass. It’s important to note that Cooley has had poor games in each of the last three seasons, and he’s bounced back each time.

      3. The Redskins’ new West Coast Offense looks rough. The running game is okay, but Portis was behind the eight ball a little bit because the Giants were daring Washington to throw the ball. The Redskins’ season depends mainly on how quickly they can learn and execute the WCO. In fairness, they faced a tough Giants defense in an emotional road game, and they should fare better in their next two games, which are against the Saints and Cardinals (and are both at home).

      4. Eli Manning is still erratic. He seemed to hook up with Plaxico Burress (10-133) at will, but he didn’t throw for a score (though he did run for one), had one pass picked off and had three or four more that were almost intercepted. Eli is a bit of a gambler, and it doesn’t look like a Super Bowl win has changed that at all.

      5. Derrick Ward is Brandon Jacobs’ backup. There has been a lot of talk about a “Thunder and Lightning” combo with Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw, but Bradshaw didn’t get a carry in the game. Ward carried the ball nine times and had two catches, so he’s the better handcuff for Jacobs.

      6. Both defenses looked pretty solid. Admirable job by the Redskins to hold a pretty good Giants offense to 16 points despite getting no help from their offense. The Giants flew around the ball and seemed to pressure Campbell on just about every play. The injuries at DE are a concern, but the Giants DT looks good as a whole.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

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