Is anyone else having trouble concentrating on anything other than football right now? Here’s an attempt to get everything I’m thinking about this game flushed out so I can get some work done.
Things that would surprise me
- A blowout on either side. There is always the chance of a runaway win, but it doesn’t feel likely here.
- The Seahawks scoring 24+ points. They’ve done this in 9 of their past 10 games, and they’ve scored 20 or more point in 7 of 8 home games (they lost the one game they didn’t).
- The Seahawks getting more than a couple of sacks or consistent pressure. I think Gibbs will be protecting his QB with a running game and extra blockers in the pass.
- The Redskins coming from more than one score behind. They are not built for quick scoring.
- A lot of turnovers for either side
Things that wouldn’t surprise me, but may surprise others
- Offensive plays from the Hawks that we haven’t seen before or for a long time. Specifically, I’m expecting Seneca Wallace to play a role in this game. He’s been mostly under wraps for the past 6-8 weeks, and remember that Holmgren has been willing to throw these things out there during the playoffs. Seneca’s time last week makes him that much more ready for game action, although his two turnovers may give Holmgren pause.
- Marcus Pollard being more involved than at any point during the season. He’s quietly caught at least three balls in the last three games. There is no way the Skins are preparing for a heavy dose of him.
- Tentative home crowd if things are close after the first quarter
- Idiots booing Shaun Alexander during a critical playoff game
- A big game from Leonard Weaver, especially on screen plays.
- A better than average running performance against a vaunted Redskins run defense. I saw some things that I think are very promising signs in the past two games.
- A Will Heller TD
Key players for the Hawks
- Lofa Tatupu: We need to see his very best tomorrow both in coverage and against the run.
- Josh Brown: No mistakes
- Ryan Plackemier: We need to win the field position battle
- Matt Hasselbeck: Duh
- WR not named Bobby Engram: We need a consistent threat in as many places as possible to make things tougher on the Skins
- Rob Sims: He must keep his man from spending all day in the backfield
A few other random tidbits rolling around my brain:
- I heard on KJR this morning that a Damon Huard talked to Chris Egan (Kong 6 Sport guy) and told him that Todd Collins is a germ phobe. Egan told Kerney and Julian Peterson to lick him. I wonder how he feels about playing in the rain?
- A Hawks win tomorrow delays any talk of a declining team. Super Bowl in 2005. Divisional round last year. I’d like to at least keep the trend even, if not moving back up.
- I’m convinced Tampa Bay would beat Dallas if they play, which would mean we are two wins away from hosting another NFC Championship.
- It’s nice that nobody will be able to discount our win considering how highly the Redskins are thought of right now.