Skins vs. Saints: The Great, The Good, and the Not-So-Good

The Great
- RGIII.  Wow.  The poise, the decision-making, the athleticism.  Completions to 8 different receivers.  One of three QBs to pass for 300+ yards in his first NFL game (along with Peyton Manning and Cam Newton).  I've been high on RGIII since the beginning, but wow.
- Pierre Garcon before his injury provided exactly the run-after-the-catch play making Shanahan hoped for.

Skins vs. Saints: 1st Half

Wow. RGIII elicited many "wow"s in the first half. His TD pass under pressure to Garcon, his throw across his body from the left to right side of the field for a first down, his beautiful slant pass for a TD to Robinson.

Saints are now sniffing out the QB hand-off/run options play, and we haven't seen many of the vintage Shanahan stretch-run plays. It will be interesting to see if the Skins change up the running strategy for the second half, especially since Alfred Morris (who I now call Forward Morris) shined on these plays in pre-season.

Defense has been mostly impressive too. Too bad special teams has continued the tradition of allowing blocked kicks. 20-14 Skins at the half.

Saints vs. Skins: Prediction

This will be short and sweet. I love my Skins, but you can't run from the truth.

The Saints haven't lost at home since the 2010 season. The Saints will be playing with a chip on their shoulder after an off-season of BountyGate. The Skins' safety position is a mess this week and Drew Brees will notice. The Saints are a better team, with teammates who have played together awhile and have chemistry on the field.

In contrast, the Skins' offense features young players and new players who have not yet had a chance to develop on-the-field chemistry. And the Skins defense might struggle to stop the pass because of injuries in the secondary. Fast forward two years and I give the Skins an edge in this match-up. But tomorrow: Saints 35 Skins 17.