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

The game was a mess, and I'm ready to move on, so let's get this over with.

The Great

• Ryan Kerrigan.  7 tackles, a sack, and a huge forced fumble that translated to 7 points.  Hopefully he passes his concussion test and stays healthy.
• Kai Forbath's Kickoffs.  Forbath, who struggled on kickoffs all of last year and all of pre-season, kicked 3 touchbacks on 4 tries.  Touchbacks are each worth an average of more than 10 yards on field position, so this is important long-term.
• Perry Riley.  Riley had a sack, a fumble recovery, and a thousand tackles.  

Redskins vs. Eagles: The Great, The Good, and the Not-So-Good

The Great
- Evan Royster looks good again despite playing injured, with 113 yards rushing and 52 yards receiving
- Orakpo continues to play at an all-pro level, with two sacks and a forced fumble
- because the Skins lost and the Jaguars won, the Skins move up a spot in the draft

Last Minute Eagles Injury

The Eagles offensive line has struggled, and now they have more reason to struggle.

Offensive Tackle King Dunlap was supposed to start at Left Tackle in place of injured Jason Peters, but injured his back during warm-ups and will not play. Instead, Todd Herremans will shift from Right to Left Tackle, and Winston Justice will get the start at Right Tackle.

Herremans is a natural Guard, and Justice is getting his first start of the season, so the Skins have a fantastic opportunity to dominate the Eagles offensive line.

Redskins vs. Eagles: Knowns and Unknowns

In just a few short hours the Redskins play the Eagles, and so much is known and unknown.

Eagles Defense
Known: Will use creative blitzes and their Wide-9 formation to keep Rex Grossman uncomfortable
Unknown: Will whiz-kid Kyle Shanahan have pass and run plays that successfully counter the Wide-9?

Michael Vick
Known: He will put up a lot of yards both passing and rushing
Unknown: Will he also put up a lot of interceptions like he did last week?

Is Michael Vick playing poorly?

Next week the Skins host the Eagles. While the Skins rested this week, the Eagles lost to the Buffalo Bills in large part due to 4 Michael Vick interceptions. But Vick also accounted for 400 yards of offense. So what are we to make of this ... is Vick playing poorly, which obviously benefits the Skins? Or is he playing well other than a few fluke plays?

I went to the videotape to watch his 4 interceptions closely, and two things were clear:

Don't Forget About the Eagles

The Eagles have started the season 1-2, and for the moment are last place in the NFC East. Some experts speculate that the Eagles's future may be bleak this season and beyond. However, the Eagles are remarkably consistent at two things: starting slow and making the playoffs.

In 2010, they started 2-2 but finished the season with a record of 10-6 and made the playoffs.