Washington Redskins host struggling Carolina Panthers in Week 9 – NFL Preview
Washington Redskins want to turn around their season and they will get the opportunity when they face ailing Carolina Panthers in Week 9 game on Sunday, November 04, 2012, at FedEx Field, Landover, MD.
It will be the contest between two former Heisman Trophy winners as the second overall pick of this year’s draft quarterback Robert Griffin III (RG3) will face off against no. 1 pick of the 2011 draft, Cam Newton.
Panthers (1-6) are desperate to get a win after losing their last five games as Newton has failed to carry over his form from the record-breaking rookie season to this season.
Redskins (3-5), on the other hand, are having problems of their own. They have lost two games in a row, with last one coming with a massive 15 points against Pittsburgh Steelers.
RG3 has not shown any problems playing in the professional game. In fact, he is leading the league in pass completion rate by completing 70.4 % of his passes this season.
However, he threw as many as 10 dropped passes last week in Redskins’ 27-12 defeat against Steelers.
Redskins are currently dead last in the National Football League (NFC) East, trailing three games behind division leaders New York Giants.
Head coach Mike Shanahan admits that the season can go out of their hands if things continue this way. He said:
"Everybody knows it's a must-win game when you're 3-5. If you have any chance at the playoffs, everybody understands at the midway point that you've got to start playing your best football or you're eliminated awful quick. That doesn't mean that we're not
going to improve in the second half of the season."
The major worry for Redskins is poor performance by their defensive team which has allowed an average of 314.3 yards per game.
The defence is currently without three starters due to injury. This includes safety Brandon Meriweather, defensive end Adam Carriker and linebacker Brian Orakpo.
The lack of defensive ammunition could work wonders for Newton.
Panthers have lost most of their games by heartbreaking small margins. This includes their 23-22 defeat against the Chicago Bears, who scored a last-second field goal to get the win.
The team has failed to finish the game despite getting the lead on many occasions. Talking about this issue, Panthers head coach Ron Rivera said:
"It's unfortunate, but we have to keep pounding. We have to keep at it. We did the types of things we need to do to give ourselves a chance to win. At some point along the lines we will get that opportunity and we will win.”
The last time these two sides played against each other was in the last season. Panthers won the tie with a comprehensive 33-20 score.
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