Los Angeles @ Washington preview
FedExField
Last Meeting ( Dec 7, 2014 ) St. Louis 24, Washington 0
The St. Louis Rams and Washington Redskins made a big splash before the 2012 NFL Draft with a blockbuster trade that allowed the latter to move up and select quarterback Robert Griffin III. The one-time star will be on the bench Sunday, when the Rams travel to the nation’s capital with the hope of improving to 2-0.
St. Louis used the haul from the trade to rebuild its roster and is beginning to see the fruits of that labor. The Rams were one of the big surprises of Week 1, rallying for a 34-31 overtime win over defending NFC champion Seattle. The Redskins have trended in the other direction since the trade, winning the NFC East title during Griffin’s outstanding rookie season but going 7-25 over the last two campaigns. Washington’s offense struggled to find the end zone in a 17-10 loss to Miami last week and will be short-handed on that side of the ball with receiver DeSean Jackson (hamstring) out for 3-4 weeks and tight end Jordan Reed (quadriceps) listed as questionable after making seven catches for 63 yards and a touchdown last week.
TV: 1 p.m. ET, FOX. LINE: Rams -3.5. O/U: 41
ABOUT THE RAMS (1-0): Quarterback Nick Foles was solid in his St. Louis debut last week, going 18-of-27 for 297 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions. Foles has found a comfortable target in tight end Jared Cook, who hauled in five passes for 85 yards last week and made a pair of TD catches against Washington last year. The Rams’ defense gave up 343 yards against Seattle but also recorded six sacks and came up with a huge fourth-down stop in overtime to seal the victory.
ABOUT THE REDSKINS (0-1): Quarterback Kirk Cousins was less than stellar against Miami, going 21-of-31 for 196 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. Expect Washington to continue to lean on running back Alfred Morris, who racked up 121 yards on 25 carries last week but has scored only one touchdown in his last six contests. The defense was excellent in Week 1, holding the Dolphins to 256 total yards, but a special-teams failure – Jarvis Landry’s 69-yard punt return for a TD – capped Miami’s fourth-quarter comeback.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Foles has won his last two starts against Washington, completing 65.7 percent of his passes for 623 yards with three TDs and no interceptions.
2. Washington recorded 161 rushing yards last week and is trying to top 150 in the first two games of a season for only the second time since 1952.
3. The Rams have won three of the last four meetings, including a 24-0 road victory in Week 14 last season.
PREDICTION: Rams 23, Redskins 17