Pats Preview: Patriots Vs. Redskins

As the ninth week of the NFL season gets underway tomorrow, the New England Patriots welcome the Washington Redskins to Gillette Stadium for an AFC/NFC match up at 1 pm.

Still Undefeated- The Patriots sit at 7-0 on the season and don't seem to be showing any signs of slowing up. Their offense, which should have all of its top skill guys available, has too many weapons for opponents to cover. With the ability to score at will, the defense doesn't need to be top notch though they've also played very well midway through the season. It shouldn't be hard for the Pats to improve to 8-0 by the end of the game.

Coming Off The Bye- The Redskins enter the game fresh off of their bye week, after starting the season 3-4 through their first seven games. Even with the extra week to prepare for the Patriots, it doesn't seem like that will be enough to really level the playing field. Only one of the team's three wins came in convincing fashion and while they won the last game they played, a one point home win over the Buccaneers isn't necessarily convincing that they've figured things out.

Flashbacks to Week 3- This game has all the makings of the Patriots' week three win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Redskins resemble that same type of match up that Jacksonville offered New England; a young team, with inconsistent play at key positions and a lack of depth and skill. Due to that, things could get ugly for Washington like they did for the Jags. It's completely reasonable to expect a wide margin of victory for New England.

O-Line Carousel- New England's offensive line has been the team's unit most bitten by the injury bug this season. Tackle Marcus Cannon (toe) and guard Tre' Jackson (knee) have both already been ruled out for this week's action, while guard Shaq Mason (knee) remains listed as questionable. The Patriots will get second year center Bryan Stork back tomorrow, as he has been activated off of short term IR. The center position might be the most staple of all interior offensive positions though as rookie free agent David Andrews has emerged as a quality option. The move to activate Stork also cost the team another guard as offensive captain Ryan Wendell was placed on IR to free up space for the center's return. It has been widely speculated that the Pats might attempt to rotate either Stork or Andrews in at guard while using the other one at center.

Who Will Stop Brady- Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has been, in a word, otherworldly so far this season. Brady's thrown for 2,410 yards so far and is on pace to shatter Peyton Manning's single season passing yards record. He's also thrown for 20 touchdowns and one single interception that was the result of a dropped then tipped in the air pass (i.e. not his fault). There doesn't seem to be anybody on the Redskins defense that can even attempt to neutralize Brady. There might not be anybody on the planet who could slow him down right now, though.

Prediction- Being as modest as possible, and if the Redskins play above their level, we're looking at a pretty solid blowout for New England. Barring a catastrophic injury to the entire offense, the Pats should hang at least 40 on the board. When all's said and done, look for a score like this; 49-10 Patriots over Redskins.