Everything pointed to the Rams pulling off the upset. The 0-4 Rams were in a desperate funk, most importantly, had two weeks to prepare, had re-installed Marc Bulger as starting QB, and were determined to make a strong first impression with Haslett at the helm. In addition, the potential has been there all along - they just hadn't pulled it all together. The record obviously belied the talent. In addition, the Skins were huge favorites and all the pundits had finally jumped on the bandwagon.
In some ways, it's good that the team deals with this adversity now so that after they get past the next few games, they don't suddenly spiral downwards when encountering stiff competition. That would be the Norv Turner team that started 6-2 but finished 9-7 and missed the playoffs.
The Skins ran the ball well. On the other hand, the Rams obviously found something to exploit in the Redskins offense that led to stalls, breakdowns and the first offensive turnovers of the season. The 4-1 start had many fans irrationally exhuberant, including yours truly.
However, it's reasonable to assume that the second half of the season will be much tougher than the first half. Coordinators will have much more film on both Zorn's and Blache's plays and tendencies and will better able to game-plan Washington on both sides of the ball. A 10-6 season and playoff appearance would definitely make for a successful season.
Just as I feared the inevitable trap loss to the Rams, I believe the team will solidly bounce back with a nice victory in Week 7.
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