Monday Night Football Preview

While there are some good games in the NFL today (most notably Dallas-Giants and Colts-Patriots), the biggest game of the week is tommorow's Monday Night Football matchup. And not just because the Swami himself (Chris Berman) is interviewing Barack Obama and John McCain during halftime, but rather because both teams are fighting to be called elite.

At 6-2, the Washington Redskins have been dominant for most of the year. After an opening weekend loss to the N.Y. Giants, the Redskins rebounded and beat both the Eagles and the Cowboys on the road. A mid-season loss to the St. Louis Rams caused the Skins to stumble, but back-to-back wins against the Browns and Lions set them back on track.

At 5-2, the Pittsburgh Steelers have looked great at times, awful at others. The defense has been outstanding all year - it is currently ranked #1 in the NFL (#1 against the pass and #3 against the rush) - and has carried the team in games where the offense struggled. Thier two losses - to the Eagles and to the Giants (both NFC East teams) - were prime examples to the why the Steelers have struggled this year. In both games, the defense played outstanding and the offense failed to muster any sort of attack.

So now, in Week 9, the Steelers and Redskins matchup in what should be another fantastic game in an already exciting season. Here are the matchups to watch out for:

Steelers' secondary vs. Redskins QB Jason Campbell: Campbell has been one of the best quarterbacks in the league this year and has yet to finally throw an interception. He has made plays when the team needs him to and is playing as well as he has at any point in his career. If the Steelers want to win today, they will need to find a way to contain Redskins WR Santana Moss and tight end Chris Cooley. Moss has been Campbell's favorite target all year long and it will take another solid effort from Steelers CB Ike Taylor (who held Plaxico Burress to 3 catches for 16 yards last Sunday) to stop them from picking up yards. Cooley will most likely be covered by Steelers SS Troy Polamalu, who looks to be back in form after 2 injury-plagued seasons. The Steelers will be without key players Bryant McFadden (forearm) and Ryan Clark (shoulder), both of which play huge roles in the #1 pass defense. Look for Campbell to try to find a mismatch against Steelers CB Deshea Townsend, who will most likely be covering Redskins WR Antwann Randle El. Townsend has struggled this season. If Campbell plays like he has in previous weeks, the Redskins should be able to move the ball. The key, however, is that the offensive line can give Campbell enough time to pass against the physical Steelers secondary. Which leads us into our next matchup.

Redskins OT Chris Samuels vs. Steelers OLB James Harrison: Samuels has been the rock of the Redskins' offensive line since his rookie season, and will need to have a strong performance on Monday to contain Steelers LB James Harrison. Harrison is 3rd in the NFL with 8.5 sacks to go along with his 18 quarterback hurries. If Samuels cannot contain Harrison, that will only force the rest of the Redskins offensive line to try to contain Harrison's partner in crime Lamarr Woodley, who has 7.5 sacks on the season. Woodley and Harrison drive the Steelers' defense because of thier ability to pressure the quarterback, and if Samuels can contain Harrison, it would go a long way towards the Redskins offensive line containing Woodley as well. If Harrison and Woodley are ineffective like they were last week against the Giants, Campbell should be able to pick apart the Steelers' secondary.

Redskins RB Clinton Portis vs. Steelers' defensive line: Clinton Portis comes in as the NFL's leading rusher with 944 yards (with 5 yards a carry; he's on pace for 1888 yards) and the Steelers boast the NFL's #3 rush defense. Last week, the Steelers held Giants star RB Brandon Jacobs to 47 yards on 18 carries (2.6 YPC) and will look to duplicate their success this week. Portis has been one of the MVP's of the league so far, and has rushed for over 120 yards in his last 5 games. The Steelers' defense rarely gives up a 100-yard rusher, and nose tackle Casey Hampton and defensive end Aaron Smith are the primary reason for that. If Hampton and Smith can do their jobs - that is, eat up blockers so the linebackers can get free - then the Steelers should be able to contain Portis. If they cannot, and Portis has a big day, then the Redskins should be able to walk away with a victory.

Prediction: Redskins 20, Steelers 17. The Redskins are at home, which I think will play a large role in the Redskins' winning. I think the Steelers will contain Portis to an extent - less than his 118 YPG average - but Campbell will find a way to lead the Redskins to victory, just like he has done most of the season. I also believe that the return of Willie Parker will help the Steelers offense, but will not be enough to push them to a win.