Redskins vs. Carolina Panthers
The Washington Redskins and head coach Joe Gibbs continue their preseason campaign with a home exhibition opener, taking on the defending NFC Champion Carolina Panthers on Saturday night at FedExField.
The Redskins and the Panthers are becoming quite familiar with each other--the two teams played each other twice last season, once in the preseason and once in the regular season.
LaVar Arrington pressures Carolina quarterback Jake Delhomme in a 2003 regular-season contest. (Getty Images)
In the preseason, the Panthers defeated the Redskins 20-0. In the regular season, Carolina came back in the game's final minutes to win 20-17. The Redskins have dominated the series overall in the regular season at a 6-1 clip, but the Panthers took both contests in 2003.
The game marks Gibbs' return to the Redskins home sideline and his debut at FedExField. FedExField is the biggest stadium in the NFL at a capactiy of 91,665 and will undoubtedly be excited to welcome Gibbs to his new home field.
The Redskins are 40-38-1 in the preseason at home and Gibbs is 10-7 in the preseason on his home field.
Gibbs rejoined the Redskins in January after a 12-year hiatus. His new tenure officially began last Monday night when he led Washington to a victory over the Denver Broncos, 20-17, in the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio. The Redskins are now 4-0 in Hall of Fame games, previously defeating the Detroit Lions in 1965, the Cincinnati Bengals in 1975, and the Buffalo Bills in 1989.
"[The win] means a lot for me, because our guys worked extremely hard in the offseason and they went out and played extremely hard," Gibbs said. "We also had to overcome some adversity. We were kind of nervous and uptight. It meant a lot to us, probably more than to Denver. It's a tough deal over there, but it was fun being back. It's a learning process, and that's the best thing about it. It's a little different to be back in the heat of battle, like taking a mental test."
The Redskins lost right tackle Jon Jansen to a ruptured left Achilles injury and he will miss significant time this season. Possible replacements include Derrick Dockery, Kenyatta Jones, Daryl Terrell and Mark Wilson.
The game will feature a pair of former Redskins returning to FedExField for the first time.
Running back Stephen Davis returns to FedExField as a Panther to face his old team. Davis is the Redskins' single-season rushing leader with 1,432 yards in 2003. He ranks third all-time in franchise history with 5,790 rushing yards.
Also, linebacker Jessie Armstead returns to FedExField for his first game since departing the Redskins last February.
Washington features many new faces on the Redskins sidelines after another busy offseason of acquisitions, including running back Clinton Portis, linebacker Marcus Washington, defensive linemen Phillip Daniels and Cornelius Griffin, quarterback Mark Brunell, cornerback Shawn Springs and 2004 first-round draft pick Sean Taylor.
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