Yahoo: Game preview

[ArmyHog]

The Baltimore Ravens are playing their second straight game in prime time. It might be their last one for a while with Jamal Lewis.
The Ravens expect to have their star running back in the lineup when they make the short trip to FedEx Field to face the slumping Washington Redskins.

Lewis is expected to plead guilty to drug charges Thursday in Atlanta. Under the deal being considered, Lewis would plead guilty to using a cell phone in violation of federal law and serve a sentence of six months after the 2005 season.

The NFL would then step in with its discipline, which would likely be a suspension and perhaps a fine. The Ravens expect to lose him from one to four games, but don't expect the league to make any decision until their bye week following this game, leaving the suspension to start Oct. 24 against Buffalo.

``I don't know, but I would guess there might be some resolution during the bye week,'' Ravens coach Brian Billick said. ``I would certainly think so. And once we have that resolution, then we can plan with a little more detail.


``It's our understanding that it's very unlikely that there will be any judgment with regards to what the league chooses to do that would impact this game.''

The loss of Lewis, whenever it happens, will be costly for the Ravens. He is by far their biggest offensive threat, and his 2,066 rushing yards last season were second on NFL's single-season list.

Even he might have trouble Sunday against Washington's defense, which is allowing an NFL-low 59.5 rushing yards per game.

Lewis was limited to 73 yards Monday night and Kyle Boller was sacked four times as the Ravens lost to the previously winless Kansas City Chiefs 27-24. More surprisingly were the struggles of Baltimore's normally powerful defense, which yielded nearly 400 yards of offense, including 178 rushing.

The Ravens allowed a 100-yard rusher for the first time in 10 games, as Priest Holmes finished with 125 and a pair of touchdowns.

``It's very disappointing to not play as physical as we're capable of,'' Billick said. ``They were more physical in every facet of it, which is something unique for us. We are not going to win too many games when we're not playing our game, if they out-physical us.''

Baltimore's defense, which could welcome back Deion Sanders on Sunday night, will try to bounce back against a struggling Washington offense.

The Redskins have followed a season-opening victory by losing three straight. They have struggled offensively, not scoring more than 18 points in any game this season. Following Sunday's 17-13 loss to Cleveland, there was even talk that Washington's offense was too predictable, allowing the Browns to anticipate the plays.

``Their offense is not that complicated,'' Browns cornerback Daylon McCutcheon said. ``They have certain tendencies. Let's say it's third down. They line up in this formation and they only run two different routes. It makes our job a whole lot easier.''

The Redskins also are making things easier for opponents by turning the ball over. Offseason acquisition Clinton Portis has lost three fumbles after losing only one all last season with Denver.

Washington has 10 turnovers and is 29th in the NFL with a minus-6 turnover margin.

``We're all being tested,'' Washington coach Joe Gibbs said. ``We're 1-3. It's a tough thing in football when you're going through that, but life's that way lots of times, too.''

Gibbs lost three straight only twice in his first tenure as Washington coach.

Sanders, who also played for the Redskins before a retirement that he ended prior to this season, hopes to return after missing two straight games with a strained hamstring.

This is just the third meeting for the teams that are separated by 45 miles. Each team has won once.