- The Washington Times - Thursday, November 3, 2011

1. Can the offense, um, score a point? Turns out you can’t win if you don’t score. The Redskins should really look into that this week. Seriously, though, it’s back to basics. The offensive line must establish the running game and quarterback John Beck must see the field better and make better decisions.

2. Can the Redskins take the game of out John Beck’s hands? Look at what the 49ers have done with Alex Smith. They average 4.5 yards per rush and have attempted only 185 passes, fewest in the NFL. Smith is managing games, and the burden isn’t on him. His season passer rating: 95.7.

3. Will the offensive line play significantly better? It can’t be worse than 10 sacks, right? Right?! There were protection breakdowns galore against Buffalo, and Beck didn’t help with his decision making. San Francisco’s defense ranks 12th in the NFL with a sack on 7.6 percent of opponents’ passes.

4. Which receiver will step up? No Redskins receivers scare other teams. Heck, you could argue that Santana Moss didn’t, either, when he was healthy. But now there’s a bigger void, and someone must fill it. Anthony Armstrong started last week and did not catch a pass.

5. Can the Redskins stop the run? 49ers running back Frank Gore averages 4.8 yards per carry, tied for third in the NFL. Washington’s defensive linemen must contain him by occupying double teams and force quarterback Alex Smith into low-percentage third-and-long situations.

• Rich Campbell can be reached at rcampbell@washingtontimes.com.

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