'Skins seek to avoid a Lion trap

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By Ryan O'Halloran

Yet Redskins coach Jim Zorn channeled Joe Gibbs when asked about the Lions, heaping praise on Detroit.

"This team is going to be the most dangerous team in the National Football League, and at 0-6 they've played well in all their games," he said. "They're a competitive team. They have been a competitive team against every one of the opponents I've watched. It's the score that's made the difference, not their effort and not their plan."

Zorn must have watched the Lions' preseason games; Detroit was the only team to go undefeated. Once the results started counting, it has been tough for the Lions. They have lost by 13, 23, 18, 27, two and seven points.

The latest loss was 28-21 at Houston, a game the Texans led 28-10 entering the fourth quarter.

St. Louis came to town with worse numbers but scored a defensive touchdown and won with a field goal at the buzzer. It taught the Redskins anything can happen if Detroit is allowed to hang around.

"We can't take the attitude of 'it's a week off,' " linebacker Marcus Washington said. "A lot of times, when you play a team that hasn't had a win, they're wounded but they come out fighting the toughest, and people will ask, 'How can that team with that record play good?' It's not that we're slacking. It's that they're playing good ball."

Right tackle Jon Jansen has been in the Lions' situation. He, Chris Samuels and Fred Smoot are the only players remaining from the 2001 Redskins team that started 0-5 while getting outscored 144-32.

"When we were in that situation, a team would get 14 points and you start thinking, 'Here we go again. It's the same as last week,' " he said. "The position we would like to be in is to stay on them and don't give them hope."

The 2001 Redskins won five consecutive games after their horrid start. The Rams won their second straight by pounding Dallas on Sunday.

The Redskins have pounded nobody this season (their five wins are by a combined 23 points) but have been efficient enough offensively and defensively to know their best effort is good enough to beat anybody. That will be the focus this week: Take care of the Redskins, be aware of the Lions' strengths and beat a team that's down.

"We have to play Redskins football. It's not about the Lions; it's about the Redskins," Griffin said. "On defense, we have to make corrections from the last two games and hopefully not just play good and win but stone a team and dominate for the whole 60 minutes."

Added Jansen: "I really felt we had good preparation [entering the St. Louis game], and I thought we played well other than some turnovers that really cost us. Take those away and there isn't a way we lose that game. If we play sound, technique football, we'll be OK no matter who we play."