In Brief
Redskins CB DeAngelo Hall has a volatile history with Panthers WR Steve Smith.
(Alex Brandon / Associated Press)
Last meeting:
Chris Cooley's 66-yard touchdown catch late in the fourth quarter gave the Redskins a 17-13 win over the Panthers in Week 12 of the 2006 season.
Streaks:
Washington has won seven of the eight all-time meetings.
Last week:
Jason Campbell overcame a disastrous first half in which he turned the ball over three times to throw two second-half touchdowns as the Redskins rallied past the Bucs, 16-13. ... Carolina was on a bye.
Keep your eye on ...
DeAngelo Hall's keeping his cool: When he was with the Falcons, Hall and Panthers WR Steve Smith were heated adversaries. They engaged in epic trash talk battles and even got into a few scuffles that resulted in Hall getting costly unsportsmanlike conduct penalties from time to time. Hall will have to control his emotions better this Sunday when he matches up against Smith.
Carolina's offensive balance: Last year, the Panthers went 12-4 and won the NFC South. The key to their success was a power running game. In 2008, Carolina ran the ball 54 percent of the time and finished third in the league in rushing. This season, the Panthers have run on only 38 percent of their plays and are 20th overall in rushing. They must get back to what brought them success.
Both quarterbacks' confidence level: Carolina signal-caller Jake Delhomme is the NFC's lowest-rated starting quarterback. He has nine turnovers in just three games and has yet to recover from his meltdown in last year's playoff loss to Arizona. Campbell, meanwhile, nearly lost his job in the offseason and has looked shaky at times this year. Both quarterbacks desperately need to regroup with a solid performance.
Did you know?
Redskins RB Clinton Portis averages 109.8 yards from scrimmage per game (11,414 yards, 104 games), which is the fifth highest mark in NFL history (minimum of 100 games). ... Washington's Chris Cooley has 30 touchdowns since 2004, fourth most by a tight end. ... Panthers RB DeAngelo Williams has 20 rushing TDs in his past 15 games. ... Carolina's Julius Peppers owns the franchise record with 71.5 sacks.
