NFL Indianapolis ColtsWashington Redskins

Predicting the Final Score of Indianapolis Colts vs. Washington Redskins

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By @rickstavig

Indianapolis Colts, Washington Redskins

Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

Things just can’t or won’t seem to go right for the Washington Redskins this year (or any year for that matter). It’s seemingly come to a head given the 3-8 record and the fact that they’re benching their ‘franchise’ QB for, not the guy who started the season as the backup (who already failed as an experimental starter), but for the guy who started the year just trying to land a spot on the 53-man roster: Colt McCoy.

McCoy will make his second start of the season this weekend as the Redskins take on the 7-4 Indianapolis Colts in Lucas Oil Stadium. His first start, in a Monday Night matchup with the Dallas Cowboys, actually wasn’t terrible, throwing for 83% and 300 yards with a pick and a rushing TD. Not good, to be frank, but not bad. His previous appearance was the week before his first start, against the 2-9 Tennessee Titans, and in that game he was actually pretty solid, completing 11 of 12 passes for 128 yards and a TD.

But let’s remember the Titans are very bad. On both defense and offense. It wouldn’t surprise me to see many backup QB’s in the league put up strong performances against them. And against the Cowboys, you can’t help but wonder if he was a little more jacked up for that game than normal, since he was playing back in his home state, in front of his childhood hero (Troy Aikman) and against his favorite team growing up.

So can McCoy take advantage of this second opportunity to showcase his abilities? If the Redskins are smart they won’t depend on him to win the game. They need Alfred Morris to carry the rock about 25-times for 150 yards with a couple TD’s and force the Colts to start bringing 8 to 9 guys up in the box to slow him down. After the run game is established, the play-action will open up and we could see deep threats like DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garçon torch a very below-average Colts secondary.

The biggest reason, however, a strong run game will give the Redskins a chance in this one is that it will keep Colts QB Andrew Luck off the field, who just so happens to probably be the most physically gifted QB since John Elway. If Luck is on the field for long bouts of time, it will get very ugly, very fast for the Redskins.

So who wins? Simple. I’m going with the best young QB in the NFL, who’s also playing inside on his home field. Get serious.

Final Score Prediction: Colts 24, Redskins 14.

Rick Stavig is an NFL Draft Columnist for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @rickstavig or add him to your network on Google+.

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