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• You wouldn't think this would be possible, but for the sixth straight week, the Washington Redskins are playing a team that enters the game without a victory.
The Redskins lost to the Giants in Week 1, then beat the Rams, lost to the Lions, beat the Buccaneers and lost to the Panthers. The Rams and Buccaneers are still winless. The Lions and Panthers have beaten only the Redskins.
Today, the Redskins (2-3) play the Chiefs (0-5) at FedEx Field.
There's much speculation that head coach
Jim Zorn won't make it through the season. Considering the Redskins' upcoming schedule, does he really want to hang around? Things figure to get really ugly.
Starting Monday, Oct. 26, the Redskins' remaining games are against the Eagles, Falcons, Broncos, Cowboys, Eagles, Saints, Raiders, Giants, Cowboys and Chargers.
Only the Raiders aren't a serious postseason contender.
• The Giants are 5-0, with wins over the Redskins (2-3), Cowboys (3-2), Buccaneers (0-5), Chiefs (0-5) and Raiders (1-4).
The combined record of the five opponents: 6-19.
Tom Coughlin's team has been impressive, but they'll have a tougher road the next six weeks, facing the Saints (4-0), Cardinals (2-2), Eagles (3-1), Chargers (2-2), Falcons (3-1) and Broncos (5-0).
Combined record of those six teams: 19-6.
• After five games last year, the Denver Broncos were 4-1. This year, they're 5-0. The records aren't much different, but how they got there certainly is.
Last year in their first five games, the Broncos gave up 130 points, an average of 26 points per game. They had three games in which they gave up 30 points, victories by 39-38 over the Chargers and 34-32 over the Saints, and a 33-19 loss to the Chiefs.
This year, the Broncos have given up a total of 43 points in five games, an average of 8.6 points per game.
The Broncos have allowed by far the fewest points in the NFL, even though many other teams have had a bye and played only four games. The Falcons (63) and Saints (66), second and third in points allowed, have both played only four games.
Last year, the Broncos went 4-7 in their last 11 games, finishing 8-8 and missing the playoffs. In the offseason, they fired coach
Mike Shanahan, traded quarterback
Jay Cutler, hired the youngest coach in the NFL in
Josh McDaniels, and acquired quarterback
Kyle Orton from the Bears in the Cutler trade.
But would the Broncos be where they are if they hadn't signed ex-Eagles safety
Brian Dawkins? I don't think so.
• Ex-Sixers coach
Larry Brown knows how to work the referees, even when they're not around.
Brown, starting his second season with the Charlotte Bobcats, was fined $60,000 after being ejected from a recent preseason game.
The NBA has locked out its regular referees and is using replacement refs in the preseason. Obviously, the more problems the substitute referees have in the preseason, the more leverage the regular referees have in their dispute with the NBA.
You have to think Brown doesn't mind showing the regular referees that he's on their side.
Jim Hersh is sports editor of the Sunday News. E-mail him at jhersh@lnpnews.com.
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