Redskins Vs Rams Player to Watch: Santana Moss

After Torrey Smith burned the St. Louis Rams' secondary for three touchdowns, all on go routes, a player that needs to be contained against the Redskins is Santana Moss.  Yes, he might not be as fast as he once was, but when he entered the league he was running like a 4.2 forty!  Even if he has lost a step, he is still pretty damn fast.  He has the ability to get on top of the Rams defense with his speed and savvy route running.

More after the jump.

Here's a video of Santana's only TD catch this year.  He ran a really nice corner route and made a good catch on a great throw by Rex Grossman.

Moss had a great year last year, finishing with 93 catches for 1,115 yards and 6 TDs on a very bad team.  This shows that even at his old age, he can still get the job done.  This year, he's compiled respectable stats early on: 16 catches for 207 yards and a TD.  He is on pace to get over 1,100 yards.  Santana still has good speed at his age, he is a very good route runner, has solid hands, and he is just one of those guys who always seems to find a way to get open.  After how badly the Rams were burned last week, you can be certain that the Redskins will take some shots down the field with Moss.  A key to the game Sunday will be how well the Rams contain the deep passing game and especially how they deal with Santana Moss.

One way to try to contain him, and the way I think the Rams will go about it, will be to put Bradley Fletcher on Moss.  Fletcher has shut down some very good WRs this year, and I think that he would be a good matchup with Moss.  The problem I see is Bradley is not nearly as fast as Moss, and Moss could try to take advantage of his lack of foot speed.  To combat this, I see the Rams putting a safety over the top on passing downs, but then there will be less coverage in the middle of the field where guys like Fred Davis and Chris Cooley could dominate.  Even if Moss doesn't have a huge game this week, his impact on the game is unquestioned.  That's why he is a player to watch.