Last week I said the Skins would struggle early, but ultimately assert their dominance and beat the then-winless St. Louis Rams in their return to FedEx Field. I was wrong.

I actually feel better about this week’s matchup against the Cleveland Browns. Last week’s lump against a truly bad team — and they are indeed bad — had to be a shock to the system for London Fletcher, Clinton Portis, Santana Moss and crew. (Speaking of, has anyone seen Santana lately? Did he stick around Dallas to catch the Texas state fair?) Now everyone knows that an off-game in the NFL means a loss, and no team in the NFC East with designs on the division crown can afford more than four of these setbacks over the course of the season. I see the Skins avoiding another setback here with a 20–16 win in front of a spirited partisan crowd.

With this team, my big question is in the secondary. Carlos Rogers engineered a masterful shutdown against Torry Holt last week, but Leigh Torrence was exposed as ineffective when it mattered. Is Shawn Springs healthy in the cornerback slot? And Fred Smoot? Browns wide receiver Braylon Edwards finally had the kind of game everyone has been clamoring for in last week’s shocker, a victory against the Giants coming off the bye. Adding to that momentum is new signee Donte Stallworth, who’s coming in off an injury. And to boot, Derek Anderson sextupled his quarterback rating last week. It’s not a good time to be the defense playing the Browns.