Stephen Davis gained 51 yards on 12 carries in the first meeting with Detroit.

In today's NFL, a big-time offensive club can get momentum and make it to the Super Bowl with a decent defense. The Redskins have rarely displayed even adequate defense this season. They enter the postseason with the worst-ranked defense (No. 30) among playoff teams. But all the Redskins have to do is play average defense, and they will have a chance to win every game in the NFC playoffs.

The Redskins have the offense to keep up with the St. Louis Rams, although the Rams are capable of putting 50 points on the Washington defense. But first, the 'Skins must survive a potential offensive shootout with the Detroit Lions. Both defenses are playing less than stellar football. In their four consecutive defeats down the stretch, the Lions defense has allowed an average of 369 yards a game.

Unfortunately for the Lions, they won't beat the Redskins in a shootout on the road, although they were able to defeat Washington five weeks ago at the Silverdome. Washington has what great playoff teams have --a quality quarterback (Brad Johnson), a physical running back (Stephen Davis) who can carry the ball 30 times, and playmaking receivers (Michael Westbrook and Albert Connell) on the perimeter.

For the Lions, I like Charlie Batch, but he is not 100 percent healthy. I don't think the Lions lose much by starting Gus Frerotte at quarterback. But with Frerotte, the question is how will he be in his return to Washington? Will he be motivated to play well, or will he be so jacked up he comes out and throws two interceptions early because he is trying too hard?

I'm anxious to see what happens if the Lions get down early. Don't turn the TV sets off because the Redskins defense has been known to give up three touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

Here are the keys to Saturday's NFC wild-card game for each team:

Detroit Lions
1. Go vertical: With three receivers like Germane Crowell, Johnnie Morton and Herman Moore and no running game, the Lions should take as many shots down the field as they can. They need to motion their receivers and move them around because their third receiver is better than Washington's third cornerback.

The Redskins have Darrell Green and Champ Bailey at cornerback, but Morton is better than anyone else. The Lions need to line up with three receivers a lot and challenge the Redskins secondary.

2. Work 'em: The Lions running game has been horrid, the worst of all 12 playoff teams. But they need to make Dan Wilkinson and Dana Stubblefield, the Washington defensive tackles, play four quarters. When Wilkinson and Stubblefield decide they want to play, they are pretty good. But what kind of intensity will they give?

The Lions need to run at the big tackles and make them work on every play. Force them to make plays and wear them out physically. If the Lions give up on the run early and allow Wilkinson and Stubblefield to stay fresh, they will pressure the Lions. If there is ever a chance for Detroit to run the football, it's against the Redskins.

3. Impatience is a virtue: The Lions need to take away Brad Johnson's patience and keep his completion percentage to less than 60 percent. In the first meeting, they sacked Johnson five times and forced a fumble that was returned for a touchdown. So the Lions should be able to pressure Johnson and make him make rash decisions. If the Lions just allow him to sit back and dump the ball short, Johnson will because he is patient enough to take the short passes.

Washington Redskins
1. Establish Davis: The Redskins' big back is healthy now, so Washington needs to pound a defensive team that isn't playing well. Davis makes a huge difference for the Redskins, and Johnson has a lot to do with it. Johnson's passing ability keeps defenses so honest that they can't keep eight men in the box. In a seven-on-seven situation, the Redskins can beat the Lions with traps and counter plays to Davis.

2. Formations galore: The Redskins need to use varied formations all day long, so the Detroit defense will be unable to key on players like Westbrook and Connell. Norv Turner will use a variety of formations to create favorable matchups for Washington's receivers instead of allowing the Lions defense to dictate the matchups they want.

3. 'Backers must be better: The Redskins can't just rely on Marco Coleman, Champ Bailey and Darrell Green to do everything for the defense. Derek Smith, Shawn Barber and James Francis, who form the defense's weakest unit, need to step up and play better.

When the scheme isn't good and the players behind it aren't good, you have a lot of problems. Detroit's offense will force the Redskin linebackers to make plays by spreading them out.