(My Sportsbook) - The Colts were exposed on Monday night, suffering a 28-10 defeat against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field. QB Peyton Manning threw three interceptions, and RB Edgerrin James was held to only 62 rushing yards on 20 carries. The Indianapolis defense was battered early, allowing the Steelers to take a 21-0 lead. Indianapolis still owns the first-place slot in the AFC South, but another effort like last week's could start a downward spiral.

Coach Tony Dungy realizes that it is imperative for the Colts to get back on the right track before a sense of doubt emerges.

"The biggest thing we have to understand is we've gotten through six games -- we've won four and we've lost two," Dungy said.

"We haven't played as well as we need to. That's disappointing, but I've been with teams where we didn't have near this record, lost a Monday night game and we ended up in the NFC Championship Game. I guess I've been there too often to get discouraged over a loss."

Washington defensive coordinator Marvin Lewis was surely watching the way Pittsburgh defended Indianapolis with such success last week when coming up with his game plan. But it will be up to the decision of head coach Steve with his game plan. But it will be up to the decision of head coach Steve Spurrier and his latest quarterback switch to determine the overall success of his ball club. Spurrier named Shane Matthews his starter, thus ending the ugly Patrick Ramsey experiment.

The 'Skins must start a winning streak if they have any plans of a postseason appearance, and that will only happen if the team pulls together and starts from scratch. Washington fell to Green Bay in Week 7, 30-9, while posting a dismal overall effort.

"We just have to iron out our problems," left tackle Chris Samuels said. "We need to stay together. Right now, we need to believe in ourselves."

SERIES HISTORY: The Redskins have won four in a row over the Colts at home, but Indy owns a 17-9 advantage in the all-time series. These teams last met on December 19, 1999, when Manning and James accounted for four touchdowns in the Colts' 24-21 win.

Dungy is 2-2 versus the Redskins, while Spurrier makes his coaching debut against Indianapolis.

COLTS OFFENSE

Since the Colts fell behind so quickly last week, the offense never had the chance to really find a rhythm. Manning was forced to do too much, and he anxiousness was obvious. He is at his worst when he has to take the whole offense on his shoulders, and it resulted in a poor outing.

Since James has not been the same electric back who dominated defenses over the past two seasons following his knee surgery, Manning has been the focal point of the offense. Manning had success early, combining with All-Pro WR Marvin Harrison. However, that combination lost it's punch last week, and it will be important to get it back against Washington's strong secondary.

Since neither the passing game nor the ground attack played with much power last week, Dungy has asked for a sense of urgency.

"I don't think any area on our team is playing as well we need to play consistently," Dungy said. "The offensive line is not playing as well as they want to play and as well as we need them to play, but I think that can be said of every group we have.

"I think we're all frustrated. Our offensive line, our running backs, our whole offense is frustrated that we haven't gotten our running game going the way we like it since Miami [in Week 2]. We just have to continue working."

The Colts committed seven penalties for 55 yards last week, which only adds to the problems.

"The biggest cause for concern is we're self-destructing a little bit," Dungy said. "We've got to eliminate that. We can move the ball. We can score and we've got guys who can make plays, but you've got to have everybody functioning well on every play.

"We're not doing that just yet."

In an attempt to jump-start the offense in a new way, the Colts used James as a receiver on Monday. He caught a career-high 11 passes and could have another good receiving game this week.

REDSKINS DEFENSE

The Steelers were kind enough to construct a blueprint for slowing down the Colts on Monday night. However, a lot of that success was predicated on Pittsburgh's quick-strike offense. Since Matthews and the Redskins offense likely won't get off to such a fast start, Washington's defense will have to improve.

Last week, the Redskins were behind the eight ball since Ramsey turned the ball over so frequently. It's impossible to give Brett Favre and the Packers opportunities and expect to win, since Washington's defense is just not playing well enough to overcome such setbacks.

"We're going through a tough period right now. But guys are talking about continuing to fight. That's what you look for. We're really close to putting everything together," said linebacker Jessie Armstead.

Lewis must take hold of his unit and get his players prepared for Manning. The Colts love to throw the ball, ranking fourth in the AFC with 253.2 passing yards per game. Washington has defended the pass well in general, allowing under 200 yards per contest (193.5 ypg -- fifth in NFC).

Since James has not been a threat to break out of his slump, the Redskins should be able to make Indianapolis one-dimensional. If Washington can bring the heat against Manning and force him into bad situations, he could turn the ball over like he did last week. Look for LB LaVar Arrington to have some kind of impact, since he is impossible to contain. The Penn State product has three sacks in the past two games.

Washington is ranked second-to-last in the conference with a minus-8 turnover margin, so any takeaways will go a long way for the team's dwindling confidence.

REDSKINS OFFENSE

With Matthews under center, the Redskins will have a more seasoned presence leading the offense. Although he's not able to win by himself, his consistency will help his offensive teammates greatly. At least Matthews won't turn the ball over as often as Ramsey.

"We feel Shane gives our team the best chance to win," said Spurrier.

Washington's offensive line has had its share of problems, which could be a problem this week. Spurrier's offense is built around all types of passing styles, including seven-step drops. If the offensive line can't protect Matthews, the Redskins could be in for some trouble.

The 'Skins signed Tre Johnson this week to bolster the line. He has not played in a regular season game since 2000.

Starting left guard David Loverne and right guard Brenden Stai have missed games with injuries. Until the offensive line can give the quarterback enough time to set up and throw, Spurrier's offense will never get rolling.

Spurrier refuses to go to the run, despite the fact that proven back Stephen Davis is able to carry the load. Davis had 91 yards on 24 carries last week, his best game since opening day. Indianapolis allows the second-most rushing yards per game in the AFC, 144.5 per contest.

If the Redskins want to keep Manning off the field, Davis will need to carry the ball at least 20-25 times and the struggling offensive line must open holes. If that doesn't happen, Indianapolis will be hard to slow down.

COLTS DEFENSE

Indianapolis must prepare to see a lot of Davis this week, since the Colts are vulnerable to the run. Last week in Pittsburgh, the Steelers totaled 182 rushing yards.

Indy has gotten a solid pass rush in spite of rampant injuries along the defensive line, thanks to rookies Dwight Freeney and Raheem Rock. The young duo could have an impact this week against Washington's banged-up O-line. Rock has filled in very well since joining the team as a replacement for some of the injured starters, and he has performed above expectations.

"I'm pleased that I've been playing so far," said Rock. "I didn't think I'd be starting right now, but with the injuries, I've been given a chance to start.

"I still have a lot work on in pass rush. I'm trying to learn from the veteran guys. I want to get better. It seems like I don't get that much pressure at all. I'm trying to get more. We've got guys here whose job it is to get to the passer. I'm basically a first-and second-down guy, with Freeney and Chad [Bratzke] coming in to rush the passer. That's what they do, but I'll get better. By next year, I want to improve my pass rush."

LB Mike Peterson has been the best defender for Indianapolis this season, and he has an interception in each of the past two games. He could be a very disruptive presence against Matthews.