steven jackson

Kedric Golston knows the main challenge that he and the Redskins defense will face on Sunday: Rams Pro Bowl running back Steven Jackson.

"He's a big, strong, fast running back," Golston said. "It's imposing he has the power of any power back in the league, but he's got the same speed as any smaller back. He's a double AND triple threat, because he had, I think, 51 catches last year."

There are, Golston said, a couple of basic keys to help slow down Jackson's production. "You got to get hats on him," he said. "You don't want to be holding onto an offensive lineman when you're trying to tackle him. It absolutely makes you want to get off of your blocks a lot earlier, so that you can place him one on one instead of holding to another 300 pound dude."

Jackson may be a cause for concern, but one thing Golston is not particularly concerned about is the defense's NFL ranking, currently 32nd in the league.

"As a defensive group," Golston said, "we take great pride in wanting to be one of the best defenses in the league, but wins come ahead of wanting to be a high-ranked defense. We're not here to be the best defense in the league; we're here to be the best team in the league."

And defensive ranking are deliberate by yard allowable, not points allowed or wins allowed. "Ultimately," Golston said, "it's about wins and losses. You know, losing every game but giving up a hundred yards on defense is not the goal. The goal is to win football games."