I've been repeating it like a chorus since the offseason ended: The Redskins are very close to being a regularly competitive team. They have pretty decent talent and depth at most positions. The one glaring hole is depth in the O-line. With a starting squad that's 80 percent injury-prone or old, the lack of depth is a big problem.

The first stumble occurred last weekend when right guard Randy Thomas injured himself for the rest of the season. The two choices to replace him were second-year prospect Chad Rinehart and hometown favorite Will Montgomery.

Rinehart, a third-round draft pick last season, ranks behind only Stephon Heyer as the most promising O-line prospect on the roster.

Montgomery is somewhat of a fan favorite because he played high school in Fairfax, Va., not far from the stadium, and because he went to Virginia Tech—which has a large fan base in and around Washington.

Still, Rinehart's the better pick. He has a much higher ceiling and has played respectably—though not great—when he's seen playing time in the past.

So what does all of this mean for the O-line? How can fans expect the unit to perform against the Lions this Sunday?

Fortunately for the Redskins, the Lions' defensive line is battling nagging injuries. Starting defensive tackles Gradie Jackson and Sammy Hill are both listed as probable for Sunday's game, and backup defensive end Cliff Avril is doubtful.

Despite these injuries, the Lions have produced at a pretty state. So far, they've tied for ninth in the NFC in sacks, which is where the unit finished in 2008. Though this number is above the median, it's still not an incredible number: three sacks in two games.

I'd give the advantage to the Redskins in this situation. The Skins' O-line still has enough gas in its tank to perform well. It's not for another three or four games that you have to worry about the so-called "dirtbags" really succumbing to aches and pains like they did last year.

With Chris Samuels anchoring the unit at left tackle and the rest of the usual suspects ready to silence the doubters, expect the Redskins to hold the advantage against the Lions' defensive line.

The trendy pick is to for the Lions to end their losing streak against the Redskins, who seemed incapable of finishing offensive drives last Sunday versus the floundering Rams.

Based on the battles in the trenches, the Redskins have a big advantage, so I think Washington will walk away with a victory.