TONIGHT

WASHINGTON AT ST. LOUIS, 6 p.m.

* The line: St. Louis by 6.

* Story line: Washington heads into the Trans World Dome needing a win and looking to take advantage of the Giants’ loss to Detroit. Picked by many to unseat the Rams in the NFC, the Redskins have been somewhat disappointing, especially on “Monday Night Football,” where they’ve gone 0-2.

* Key matchups: Ram wide receivers vs. Redskin defensive backs. Ram quarterback Trent Green and Co. will try to use motion sets to confuse the best defensive backfield in the NFL. Redskin running back Stephen Davis vs. Rams’ front seven. To keep the Ram offense off the field, Davis must get at least 25 carries. The Redskins special teams must be wary of Ram return man Az-Zahir Hakim.

* Injury report: WAS--QB Brad Johnson (knee, doubtful). STL--QB Kurt Warner (finger, out); RB Marshall Faulk (knee, questionable).

*--*

THE MATCHUPS WAS STL Points scored 18.5 (20) 39.2 (1) Points allowed 15.8 (8) 30.3 (31) Passing Off. 227.0 (9) 358.6 (1) Rushing Off. 125.4 (T9) 116.8 (T16) Passing Def. 160.8 (1) 253.6 (28) Rushing Def. 94.5 (7) 96.2 (8) Time of Poss. 32:27 (4) 32:22 (5) Turnover Ratio 0 (T15) 0 (T15) Red Zone TD% 48.5 (15) 69.4 (1)

*--*

The pick: St. Louis.