Washington Redskins: Stepping On the Road To Winning

The Washington Redskins have stepped on the pavement and now they must walk forward. Over time, that walking could become running and, if lucky enough, could become a full blown sprint.

“What are you talking about?” you may ask.

Yesterday, in the 37-34 defeat to the Philadelphia Eagles, a young Washington Redskins team showed that they are firmly getting their feet set on the pavement of the road that leads to winning.

Granted, they lost the game in a highly emotional dogfight of a game. The game had an old NFC East Division rivalry air about it. Each team would score and the other would counter with one of their own. The not-so-household names of Redskins’ quarterback Kirk Cousins (who threw for 437 yards), Eagles’ wide out Jordan Matthews (two touchdowns) and Philly receiver Jeremy Maclin (one touchdown) would steal the show in a game marred by a mini-brawl in the fourth-quarter on the Washington sideline after Philadelphia quarterback Nick Foles was hit by defensive lineman Chris Baker during an apparent pick by the Redskins’ secondary. What was initially thought to be an interception by Redskins rookie defensive back Bashaud Breeland (filling in for the injured DeAngelo Hall – Achilles heel), was eventually overturned by video replay. Baker and Eagles’ left tackle Jason Peters would be ejected from the game with both likely ending up with fines from the NFL for their involvement in the play and the fracas.

Aside from that altercation during a road game that “welcomed” back former Eagles’ receiver DeSean Jackson (the crowd was excited from the moment the players got off of the bus), the Redskins proved that they can compete at a high level against a clear playoff-caliber opponent.

The next step for the team is to turn quality competitions into wins. Last week, against the hapless Jacksonville Jaguars, Washington smothered Jacksonville from moment of the opening kickoff. And in the end, the Redskins beat a team that they were expected to beat.

But the really good teams find ways to win games regardless of the scenario. The game yesterday against the Eagles was that type of game…one that not many people thought that the Redskins would win. And they didn’t.

The majority of fans outside of the beltway knew that Washington would have to play its “A-Game” to beat the Eagles. After all, Philadelphia, with head coach Chip Kelly’s high flying offense, came into the game undefeated, having come back in their first two wins after trailing by double-digits in each game. The contest this past Sunday was played in a hostile environment for Washington — Philadelphia — where the disdain for the Redskins was obvious. Throw in the mercurial DeSean Jackson coming back in an opposing uniform for the first time and everything was primed for the Redskins to be a sacrificial lamb at the alter that is “The Link.”

Fortunately, the Redskins didn’t get the memo and played well enough to win the game. Cousins was, for the most part, stellar. His stats: 30 of 48 passing attempts completed for 427 yards, three touchdowns, one interception and a 103.4 passer rating. For most of the upper echelon ball clubs in the National Football League, stats like these would accompany a win. The Redskins are a team trying to figure out how to become a part of that group.

With a chance to win on the road against a divisional opponent, they sputtered down the stretch and lost. But it wasn’t for lack of talent, coaching, heart or desire… the reason Washington lost was a lack of something that will stop many young teams finding their way with a new coach: experience in the moment. This is not to say that the Redskins didn’t believe they could win but, maybe there was too much respect given to their opponent.   The Eagles are a good team walking down their own road to being great. But yesterday’s game was winnable from the opening kick-off and on for the Burgundy and Gold.

Numbers don’t lie. The Redskins simply outplayed the Eagles on Sunday.  They controlled every aspect of the game except the most important one… the number of points scored.

Their stats prove the point:

Total First Downs	27		Total First Downs	22
By Rushing	6		By Rushing	3
By Passing	18		By Passing	14
Third Down Efficiency	8/15 – 53%		Third Down Efficiency	4/11 – 36%
Total Net Yards	511		Total Net Yards	379
Total Rushing/Passing Plays (includes Sacks)	76		Total Rushing/Passing Plays (includes Sacks)	66
Average Gain per Offensive Play	6.7		Average Gain per Offensive Play	5.7
Net Yards Rushing	84		Net Yards Rushing	54
Total Rushing Plays	28		Total Rushing Plays	25
Average Gain per Rushing Play	3.0		Average Gain per Rushing Play	2.2
Net Yards Passing	427		Net Yards Passing	325
Gross Yards Passing	427		Gross Yards Passing	325
Average Gain per Passing Play (includes Sacks)	8.9		Average Gain per Passing Play (includes Sacks)	7.9
Punts (Number-Average)	3 – 56.7		Punts (Number-Average)	4 – 37.3
Net Punting Average	41.0		Net Punting Average	35.8

The Washington Redskins can hang their hat on the fact that they went toe-to-toe with division champs in their own building and still had a chance to win it at the end. This is exactly the right recipe for success and might get them walking forward on the pavement.

With a short week ahead, the Burgundy and Gold has a chance to quickly forget Sunday’s game and face yet another divisional game against the New York Giants this Thursday. If they are going to be a team that becomes accustomed to winning, they must close games out. When that happens, this team will well be on that paved road to winning.