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On Washington’s first drive against the Philadelphia Eagles; it would appear to be a dose of the same old Redskins as they suffered two penalties immediately. There was one for illegal formation and another for clipping and the combination seemed to stifle the opening drive. After an incomplete pass on second down with 19 yards to go, the Redskins faced a third-and-extra-long… something they haven’t converted all season.
The Redskins played their NFC East rival very tough, as they did their first two opponents. Despite the injuries on the defense, the unit played aggressively. As well the offense appeared to be in rhythm, providing a great tempo.
The Burgundy and Gold got a huge 42-yard run from RB Chris Thompson which indicated a sense of resilience which seemed to filter through this team as the day went on. The offense put together a 13 play, 77-yard drive that used up seven minutes and resulted in a field goal. Even though they had to settle for just three points on that drive they did something that was lacking in the Thursday night match up against another division foe, the New York Giants: they played a smart, physical and fast brand of football.
Despite the laundry list of penalties accrued (10 for 110 yards) by Washington, there was one thing that was shown which the stats and scoreboard did not. That was the calm and collected demeanor of Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins and the “never give up, never quit” mentality of the whole team. This has been lacking in recent years.
Cousins looked to be in full command of the offense, making smart plays and checking/calling protections pre-snap. The offensive line played very well in pass protection but the Eagles did a good job of stopping the run for most of the game, especially Washington’s workhorse Alfred Morris. Morris eventually did eventually get warmed up in the fourth quarter however and played a huge part of the Redskins final game-winning drive. He finished the game with 17 carries for 62 yards.
Cousins would finish his day completing 31 passes for 290 yards and a huge game-winning touchdown to veteran receiver Pierre Garçon.
The team game was in full effect at FedEx Field as all three phases of ballclub had a huge part in this win. Some young guys stepped up and made their presence felt. Thompson contributed in a huge way, both in the run and passing game. He gave Cousins an outlet in some critical third-down situations and provided some solid blitz pickups as well. The Florida State alum ended the day with six carries for 53 yards and two catches for 24 yards.
Wide out Jamison Crowder, who was inserted into the starting line up in place of the inconsistent Andre Roberts, proved why he deserves more playing time. The rookie made two critical third-down receptions — one a leaping catch into extremely tight coverage — that helped keep scoring drives alive. He finished his day with seven receptions for 65 yards.
The Redskins’ offense dominated the time of possession, holding the ball for 41:12. Most importantly however, is the amount of third downs that Washington converted: nine of 17. This is 52 percent and is huge in any ballgame.
The special teams unit had a decent day as well. Newly hired kicker, Dustin Hopkins, again provide the Redskins with deep kickoffs and connected on all three of his field goals. Even though there was a pretty solid return by Eagles speedster Darren Sproles, which proves there is still work to do; Redskins punter Tress Way & Co. did an excellent job of flipping the field, giving the Redskins defense a little breathing room with which to work.
Last week Washington’s defense looked to be in slow motion, lacking aggression and not flying around and flocking to the ball. This was not the case in this contest. The unit got back to doing what they did best in Weeks 1 and 2. Defensive coordinator Joe Barry and his unit were relentless to the ball and stayed aggressive in rushing and creating pressure on Philly quarterback Sam Bradford. The Redskins defense came away with five sacks and two fumble recoveries.
For those on the outside, this win may not seem so big. But for the Redskins, it was a huge character-building win. It was the type of win that draws 53 men together and shows that no matter how tough things may get, no matter how dark and grim the situation may appear to be, they will never give up on their teammates.
There are plenty of things that need to be addressed and cleaned up, that is for certain. But it was a nice treat for Redskins fans to see a squad that has been on the losing side of these types of games finally put together a drive of their own to win an important division game.
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