The Eagles came into D.C. hoping to christen rookie quarterback Nick Foles with a win against one the NFL's worst defenses. The Redskins promptly showed them the door, keeping them out of the end-zone the whole game and beating them by a whopping 25 points, the highest margin in any Mike Shanahan era game. Final score: 31-6.
The Good:
1. RG3: 158.3 Quarterback Rating. 4 Touchdowns. No turnovers. 84 Rushing Yards. Two touchdowns over 40 yards need I say more? RG3 is a dynamic playmaker who is a better pocket passer than he is a runner. When you open up the dictionary and look for the word 'greatness' all you see is a huge page of RG3 pictures.
2. Offensive Line/Running Game: They kept RG3 upright for the most part and lead the team to 150+ rushing yards. They started every game together as one cohesive unit and their progress has shown over the season.
3. Jim Haslett: He finally adjusted to take advantage of the rookie quarterback. He blitzed, blitzed and blitzed some more, finally getting pressure on the quarterback. This also helps the secondary as they don't have to cover receivers as long and can jam them up more at the line of scrimmage. While they did give up some long plays they didn't break and kept the Eagles out of the endzone, and out of field goal range for the most part. They forced three turnovers, one for each of the last three games they lost, and killed momentum and transferred it to our offense. If the defense can play like this for the most part and keep the point total down, the offense can play with a lead which it does best.
4. Kai Forbath: He has been perfect on field goals on the season and looks like a clutch kicker the Redskins haven't had since...Chip Lohmiller. Getting points on drives is crucial for a team like the Redskins and a good kicker makes winning 100 times easier. The special teams unit as a whole was also admirable with no long returns and good punt coverage minus one long return.
5. Brandon Merriwether: His return sparked the defense to its lowest point total of the season. He was flying all around the field and is the talent and speed that the Redskins have not seen in the secondary. He made hits in the flat and downfield and even caught an interception. His return was desperately needed.
The Bad:
1. Brandon Merriwether: This guy can't stay healthy! He look like he sprained his right knee this time. Post game he said he was fine but we'll see if he plays in a crucial game against Dallas on Thursday.
2. Penalties: The penalties were by far the most glaring problem with the performance on Sunday. They killed drives and extended the Eagles drives. They are the most penalized team in the NFL. If they continue this, there is no way they can beat Dallas on Thursday. They need to be more disciplined if they want to win games.
That sums it up for my "analysis", now lets see what happens if they can keep this up.
That sums it up for my "analysis", now lets see what happens if they can keep this up.
Redskins road to lead the division: 1. Whack Dallas. 2. Watch the Packers beat the Giants. 3. Exact revenge on New York the following Monday night.
We can still make the playoffs and its not too difficult. In 2005 the Redskins were 5-6 and needed to win out to make the playoffs. They did. And they didn't have RG3, they had Mark Brunell. They even beat Tampa Bay in the wild card before falling to Seattle in the divisional game. All I'm saying is that it's possible, it might not happen at 4-6, but it's damn well possible.
We can still make the playoffs and its not too difficult. In 2005 the Redskins were 5-6 and needed to win out to make the playoffs. They did. And they didn't have RG3, they had Mark Brunell. They even beat Tampa Bay in the wild card before falling to Seattle in the divisional game. All I'm saying is that it's possible, it might not happen at 4-6, but it's damn well possible.
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