Something that 'Skins fans can keep in mind as they watch the Conference Championships this weekend is that the Redskins played all four of the teams still vying to get to the Super Bowl.
In the first of this two-part series, I will discuss the Redskins' victories over the Cardinals and the Eagles, who are playing each other for the NFC Championship this week.
The Cardinals were undefeated when the Redskins faced them at home in Week Three. People were wondering then, as many still are, if the Cardinals were for real. One thing we found out is that Larry Fitzgerald is for real. He caught seven passes for 109 yards, including a 62-yard pass play that went for a touchdown.
The Redskins' defense, which finished fourth in the NFL this season, could not shut down Fitzgerald. It may turn out that no one can. What the Redskins were able to do is to make sure no one else had a big day.
Warner was harassed by a swarming defense all day. No other receiver caught more than three passes, and Edgerrin James was held to under 100 yards rushing. On one important series in the second quarter, Jason Taylor tipped a Warner pass that was intended for Fitzgerald, and it fell incomplete.
On the very next play, Kedric Golston sacked Warner, and the Cardinals were forced to punt.
The key to this game, as it is in many NFL games, may have been turnovers. Carlos Rogers picked off one errant Warner pass, and Rocky McIntosh forced one fumble. Significantly, the Redskins cashed in on those two turnovers, scoring 10 points off of them.
Jason Campbell was what he needed to be. He was calm and efficient. He completed 19 of 30 passes for 193 yards. He spread the ball around to 7 different receivers. He threw two touchdown passes. One was to Santana Moss and the other was to Todd Yoder.
And importantly, he threw no interceptions. In fact, the Redskins had no turnovers on the day.
Santana Moss and Chris Cooley caught 14 passes between them. Some of those were important third down conversions.
Two weeks later, the Redskins faced the Eagles in Philadelphia. Washington was coming off of an incredible road victory against the Cowboys, and the thought that they could beat two NFC East rivals on the road two weeks in a row seemed too much to hope for.
The Eagles came out firing, picking up nine first downs in their first two possessions. It looked like it might be a long day for the Redskins. In fact, the Eagles went up 14-0 in the first half before the defense toughened up, and the 'Skins started chipping away at the lead with three field goals. It was 14-9 at the half.
Both quarterbacks had similar games. Donovan McNabb, who is something of a role-model for Jason Campbell, completed 17 of 29 passes for 196 yards. Campbell completed 16 of 29 passes for 176 yards.
Neither quarterback threw a touchdown pass or an interception. In fact, remarkably, there were no turnovers in the game.
There were two main edges for the Redskins in the end. Clinton Portis continued to lead the NFL in rushing by running for 145 yards in the first Eagles game. The Redskins pretty effectively shut down the Eagles ground game, which only accumulated 58 yards for the day.
The other major difference was that while the Eagles had no real go-to guy in crucial situations on that day, Jason Campbell found Chris Cooley eight times for 109 yards and a touchdown. The Eagles had no answer for Portis or Cooley on that day. The final score was the Redskins 23, and the Eagles 17.
Being division rivals, the Redskins weren't finished with the Eagles yet. With the Redskin season spiraling out of control, and the Philadelphia making their playoff push, the Eagles came to Washington in Week 16 of the NFL season.
It was a titanic defensive struggle throughout the day. The Eagles finished third in the NFL in defense this season, and the Redskins finished fourth.
The fact is that the Redskins could not do much against the Eagles' defense. Happily for the Redskins, the Eagles could do nothing against the 'Skins' defense.
DeAngelo Hall had a big day, recording eight tackles and three deflected passes. But Jason Taylor had his best game as a Redskin, with two sacks and a forced fumble that gave the Redskins a short field and set up the only touchdown of the day.
These were well-managed games again. Neither quarterback threw an interception. Both quarterbacks were efficient, again.
We're going to send you the most entertaining Washington Redskins articles, videos, and podcasts from around the web.
2 Comments
Loading more comments...
This comment and all replies have been deleted This comment has been deleted Undo delete