Can you believe it? I know I can't. Who would have guessed that, out of all the upsets that are going to happen this year, the Redskins @ Dallas would be one of them. Let's take a look at the matchups.
Tony Romo vs. Jason Campbell
Tony Romo is one of the greatest QBs in the NFL right now. With the weapons he has, and with his arm, there is no way he couldn't be good. Jason Campbell is a good but inconsistent player. He has a bad game, he has a good game, he has three bad games, he has three good games. Tony Romo always seems to have a good game.
Last night, I guess he just couldn't get it done. I’m not saying he had a bad game last night; actually, he had a great game. He threw for 3 TDs and 300 yards, but the problem is, during the most important offensive drive for Dallas, he threw an interception.
This kind of reminds me of the Giants game in the divisional round of the playoffs last year.
If you were to ask 10 people before the Cowboys-Redskins game, "Who is going to have a better game, Tony Romo or Jason Campbell?" I guarantee seven people would have said Tony Romo. That means three out of the 10 would have been right. Jason Campbell definitely had a better game last night, and I’m sure no one saw that coming.
2008 Stats
Tony Romo: 8 TDs, 4 INTs
Jason Campbell: 6 TDs, 0 INTs
Game Stats
Tony Romo: 3 TD, 1 INT
Jason Campbell: 2 TD, 0 INTs
Redskins Offense vs. Cowboys Defense
The Cowboys are obviously one of the best defenses in the league. The Redskins' offense is, at best, AVERAGE (well, before this game). This offense matching up against this defense doesn't fair to well for the Redskins.
Before this game, I didn't believe that the Redskins offense stood a chance—and I was not alone in this thinking—thinking that they'd score, at most, 17 points. The Redskins have a pretty good receiving corps, but how in the world can you tear it up against Terence Newman, Pacman Jones, and Ken Hamlin.
After I said that to myself, I thought, "Hmm...Maybe they can run their way to a victory." I then thought, "You can't win a game by running against Chris Canty, Marcus Spears, Jay Ratliff, DeMarcus Ware, Bradie James, Greg Ellis, and Zach Thomas.”
I'll tell you one thing, they completely proved me wrong. They passed and ran ALL over the Cowboys' defense. They had 231 passing yards and 161 yards rushing. I'll tell you another thing: The Redskins are not the odd-man out in the NFC East.
Game Stats
Redskins O: 392 Yards
Dallas D:0 Takeaways, 392 Yards Given Up
Dallas Offense vs. Redskins Defense
Romo, Witten, Owens, Crayton, Austin, Colombo, Davis, Gurode, Kosier, Adams, and Witten vs. Springs, Rogers, Carter, Golston, Griffin, Evans (backup), Mclontosh, Fletcher, Fincher (backup), Doughty, and Landry.
The Cowboys look like they easily win this matchup. The Cowboys' offense did do pretty well in this game, but the Redskins contained Terrell Owens, which was a big surprise to me. They did give up three TDs, but they did have a pick when it mattered most.
Game Stats
Dallas O: 311 Yards, 1 Turnover
Redskins D: 1 Takeaway, 311 Yards Given Up
The Redskins proved me wrong in every area of the game. They really did impress me in this upset. The Redskins are no longer the worst team in the NFC East. The Redskins have been proving me wrong all season, and I don't think they'll stop.
4 comments Last one added 9 months ago — Leave a Comment
Steve Honcho 9 months ago
Great article. I agree with everything this guy says!
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Steve Honcho 9 months ago
Great article! I agree with everything this guy says!
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alfredo 9 months ago
Maybe I'm wrong, but Romo always seems to choke when he really needs to perform.
Regarding Campbell... Even in the game against the Giants in week 1, Campbell and Zorn (and the offense) showed some sign of progress (productivity/excitement/innovation) in SOME of their offensive possessions. (NOT The whole game, but in some).
Something that Gibbs was never able to do/show in his second tenure with the Redskins
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John Mckinnon 9 months ago
I agree except for the notion that Dallas laid down or didn't play up to their potential. The fact remains that the score should have been more lopsided than it was. If the Redskins didn't play a prevent D at the end of the half and the end of the 4th, you could erase about 100 passing yards from Dallas' stat column. Anyway, it's a W and people will be forced to take the Skins for the true Superbowl contenders they are really soon. But yeah, great article! I also agree with Alfredo regarding Gibbs II. Gibbs I was comparable to Darth Vader and Gibbs II was like Lord Helmet from Spaceballs! Always love the guy though.
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