Redskins vs. Eagles: Washington Can Deliver the Knockout Punch

The NFC East is stuck in the Bizarro World.

Most years, the Washington Redskins spend the offseason signing high-profile free agents who look great holding jerseys at press conferences but end up fizzling on the gridiron. From Bruce Smith to Antwaan Randle El to the infamous Albert Haynseworth, overpaying players who are past their prime has been the team’s modus operandi under Dan Snyder.

Most years, the Redskins’ division rivals focus on making smart draft picks and developing young talent, while Washington watches its “superstars” fail to live up to expectations and bring the team down in the process. Most years, by Week 6, it’s the Redskins whose season is in jeopardy, whose fans are once again forced to rationalize another year lost as an inept management staff continues to make stupid move after stupid move. That's most years.  

However, this season, someone has flipped the script. The Philadelphia Eagles, who under often-maligned head coach Andy Reid have been the NFC East’s most consistent team over the past decade, spent the shortened offseason offering gaudy contracts to high-profile free agents. One of the team’s signings went so far as to declare the Eagles the NFL’s “Dream Team,” but it should not surprise anyone that the Eagles have stunk it up so far and will probably miss the playoffs.

Eagles management forgot that in football, skill players may receive all the credit but games are usually decided by the players in the trenches. The Eagles offensive and defensive lines have woefully underperformed this season. Speedy but diminutive quarterback Michael Vick has been hung out to dry by a porous offensive line that has forced him to take vicious hit after vicious hit. He threw four interceptions in last Sunday’s loss to the Buffalo Bills, but it’s hard to heap all the blame on Vick considering he is under constant duress.

The smart move for the Eagles would have been to sign a plethora of offensive linemen to protect their $100 million investment. Instead, they signed backup quarterback Vince Young, who has yet to receive any playing time.

On the other side of the ball, free agent defensive lineman Cullin Jenkins and Jason Babin have racked up an impressive 12 sacks between them, but their presence has not helped the Eagles run defense, which currently ranks 30th in the league.

Meanwhile, the Washington Redskins have followed the most inauspicious offseason in recent memory by going 3-1 and far exceeding most people's expectations. The team enters Week 6 in sole possession of first place in the NFC East, and if they can defeat the Eagles at home on Sunday, they will knock Philadelphia out of playoff contention and take a big step towards claiming their first division championship since 1999.

This is not a typical year.

The Redskins’ unforeseen success is a result of drafting well and giving the young talent time to develop. Offensive lineman Trent Williams, linebackers Ryan Kerrigan and Bryan Orakpo and tight end Fred Davis were all drafted within the last four years, and each has played a critical role in the Redskins' success. Mike Shanahan also brought young running back Ryan Torain over from Denver, and last week Torain made his season debut by gaining 135 yards on only 19 carries.

That’s not to say the Redskins completely shunned the free-agent market, but they opted for smart, if not high-profile acquisitions. The signings of running back Tim Hightower, free safety Oshiomogho Atogwe, punter Sav Rocca and nose tackle Barry Cofield didn’t receive a lot of press, but each player has made his unit better.

On Sunday, the Redskins can win by pounding the Eagles with the run, blitzing Vick early and often and forcing turnovers, which shouldn’t be too challenging considering the Eagles lead the league with 15.

The Redskins could put themselves in position to lose by handing the ball over to perennially shaky quarterback Rex Grossman and hoping he can beat an Eagles secondary that includes three Pro Bowlers. Washington’s path to continued success is based upon solid defense and a controlling run game; it is not built to blow teams out or to put up mind-blowing offensive numbers. Attempting to do that would put the team at risk of turning the ball over, something it has done in a staggering 18 straight games. Grossman’s already turned the ball over seven times this season—no one else on the Redskins has committed a turnover—so minimizing his chances to make mistakes is critical.  

The Eagles still have the talent to win this game and cling to their slight playoff hopes. Let’s not forget that last season Vick dismantled the Redskins on Monday Night Football with a six-touchdown performance that left Washington players clamoring Vick for MVP.

However, this year is different. The Redskins look tough while the Eagles look soft, and that should be good enough for Washington to win.

There is no crying in football, and there are no short cuts. You can’t buy a Super Bowl championship. Dan Snyder tried for 10 years and failed. Now it’s the Eagles' turn to fail, and the Redskins can hammer home this point on Sunday.