Skins Drop Eagles in Philly, Improve to 2-0
In beating the Eagles in their nest last night, there were a number of plays you could point to as being critical--not the least of which was Laron Landry's game-ending decapitation of Philly wideout Kevin Curtis to seal the deal. But if you were a fan looking for something a little defining or divining, the Skins offensive series to end the first half was probably the stretch of play that gave you that first tingle that maybe the team was onto something.
Getting down the field from their own 27 to the Philadelphia 1-yard-line was a process of tension and guts. A neck-snapping sideline juke here, a brisk QB scramble there, culminating in Antwaan Randle-El's twisting, whole-body effort to advance the ball as far as possible. From there, the Skins sputtered, picked up some dumb penalties, started moving backwards. But thanks to a weird decision from Andy Reid to ice kicker Scott Suisham that gave Joe Gibbs the needed extra minute to sack up and take a shot at the end zone, we got to watch the Savior toss a perfect pass right into Captain Chaos' breadbasket for the touchdown. Washington went into the locker room with the lead and never relinquished it.
If the Redskins came into last night's game needing to elevate their game from the previous week's too-close struggle with the Miami junior varsity, they got the step-up in a number of areas. First and foremost, the Redskins defensive backfield played outstandingly. Every time the Monday Night Football crew highlighted their work, you saw blanket, white-on-rice style coverage. No massive meltdowns, and great tackling. As a result, Donovan McNabb was constantly checking down and frequently caught in the teeth of a pass rush. And, once again, Al Saunders kept the faith in a balanced offensive attack, keeping invested in the running game in spite of some early struggles. He mixed up the gameplan, however, with a bolder mix of pass plays than the week before--deep shots from the outset that tested a Eagles secondary that grew more dilapidated as the game wore on.
The lone bright spot for the Eagles last night was the play of their do-everything running back Bryan Westbrook, and it's a wonder that someone in Philadelphia hasn't yet arranged for Philadelphia coach Andy Reid to be formally introduced to him. The Eagles ran twenty-three plays inside the Redskins 30-yard line last night, and Westbrook's name only got called on eight of those occasions (and he did not get the ball at all inside the red zone on Philly's final drive). During the game there was much talk of the criticism that has historically been heaped on McNabb (and, in fairness, the Eagle QB certainly didn't help his cause, constantly missing receivers high). I maintain that Andy Reid's puzzling in-game decisions have played a bigger role in the Eagles' failings than McNabb has, and last night was a good example of this.
But hey, don't look now, Washington's defense has only given up a single touchdown in two games. Last night, they were impregnable in the red zone and flat-out ruled on third down. And while Wilbon's on the record in finding the offense to be "hardly high-octane," I'm inclined to keep that particular book open--there's still room for potential growth. A lot will depend on how the offensive unit handles another critical loss on the offensive line--starting guard Randy Thomas went down last night with a torn triceps muscle.
This Sunday, Washington hosts whatever-the-hell team the New York Giants' organization decides to send us.