A Preview: Redskins vs. Eagles

Hello Redskins fans! After the thrilling 22-19 victory last week over Dallas, I'm really excited about tomorrow's 1:00pm kickoff at the Eagles. The Skins have a two game winning streak against the Eagles, and hold the series edge 75-63-5 (since 1934). Washington was propelled into the playoffs last year after a 5 year drought, defeating Philly 20-17.

Now, let's take a look at the tale of the tape of how the Redskins and Eagles match up. The Redskins are ranked 15th in the NFL, averaging 322.6 yards per game in total offense. Philly's defense is comparably ranked 14th in the league, averaging 316.1 yards given up per game in total offense. The Skins' defense, ranked 30th in the NFL, will have a tall order trying to stop the Eagles' number one ranked offense (in total yardage).

The Redskins are coming off of their best game of the year, and it's not just because the game was thrilling. Washington played better then they have all year. However, they still were far from great. The defense looked really good at times, but far from the dominant force that they were last year. The offense looked better then they have all year, but still could have been a lot better. They actually threw the ball down field, but not as often or well as they should. Clinton Portis ran the ball on the outside for 38 yards, untouched, for a touchdown. But they didn’t run to the outside as many times as they should have. They just kept running up the middle and getting squished after a one or two yard gains. The Skins never did give up, but they didn’t have that killer mentality that you need in order to win in the NFL.

They still aren’t rushing Clinton Portis enough! He wasn’t effective except for that 38yard TD run. The most ridiculous thing for the Redskins happened early in the game. The Skins tried 8 consecutive times to score a touchdown from inside the 4 yard line and failed every time. They ran the ball 6 times. Clinton Portis rushed 5 times, Ladell Betts rushed once, and T.J.Duckett rushed ZERO times. Isn’t Duckett's great career goal line production a main reason why the Skins traded a 3 rd round draft pick for him?

Another positive for the Skins is that they only committed four penalties, which is a lot better then they have been. Before last weekend's game, the Skins were among the most penalized team in the league and led the league in 15 yard personal foul penalties.

All in all, it's safe to say that the Skins did improve their play. However, you can't escape the fact that a ton of unbelievable luck had a significant role in the improbable win. I hope they realize their mistakes and things they could do better this weekend.

Big hat tip to Eric, with his input and thoughtful insight in this post.

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Sunday's Skins Game to be Replayed Tonight

The incredible Cowboys vs Redskins rivalry game that was played on Sunday will be replayed tonight (Wednesday) at 8pm EST on the NFL Network. All football fans should check it out no matter what team they root for. If you miss the replay tonight, they will replay the replay of the game several times throughout the week.

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"Come on Washington Gibbs Me a Win!"

The inspiration for the title of this post came near the end of the fourth quarter. The camera panned through the crowd, and stopped on a fan holding up a sign with that title. This game totally lived up to the standards of this historical rivalry. It all came down the wire. It was truly a great game for ANY football fan.

You could call the first half of the game unconventional. On the opening possession, the Skins marched right down the field to the Cowboys 1 yard-line. They tried punching it in by running up the middle for three plays, and were unsuccessful. They made the right call being at home to go for it early in the game. They ran it up the middle again, and got stuffed. Turnover on Downs. The Cowboys' first offensive play from their own 1 yard-line was a run, and Jones was tackled in the end zone for a safety. With the free kick, the Skins managed to get a field goal to make it 5-0. 5-0 is certainly a score you don't see everyday. At this point in the game it makes you feel a little uneasy after the Skins had two great opportunities and they couldn't translate them into touchdowns. The Cowboys marched right down the field and scored a touchdown on their next possession. In my book, Parcells made a very questionable decision to go for two points this early in the football game, and of course they didn't make it. The Redskins and the Cowboys ended the first half tied at 12 apiece. The Redskins certainly tried to run the ball throughout the game, but their attack wasn't all that great. The biggest run play they had was in the first half, with Clinton Portis' 38 yard touchdown run. The Skins had to play catch up when the Cowboys scored a touchdown on their first drive of the second half. The Skins got their equalizer on a beautiful catch from Chris Cooley in the end zone to tie it at 19. At this point in the game, there was a real feeling of promise that the Skins had a great chance to pull this one out. With about a minute left in the game, the Skins got as far as they could to give Novak a chance to win it with a 49 yard field goal attempt. He missed it wide right...your heart jumps in your throat knowing that they gave the Cowboys great field position to drive for a game winning field goal attempt. The Cowboys get their chance with six seconds left, and Troy Vincent comes up HUGE with the block! Sean Taylor had a very nice return of the blocked field goal, and gets a 15 yard face mask penalty tacked on with no time left on the clock. Mr. Nick Novak gets his second chance with a 47 yard field goal attempt, and sneaks it through the upright! Here's some other things worth noting about the game. Terrell Owens had a CRITICAL drop of a pass behind the Skins' secondary that would've been a back-breaker putting the Skins down by 14. The Cowboys had 11 penalties for 153 yards, and the Skins only had 5 for 41 yards. The Redskins were 5 for 13 on 3rd Down conversions. On the Skins' opening possession, they had the ball for over eight minutes but, they ended up losing the time of possession battle to the Cowboys 31:28 to 28:32. The Skins next opponent is against the Eagles at Philly next weekend.

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