Redskins stay in command of NFC East
LANDOVER, Md. – The Redskins hung on to beat the Cowboys 20-17 to protect their lead in the NFC East on Sunday at FedExField.
Dallas kicker Brett Maher’s 52-yard field goal attempt clanked off of the left upright as time expired, and Washington’s home crowd erupted in cheers, celebrating the Redskins’ win over their hated rivals. The kick would have come from 47 yards if not for a procedure penalty.
Washington improved to 4-2 while Dallas fell to 3-4. The Redskins lead the Cowboys and Eagles by two games in the loss column in the NFC East.
Here are three things that we learned from Washington’s win:
❚ It’s not pretty, but … Jay Gruden and the Redskins are finding ways to win. In a league dominated by high-flying passing attacks, the Redskins don’t appear to belong among the ranks of division leaders. They entered Sunday’s game with the 29th-ranked offense. They have won big this season. They have lost ugly. They’ve been anything but consistent. Sunday, their gamemanager quarterback had even fewer proven weapons at his disposal with running back Chris Thompson and deep-threat receiver Paul Richardson both injured. But last week while preparing for the franchise’s most hated rival, Gruden cooked up a throwback recipe, which called for a grind-and-pound rushing attack featuring 33-year-old running back Adrian Peterson and a stingy defense. It did the trick. Peterson rushed for 99 yards on 24 carries; the defense (which entered the game ranked second in the league) kept Washington in the game, containing Ezekiel Elliott and then scored a big touchdown late in the fourth quarter. After Dallas cut the lead to 20-17 with 1:37 left, Washington managed to milk only 28 seconds off the clock, but the defense came through.
❚ Questionable sustainability: The old school approach worked for Washington against a struggling Dallas team. But it’s hard to say if Washington can continue to get by for the rest of the season with such an anemic offense. A good defense is indeed a game-changer. But Washington’s unit has looked awful at times (against the struggling Colts and the prolific Saints). The good thing for Washington, however, is that this is a down year for the division, with Philadelphia looking nothing like Super Bowl champs, the Giants crumbling amid dys- function and poor play, and Dallas being wildly inconsistent. The Redskins are riding Peterson, but they need more from pass-catchers such as tight end Jordan Reed and wide receiver Josh Doctson. Alex Smith plays it safe. He’s not going to create and throw receivers open like former Redskin Kirk Cousins did and like elite-level passers do. Smith had a lot of success in Kansas City, but he thrived while surrounded by great talent. He missed a lot of opportunities for big plays Sunday, and as he did, you saw why Andy Reid was content to trade him to Washington and roll with Patrick Mahomes.
❚ Jacksonville is really bad: The Cowboys looked like world-beaters last week as they scored 40 points against a Jacksonville defense that was once regarded as one of the league’s best. In that thrashing, it looked as if the Cowboys had finally figured things out on offense, but their struggles returned versus Washington. The Redskins succeeded in their quest to make Dallas one dimensional. The Redskins held Elliott to 34 rushing yards on 15 attempts and made Dak Prescott beat them with his arm. Prescott did a good job of extending plays, and he pulled the ball down and ran when he caught the defense in man coverage. But this is too heavy a load for Prescott to carry without proven passcatchers. Against a prolific offense, Dallas would’ve had no chance.