Code Red Executed
By Waleo
Last week, the Washington Redskins’ head coach Jay Gruden said
that their game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was put on “code red.” Many observers thought that statement was over
the top but actually he had a point. The
quarterback that he decided to ride with in Kirk Cousins just came off of a two
interception game against the Jets last Sunday.
The defense has started to struggle and injuries were mounting up. But
let’s be real, it was a code red because there were concerns with the
quarterback position that was tied to Jay Gruden’s coaching job; which leads us
to Sunday’s game against the Buccaneers.
The pressure was all around FedEx Field. If Cousins played poorly there was a chance
that he and Gruden could be out of town in the near future. The game didn’t start well with Buccaneers’
quarterback Jameis Winston hitting wide receiver Mike Evans for a 40 yard
touchdown reception. The feeling around
FedEx was here we go again. Then you
had Buccaneers’ running backs Doug Martin and Charles Sims gash the Redskins’
defense for big running plays. It didn’t help that the Redskins’ offense was
stagnant against a defense that is known to give up points. And just when you thought it couldn’t get any
worse, in second quarter Cousins fumbles the ball and Buccaneers’ defensive end
Howard Jones recovered the football and took it to the end zone for a
touchdown. That touchdown gave the
Buccaneers a 24-0 lead. Fans started to
boo the team and leave the stadium.
Mission code red wasn’t looking good. At the end of the half the Redskins were down
24-7.
It’s half time. Many
observers thought it was over. You had
Buccaneers’ fans and media representatives grinning with joy. They all believed that coach Gruden and the
Redskins couldn’t complete this code red mission. It’s the 3rd quarter, yes the same
quarter that has provided problems for the team. Instead of sticking with the trend, the team
went away from the norm and came out the half playing spirited. Cousins lead a four play 60 yard drive capped
off with a touchdown pass to wide receiver Ryan Grant (first NFL TD reception
of his career). Wow, a 3rd
quarter TD! The mission is making
progress. With the score now being
24-14, Gruden unleashed his secret weapon in kicker Dustin Hopkins. Hopkins jogged on to the field and was ready
to kick the ball off for a touchback; well that’s what the Buccaneers
thought. Hopkins ambushes the Buccaneers
and kicks a perfect onside kick which was recovered by Redskins’ safety Trent
Robinson. The sneak attack was
perfect. Momentum was now on the
Redskins’ side. The Redskins offense
takes advantage of the play with Cousins leading the Redskins to a scoring
drive—hitting tight end Jordan Reed for three yard touchdown reception. The score was now 24-21. Could Gruden successfully execute the code
red?
It’s the 4th quarter; the once booing fans are
now cheering the home team. The once
happy Buccaneers’ fans are now sweating it out and concerned. Momentum can be such a beautiful thing. The Redskins and Buccaneers traded field goals
and now the score is 27-24, Buccaneers on top.
Now the drama begins. Its 1st
and 10 on the Buccaneers 46 yard line. Winston
hands the ball off to running back Martin.
Martin breaks it to the outside and looks like he is going to basically
end the game with a TD. But no, Redskins’
cornerback Bashaud Breeland hustles from the other end of the field and tackles
Martin at the Redskins’ five yard line—Breeland, staying true to his code red
mission. On that play, Breeland pulled a
hamstring. I guess sometimes you have to
do whatever it takes to execute a mission.
Later on, during coach Gruden’s presser, he stated that Breeland’s play
was the “play of the game.” Breeland
was just being a good soldier. Sometimes
you need a few good men. The Redskins’
defense ended up holding the Buccaneers to a field goal (score 30-24,
Buccaneers). Now it’s time for the
Captain to execute and complete the code red.
Cousins started the drive with 2:24 at the Redskins’ 20 yard
line. Within this drive, Cousins was
precise and sharp leading the team down the field as if he was back in college
playing for Michigan State, back then he was known as “Captain Comeback.” Cousins had a lot of pressure in this game.
Before the game he had many detractors wanting to see him benched. Now was his moment to shut up the critics. Cousins drove the ball all the way to the
Buccaneers’ six yard line with 32 seconds left. It was 3rd and goal. Redskins were in a bunched wide receiver set on
one side and tight end Reed on the other with man coverage. Cousins, like the Captain of a mission, threw
a strike to Reed in essence to win the game.
Captain Kirk Cousins completed the mission, leading the Redskins to
their largest comeback in franchise history. After the game he even yelled to reporters
“you like that.” Cousins executed the
code red, saving the Redskins season. Cousins
has now shown the haters that he does have a clutch gene. Here are Cousins’ final stats for the game: 33/40, 317 passing yards, three passing
touchdowns and a rushing touchdown. Like
it or not haters, I’m not sure if you can handle the truth, but this Captain
maybe the quarterback for the entire season.
For one week the code red was executed!
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