Beast of the NFC East
By WaleoThe Washington Redskins are NFC East Champs—“You Like That”. On Saturday night, December 26th, the Redskins defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 38-24. The Redskins came to play. They went into hostile territory in the form of Lincoln Financial Field and dominated the game. The game provided a sample of what the Redskins have done all season—which was overcoming adversity, playmakers making plays, and comradery.
The Redskins’ defense looked shaky during the
Eagles’ first drive giving up a touchdown.
The feeling “here we go again” had to resonate throughout the Redskins’
fan base. The Redskins were playing the
Eagles on prime time TV for the entire world to see. In the past, on prime time TV, they’ve stunk
it up. However this Redskins team is a
different beast. The offense went three
and out but the defense stepped up and got the Eagles offense off the
field. That’s a sign of bouncing
back. In the offseason the defense was
deemed the weak link of the team. For most of the season the Redskins had to
deal with injuries to key players such as DeAngelo Hall, Junior Galette, Keenan
Robinson, and Chris Culliver—just to name a few. But these injuries didn’t stop the defense
from playing well down the stretch. The
Redskins had players like Quinton Dunbar, Will Compton, Mason Foster, and
Kyshoen Jarrett step up during their run.
Now granted the Redskins are only ranked 24th within total
defense, but if you factor in the injuries and moving pieces within the lineup,
it’s really a big accomplishment.
Now back to the clinching game. After the Redskins’ defense stopped the
Eagles’ offense, Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins showed the ability to
comeback after an initial shaky series.
Cousins connected with tight end Jordan Reed for 50 yards including at
touchdown on that series. Cousins, over
the last couple of years, would probably falter in games like Saturday night,
but this is a different Cousins. Last
year after throwing an interception to Malcolm Jenkins in the same stadium to
cost the Redskins the victory, Cousins play started to become erratic. One would say that he lost confidence. He was deemed a guy that couldn’t erase the
negative play; however 2015 Kirk Cousins is not that player. For example, before the first half ended, it
seemed like Cousins was about to put the Redskins in a position to take a 19-10
lead against the Eagles. That didn’t
happen. The Redskins ended the half
leading 16-10, because, for some strange reason Cousin kneeled at the Eagles’
six yard line with six seconds left and no timeouts. That was a negative play. Cousins may have panicked on that play. Again Cousins didn’t let that hinder his
game. He continued to play well and
finished the game with 365 yards passing and four touchdown passes as
well. Kirk Cousins showed growth and
allowed his playmakers the opportunity to make plays.
Cousins does a great job letting his playmakers put their imprint on games. His connection with Reed is amazing. Reed, who is a pro bowl snub, has made impactful plays for the Redskins all season long. He’s grabbed 83 receptions for 907 yards and 11 touchdowns. The man has been an absolute beast on the field and on Saturday he kept that going. His performance helped him break the Redskins single-season receiving yardage record for a tight end of 849, set last by Chris Cooley in 2010. He also tied Cooley for most receptions by tight end in a single season with 83 receptions. Against the Eagles, for Reed it was the same ole same ole. He caught nine passes for 129 yards plus two touchdowns. He dominated the game and could do whatever he wanted on the field. Reed wasn’t the only player making plays. The Redskins’ defense, down the stretch of the season, was making significant plays. Cornerback Bashaud Breeland forced a fumble out of Eagles’ tight end Zach Ertz which was recovered by safety Dashon Goldson. The play was impactful because it changed momentum of the game. The Eagles were down 13-10 and were driving. Breeland has 3 forced fumbles this season. Another player on the defense who made a big play was safety DeAngelo Hall. Hall has always made plays since coming to the Redskins in 2008. On Saturday, he did what Hall doe—he turned a fumble recovery into a 17 yard touchdown which made the score 30-17. The defense and the whole team came together and that’s why this team won the NFC East.
Head coach Jay Gruden deserves credit for this team coming together. It wasn’t the sexy thing for the fan base and owner Daniel Snyder but Gruden decided to go with his guy Cousins over then starting quarterback Robert Griffin III. Cousins has had the backing of his teammates such as defensive end Chris Baker. When Redskins’ field goal kicker Dustin Hopkins missed an extra point (scores was 7-6 at the time), nobody put blame on Hopkins. They picked him up and made sure that, that play didn’t decide the outcome of the game. That’s a sign of playing for one another. Even RGIII got into the habit. A guy who has all the reason in the world to be frustrated with how he’s been handled, has seemingly been a great team this season. When Reed scored a touchdown in the Eagles game RGIII was one of the first players to congratulate him. From Chris Baker supporting Kirk Cousins as the Redskins starting quarterback to running back Alfred Morris checking his ego to the door and not complaining about touches, this team has shown act of togetherness.
Cousins does a great job letting his playmakers put their imprint on games. His connection with Reed is amazing. Reed, who is a pro bowl snub, has made impactful plays for the Redskins all season long. He’s grabbed 83 receptions for 907 yards and 11 touchdowns. The man has been an absolute beast on the field and on Saturday he kept that going. His performance helped him break the Redskins single-season receiving yardage record for a tight end of 849, set last by Chris Cooley in 2010. He also tied Cooley for most receptions by tight end in a single season with 83 receptions. Against the Eagles, for Reed it was the same ole same ole. He caught nine passes for 129 yards plus two touchdowns. He dominated the game and could do whatever he wanted on the field. Reed wasn’t the only player making plays. The Redskins’ defense, down the stretch of the season, was making significant plays. Cornerback Bashaud Breeland forced a fumble out of Eagles’ tight end Zach Ertz which was recovered by safety Dashon Goldson. The play was impactful because it changed momentum of the game. The Eagles were down 13-10 and were driving. Breeland has 3 forced fumbles this season. Another player on the defense who made a big play was safety DeAngelo Hall. Hall has always made plays since coming to the Redskins in 2008. On Saturday, he did what Hall doe—he turned a fumble recovery into a 17 yard touchdown which made the score 30-17. The defense and the whole team came together and that’s why this team won the NFC East.
Head coach Jay Gruden deserves credit for this team coming together. It wasn’t the sexy thing for the fan base and owner Daniel Snyder but Gruden decided to go with his guy Cousins over then starting quarterback Robert Griffin III. Cousins has had the backing of his teammates such as defensive end Chris Baker. When Redskins’ field goal kicker Dustin Hopkins missed an extra point (scores was 7-6 at the time), nobody put blame on Hopkins. They picked him up and made sure that, that play didn’t decide the outcome of the game. That’s a sign of playing for one another. Even RGIII got into the habit. A guy who has all the reason in the world to be frustrated with how he’s been handled, has seemingly been a great team this season. When Reed scored a touchdown in the Eagles game RGIII was one of the first players to congratulate him. From Chris Baker supporting Kirk Cousins as the Redskins starting quarterback to running back Alfred Morris checking his ego to the door and not complaining about touches, this team has shown act of togetherness.
The game against the Eagles showed the world that this Redskins team is a complete unit. This team has put themselves in an interesting position. Gruden has to decide if they should play the starters against their hated rivals the Dallas Cowboys? It’s a good position to be in. It’s a decision fit for champions. Also it’s “Dallas Week, which really isn’t that important. The Cowboys’ season will end after the game and the Redskins will be hosting a NFC wildcard playoff game. This doesn’t seem like any ordinary “Dallas Week”. Maybe it’s because this team looks confident and ready to take on the world and also Dallas sucks! This season, the team has shown growth, unity and fine play. Congratulations to the 2015 NFC East Champions, Washington Redskins.
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