It went down to the wire but the Skins pulled out the win. We dominated the first half but for a variety of reasons the score was close. The Cards took the lead in the fourth and we had to fight back. What you love to see is that in previous years, the Skins would find ways to lose games and yesterday we found a way to win. A huge change in mindset and play and a great comeback win. It's these types of victories that help shape a team. Here are some of the keys/highlights:
1. Running game on track: Both Hightower and Helu had great games as they combined for 170 yards rushing. Helu is quickly becoming a fan favorite as the crowd cheered him with a Hel-UUUUUUUU after each of his carries. He had great vision and ran hard. Hightower was also very good at hitting the holes and running hard. They both did well in picking up the blitzes.
2. O line was very good: By and large the O line was very good as the Cards were coming early and often with the blitzes. Rexy had good protection most of the day and only took one sack. As mentioned, the running game was awesome and the line deserves much of the credit for creating some good holes. A much better performance over last week.
3. Fred Davis: He seems to quickly becoming a favorite target for Grossman. As mentioned last week, he has slimmed down and is more of a receiver type and can create good mismatches with those that try to cover him. He led the team in catches and had himself another TD.
4. Grossman was solid: Started out shaky as his INT in on the five yard line was a bad throw. Looked like it was going to shape up to be Bad Rexy but he came back and had himself a decent game. He had a number of balls tipped which was scary but he made the throws when he needed to and none bigger than the 4th and 3 TD pass to Moss in the fourth quarter. Wasn't as good as last week but certainly a solid performance. His second INT was neither his nor Armstrong's fault as Armstrong's shirt was grabbed and he wasn't able to get both hands on the ball resulting in Armstrong tipping it up and getting picked.
5. KERRAKPO!!!: Kerrigan and Osakpo each came away with their first sacks of the season. Both played extremely well. Kerrigan is quickly becoming a force on the defense. Love the tandem.
6. Defense: Great defense. We put Kolb under good pressure much of the game. Fletcher was solid on blitzes and had the INT. Outside the one deep TD to Fitz, he was largely in check. Another solid performance by a D that was ranked last in the NFL last season. As I mentioned, much of the offseason/preseason, with the moves the Skins made in the offseason, this is really where you wanted to see improvement.
7. Red Zone offense needs to improve: We dominated the first half in time of possession and yardage but could not get TDs. We have to learn to put some of these away. I am confident this will come but that certainly is an area that will have to improve.
Gano did have one FG blocked but it wasn't his fault. He ended up making the game winner but every time he is out there, I am holding my breath. It will take some time for me to get comfortable with him. Also, Banks was very good. He is a game changer as he had good kick and punt returns giving us much better field position. Gone are the days of Randle-El hopping around in place and then hitting the deck before anyone touches him. HUGE improvement.
Good victory that is character building and it's back to work today (that one is for you Robs). The win coupled with the Eagles loss last night puts the Skins in first place in the East. It also sets up a Monday night showdown against the Cowboys in Dallas. Loved that the crowd started chanting "WE WANT DALLAS!"
HAIL SKINS!!!
7 comments:
Saw the end of the game and was happy to see Rex make plays to win the game. The guy can play.
2-0 is 2-0. I am not really impressed by beating the Cards at home in the final minutes. I believe the record for West Coast teams winning on the East Coast is under 20% over the last 5 years, so winning is what should happen.
We'll see what happens as the season progresses.
I caught the 2nd half, but I saw enough to be somewhat pleased with the result. The main reason is, as you said, this was the type of game we would have lost in previous years. This team has a lot of fight in it and expects to win. We're far from a great team that should win each week, but it's a far cry from what we've become accustomed to over the years.
To (some of) your points:
1. I see the running game turning into one where Helu may start and Hightower will be the battering ram in the 2nd half. The guys are built the same, but Hightower runs hard and breaks tackles, whereas Helu is more of a quick/finesse guy.
3. Fred Davis is a weapon. He's big and strong and is much quicker than any LB trying to cover him. He should continue to thrive in this offense. I hope Cooley doesn't fade away though. Having both guys on the field can provide a huge advantage.
5/6. KERRAKPO is awesome. We've got two solid edge rushers and they've made life difficult for the QBs they've faced so far. Kerrakpo, coupled with a more solid DL this year, is exactly what is needed in a 3-4. This D should do well and hopefully will continue to improve. The Cards were basically shut down in the first half. They made some adjustments and controlled the ball in the 3rd, but aside from the throw to Fitzgerald in the 4th, the D was solid...I still need to see how Fitz got that open, but I think it was a blown coverage judging by how open he was.
2-0 and going into Big D for MNF is huge, especially considering the opportunity to be 2-0 in the division and at least a full game ahead of the three other teams. I'm not really confident that we're the better team at this point, but this will be a good test to see what we really have.
HAIL SKINS!
Rexy made some plays but he wasn't great. He had a number of batted balls. Also, Helu was big in the fourth quarter. Davis also had a big game.
The biggest thing was coming back to win. That is not what we are used to seeing. We are used to seeing us find ways to lose. It was a great team effort that showed confidence and hard work. While I would have loved to have had more points to show in the first half, I loved the victory as good teams need to find ways to win those types of games.
It's one game and we are far from calling ourselves a great team but I'll take the victory and am happy to be 2-0 and leading the East. I love seeing our guys compete and I what we have been seeing is a carry over of the offseason/preseason and that is guys that genuinely seem to be working hard, having fun, and playing well together.
HAIL SKINS!!!
Rex won that game for you down the stretch. Sure the D controlled the Cards - but they are the Cards. They were 5-11 last year for a reason.
If not for Rex making big throws and plays on the final drive to go ahead the Deadskins lose. I'm not sure why you don't want to credit him with his leadership. Had John Beck been in the game the Deadskins would have lost.
The Deadskins won two home games against teams that they needed to beat if they are going to have a mediocre year. If they go on the road and beat Dallas, then I will be impressed. If they even keep it close, that will be good for them. Frankly, I think they will lose 4 out of the next 5. We'll see.
The Redskins are def better team with a better attitude this year. Rex Grossman fired a TD pass on 4th and 3. When was the last time the Redskins had a QB who had the confidence or the ability to do that? I dont remember one. That play was Favre like. I like Grossman. Hes a gunslinger with a Favre like mentality. He did not hesitate and say "i see the short throw that might get us the first down so maybe I should do the right thing, play it safe and complete that." He saw an opening and fired a perfect pass into the endzone. Whats more impressive, is that he has accuracy to go with the confidence. Yeah he started shaky but ill take his shakyness and his high risk off balance throws if those high risks pay off like the 4th and 3 play did.
This was the Arizona Cardinals. Not the toughest opponent but I wouldnt underestimate them. They are well coached and def not a simple pushover. This is still week two. Ill say it again, no one ever said that they wouldnt win 2 games. I predicted them to start 5-3, but everything will eventually equalize and we'll find the skins where they are meant to be. For now I cant fault them for going out and winning 2 games. Im intrigued to watch them every week. Not because im rooting for them but just like reading a good book you want to see what happens next.
I am predicting a Redskins loss to Dallas next week especially being in Dallas and also since Dallas is a better team than the Giants and the Cardinals.
The offensive line did play well in opening up holes for the Backs but I was not impressed with their pass protection. I felt like Rex made some bad throws because he was under pressure a lot.
There is heavy koolaide drinking going on. 2-0 and most skins fans i know keep reminding me how "2-0 teams have a 64% chance of making the playoffs". I don't even know how that probability is relevant. There is a LONGGG way to go. I think its early for playoff predictions.
Anways, good win for the skins. They are atleast better than last year. Any win is good but they will lose in Dallas. I think they need pass protection improvements which will be exploited by Ware and the Cowboys.
No doubt Rexy was a key to the win. He made some great throws based on timing and knowing the offense (the TD to Moss and the out route to Davis on the final drive). His accuracy and touch were critical to making good on those throws as well. Beck probably loses that game for us, but again, Beck made sense if the team was not going to be competitive. It's clear that we have enough parts to compete, so I like that we're going with Rexy.
I'm not going to make my Skins v. Cowgirls prediction yet. There are a bunch of injuries that we need details on (Wilson for the Skins and Romo, Jones, and Austin for the 'Girls). I can say with confidence though that we will play them tough and winning is not out of the question. It's a division game and the only team in the division that we've had a lot of trouble with over the years is the Gigantics, who we already beat.
Grossman was solid. If I am giving the impression that he wasn't good or not deserving of credit, than you are mistaken.
Lets be clear. I was pulling for Grossman in the preseason and I am cautiously optimistic about him as well as the entire Redskin team. The thing that seems undeniable is the new attitude and commitment this season. It suddenly seems fun for the players to play and they are genuinely excited to be out there.
Still, I can't say that the win was all Grossman. To me, it was an entire team effort. The D came up big when they needed to (I don't care if it was the Cards). The O line was good and the running game was strong. It was a team effort. Grossman is part of the team so he is deserving of credit.
JSR, agree that the "common" fan goes overboard and wants to throw out the possibility of playoffs. We shouldn't even be thinking that way right now. Focus should be on Dallas. It has been a good two wins but that's all it is at this point. We come out and get flattened by Dallas and people will be back down on the team. What I will call "common" fans change their tunes with each passing week/game. We win, everything is great. We lose, and the world is ending.
I will disagree with you in that I thought the O line was very good. The Cards were blitzing a lot and they only managed one sack. Also, they created plenty of holes for the backs who ran wild on the Cards.
It is a long season and much can happen but it's good to be 2-0 and refreshing to see young guys out there competing and having fun. We haven't seen that in years.
HAIL SKINS!!!
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