Baller Alert’s Team of the Week: Washington Redskins

How ‘bout them…Redskins?? It was a wild and unpredictable game in Dallas last night as we witnessed another chapter of one of the best football rivalry stories unfold. The Washington Redskins took on their #1 division rivals, the Dallas Cowboys. Coming into the game, the Cowboys were red-hot, having won six games straight and ranked as one of the top teams in the NFL as well as first in the NFC East. The Redskins, on the other hand, were sitting at the bottom of the NFC East. Among other problems, the Redskins had been dealing with a dire quarterback situation all season. Their starting quarterback RG3 had been out since Week 2 with an ankle injury and their second string quarterback Kirk Cousins proved to be of little help to the situation after too many costly turnovers game after game. So last night, third string quarterback Colt McCoy got the first start of his Redskins career. And it was definitely a night to remember.

The Redskins defense came out aggressive, sacking quarterback Tony Romo on third down of the opening drive and forcing the Cowboys to punt. Wide receiver Andre Roberts ran for 37 yards on the punt return, which gave the Redskins good field position and helped set up a field goal at the end of the drive to get the Redskins on the board first. After running back DeMarco Murray carried the ball a few times to move the Cowboys past mid-field, Romo was sacked once again on third down and they had to punt the ball away. The Redskins defense didn’t stop there; on the next Cowboys possession, safety Brandon Meriweather tackled running back Joseph Randle and forced a fumble. The Redskins recovered at the Dallas 25 yard line but were unable to capitalize off the turnover as McCoy was then intercepted in the end zone by safety JJ Wilcox. The Cowboys got the ball back and after converting a couple of key third downs, Romo handed the ball off to Murray on 1st and 10. Murray took off on a huge 36 yard run but as he fought for more yards on the play, he ended up losing the ball and it was recovered by Meriweather, creating yet another turnover in the first half. The Redskins were unable to take advantage of the turnover once again and were forced to punt. On the next drive, a big play by wide receiver Dez Bryant after catching the ball to extend his body and break the plane would give the Cowboys the first touchdown of the game. Going into halftime, the score was 7-3 in favor of the Cowboys.

On the first drive of the second half, the Redskins offense really started clicking. Running backs Alfred Morris and Roy Helu both had big yard runs and McCoy found wide receivers DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon for huge completions. The offense made its way into Dallas territory and on 1st and goal, Morris ran the ball in for a touchdown. On the following Cowboys drive, Romo was sacked on third down for a fourth time, this one credited to linebacker Keenan Robinson. But this time, Romo was not so quick to get up. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, head coach Jason Garrett, and Cowboys fans all throughout the stadium feared the worst as their quarterback lay on the ground not moving. Luckily, Romo was eventually able to get back up and it was reported later that it was a bruised back, seemingly not a serious injury. After the Redskins went three and out on the following drive, the Cowboys got the ball back and for the time being, backup Brandon Weeden was going to have to take over for Romo. With big help from DeMarco Murray, who ran for 54 yards in 2 plays, the Cowboys were able to move down the field and kick a field goal to tie up the game at 10-10. After a huge 45 yard bomb from McCoy to Jackson at the end of the third quarter, McCoy carried the ball himself on third and goal and barely squeezed past defenders to get into the end zone for a touchdown. The Cowboys responded right away on the next drive. After another huge run by Murray, Weeden found an open Jason Witten, who caught the ball and ran 12 yards for a touchdown to even up the score at 17-17. The Redskins could have taken the lead right before the two minute warning but a delay of game penalty and a sack forced them out of field goal range. Instead, they had to punt the ball away. At this point, Romo came out of the locker room and made his return into the game. On second down, Romo was sacked for the fifth time of the night, and for a second time by Meriweather, and on this play, he lost the ball. The Redskins had their hands on the fumbled ball first but lost it to Dallas, who saved themselves from what would have most likely been a game ending turnover. On the next play, Romo threw a pass that fell into the hands of cornerback Bashaud Breeland but was quickly stripped and taken away by wide receiver Terrance Williams. Two near game-ending turnovers in two plays but somehow the Cowboys still managed to survive. After all of the drama, they were still unable to convert on third down and were forced to punt the ball away with 13 seconds left. Tied at 17 with not enough time for the Redskins to make anything happen in regulation, McCoy kneeled to take this game into overtime.

In overtime, the Redskins won the coin toss and elected to receive first. The Redskins made it into Cowboys territory with a couple of big passes from McCoy to tight end Jordan Reed but they were unable to convert on third down. They kicked a field goal instead to take the lead 20-17. On the following drive, the Redskins defense was all over the Cowboys and the offense quickly found themselves facing fourth down. On 4th and 5 and what would be the last chance for the Cowboys, Romo barely escaped another sack, extended the play, and attempted to throw to Dez Bryant for a first down. Breeland got in front of Bryant and batted the ball down, ending the game and sealing an epic victory for the Redskins.

This game goes to show that you can never predict what will happen in the NFL. Despite all of the ESPN analysts picking the Cowboys to win prior to the game, the Redskins were able to pull off a major upset in Dallas and prove themselves in front of a national audience. Next week, they will be taking on the Minnesota Vikings. It is uncertain whether RG3 will be ready to play by then or if we will get to see Colt McCoy in action again but regardless of who is leading the team, hopefully they can build off of last night’s game and add another win to their record.

Now what’s football without the fine football players hiding underneath those pads and helmets? Each team definitely has its share of cuties and the Washington Redskins are no exception! Let’s take a look at tight end Niles Paul, wide receiver DeSean Jackson, and tight end Jordan Reed.