By Adam Chasen:
No the Washington Redskins did not score 30 or more points, a feat they haven’t accomplished since November of last season, and no they don’t have any shot at the playoffs despite the pathetic record the NFC East champ will have, but there were clearly signs of life for the team on Sunday.
Beating the division rival New York Giants to complete a sweep of the season series for the first time since 1999 is an accomplishment in itself, however, the total team performance should be an early sign of rejuvenation for a team that has been as listless as any franchise in the NFL over the last 10 plus seasons. Despite two early turnovers from “Bad” Rex Grossman, the defense held their own long enough for the offense to recover and put up decent numbers.
In the 23-10 victory, not only did the team stick with a running game that quite honestly was average, but they did not rely on one or two players to carry the team in any facet of the game. Recently, for the Redskins to win, it has usually taken an outstanding performance from one or two individuals. Huge game’s by Brandon Banks, D’Angelo Hall, Roy Helu, Ryan Torain, even Rex Grossman has propelled the team to a win, but hasn’t really given the team’s supporters much hope that things were heading in the right direction.
It is clearly too late for a true resurgence this season, and clear holes in the roster still exist – Quarterback especially (Is Sam Bradford really going to be available?), but the fact that three different players intercepted passes, no player eclipsed the 100-yard mark, nor a 100-yard receiving effort either, should be a strong indication that something has changed.
Players win games in the NFL, but in an era where the talent is spread-out so evenly, it takes a full team effort to win consistently. Maybe the Washington Redskins have FINALLY figured out how to make that happen in Mike Shannahan’s second year as head coach.