The perfect cure for the Washington Redskins’ losing woes turned out to be a visit from the dreadful Philadelphia Eagles. For one day, their weaknesses didn’t seem so weak and their strengths made them look like a contender.
The Redskins could’ve been a contender if they played the Eagles every week. Taking advantage of things going horribly wrong for Philadelphia, the Redskins kept their faint playoff hopes alive with a 31-6 drubbing of the Eagles on Sunday at FedEx Field.
Washington is 4-6 going into its Thanksgiving Day showdown at the rival Dallas Cowboys, a fork-in-the-road kind of game that will determine whether the NFC East remains a viable target down the stretch.
In beating the Eagles, the Redskins staved off questions about the direction of the franchise, at least for a few more days.
The beleaguered defense took advantage of its opportunity against rookie quarterback Nick Foles, intercepting him twice and making his NFL debut a nightmare. For the first time all season, the Redskins had a sustained pass rush and reaped the benefits, going against a banged-up Eagles offensive line.
On the other side of the ball, Robert Griffin III enjoyed his most accurate game as a pro, going 14-15 for 200 yards and hurt the Eagles with his legs, too, running for 84 more. He set a career high in touchdown passes with four and kept Philadelphia off-balance by making them respect the run.
Twenty-five points was the largest margin of victory by the Redskins in 42 games under coach Mike Shanahan. The next closest was 14 against the New York Giants on Sept. 11, 2011.
• Stephen Whyno can be reached at swhyno@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.