ANALYSIS/OPINION:
You would have thought that darkness descended on Redskins Park this week following the embarrassing 30-point beating the team took from the undefeated Carolina Panthers last week.
But no, there was light.
“It was like a light bulb went off for us,” said defensive end Ricky Jean Francois.
The light bulb? First place in the NFC East.
Yes, the light that blocked out the lopsided loss to Carolina and kept the focus on the New York Giants on Sunday — even with a record of 4-6 after 10 games — was first place in the once-mighty, now-puny NFC East division going into December.
SEE ALSO: Defense helps Redskins handle Giants, vault into first place in division
It may not have been a bright light. It may not have been the sort of elegant light you might find at a Williams-Sonoma Home store — more like a used desk lamp at Goodwill with a 40-watt bulb.
But it was bright enough to keep the inconsistent Redskins consistent enough in an important division title against a rival that had owned them of late. They hung on for a 20-14 win over New York, and, because of a better division record, sole possession of first place over the Giants, despite both being 5-6.
“I kept telling everyone, ’You don’t want to be home in January watching playoff football. You want to be playing playoff football, and we have the chance to be doing that,” Jean Francois said. “We can control our own destiny, and that’s the best position to be in. It was time to step up, and we did. We can run the table.”
That light may be a little brighter than normal at Redskins Park, with two games left against the Tony Romo-less Dallas Cowboys (including next Monday at home) and games against the Bears in Chicago, the Bills at home and the Eagles in Philadelphia, although they’ve done it before. They ran the table in various manners in 2012, 2007 and 2005 to reach the playoffs.
But in this division — which technically is still in the National Football League — may not need Washington to run the table to win. A win here, a win there — an 8-8 or 7-9 record just may get it done.
The Cowboys are in full self-destruct mode without Romo, whose return after missing seven games with a broken collarbone lasted only parts of two games when he threw three first-half interceptions and got hurt again in a 33-14 loss to the Panthers on Thanksgiving. The same day, the Eagles, without starting quarterback Sam Bradford, lost their third consecutive game, falling, 45-14 to the Detroit Lions. They can’t keep up with the demand for Chip Kelly burn-in-effigy dummies in Philadelphia.
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The Giants? It may be a two-team battle now between New York and the Redskins, but, as Giants coach Tom Coughlin said when asked about his team fighting to stay relevant, “We can be, but we certainly have to put ourselves in that position.”
The Redskins are in that position. They are, as Jean Francois said, “in the driver’s seat.”
Yes, it is a rickety bus. It’s not the sleek limousine team president Bruce Allen described two years ago when he called the NFC East “the SEC of the NFL. This is the big leagues.”
That was in the days of Mike Shanahan and Robert Griffin III and following up a 10-6 record. Since then, Washington went 7-25 in the next two seasons before this year’s division leading 5-6 mark in an NFC East that resembles the Security and Exchange Commission more than it does the mighty college football Southeastern Conference.
But this broken-down division bus still arrives at the same place the limos do — the NFL playoffs — and a division title would give the Redskins a home playoff game. At FedEx Field, they are a tank, driving through opponents with a 5-1 home record this season.
“To be 5-6 after 11 games, in the position we are in, where we control our own destiny, basically — to have that opportunity is great, instead of hoping everybody else loses,” Redskins coach Jay Gruden said.
It appeared early Sunday that the Redskins were lost in the darkness after failing capitalize on two first-quarter Eli Manning interceptions. But quarterback Kirk Cousins kept the offense moving, completing 12 of 18 passes for 207 yards and one touchdown pass to take a 17-0 halftime lead into the locker room — and then lead a final drive that kept possession after New York climbed back in it. Cousins finished 20-for-29 for 302 yards, and a revived Alfred Morris rushed for 78 yards on 23 carries.
“It is great to be in December and play for something,” Cousins said, looking ahead to the Monday night game against Dallas.
Daylight may grow shorter as the days go by in December. But at Redskins Park, they will try to keep the light shining that turned on this week — the NFC East first-place lamp.
⦁ Thom Loverro is co-host of “The Sports Fix,” noon to 2 p.m. daily on ESPN 980 and espn980.com.
• Thom Loverro can be reached at tloverro@washingtontimes.com.
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