EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Of the two final options when Sunday afternoon was complete, neither was a parade-worthy outcome.
At least one was palatable. That was the semi-warm feeling that followed a grinding win in a place that victories had been so difficult to come by. It would be a first win, a division win, a win against a talkative opponent in a place it usually plays well. That’s what the Washington Redskins rode home with Sunday after a lurching, red-zone deficient 29-27 thank-goodness victory against the New York Giants.
The other option, the non-digestible one which would have kicked the Redskins to 0-3 with two division losses just three weeks into the season, was avoided thanks to a pack of unlikely happenings. Things like their $68 million left tackle, Trent Williams, playing guard for the first time in his life. A second half so filled with injuries that rookies and third-string players were making game-altering plays. Just enough on offense, mainly from the field-goal kicker. There was an expanse of weirdness on a weird day.
“It’s one win,” Williams said. “We’ve still got more losses than we do victories. We’re not putting our crowns on just yet. But it’s definitely a good spark. Something the team needed. Definitely helped us out with confidence.”
The Redskins trailed 7-0, then 14-3, and it looked like another doomsday in the Meadowlands. Since 2010, Washington had won in New York just once in six tries. Little during the first two weeks of the season suggested a change was afoot. The Redskins were 0-2, their quarterback had not played well and their defensive coordinator was offering waffling explanations of their ineffective defensive strategy. The Giants were 2-0, confident enough to have begun commenting on the matchup the week before.
But, with each quarter, the Giants’ output declined. Seven points in the second quarter, then just three each in the third and fourth. The Redskins chipped away with kicker Dustin Hopkins, who politely asked afterward if interviews could be held until his hair was properly coiffed. Hopkins kicked five field goals, including the game-winner from 37 yards away with1:51 to play. That final boot was backed by rookie Su’a Cravens intercepting two-time Super Bowl champion Eli Manning 46 seconds later.
The Redskins exhaled, knowing they had just stepped back from the ledge. Only five teams in the Super Bowl era have come out of an 0-3 hole to make the playoffs. The Redskins won’t be attempting to add themselves to that list thanks to Sunday’s early-season rescue.
“There’s a huge difference,” linebacker Will Compton said “If we were 0-3, I don’t even want to talk about it. But we’re 1-2 and we definitely needed that win. Now, we got the monkey off our back. Now, we can get back to work and have fun. We can get back to work and not ride that roller-coaster.”
The upcoming schedule shows how vital Sunday’s win was. The hapless 0-3 Cleveland Browns visit FedEx Field next Sunday. Cleveland comes to Washington without any sizzle to the story because of an injury to quarterback Robert Griffin III. All the better for the Redskins who spent last week trying to avoid controversy about the play of their quarterback, internal leaks and chatter around Josh Norman’s matchup with wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. The only thing Cleveland represents is a should-be-simple way to get level in a season that started in a dire way. The following week, Washington travels to play 3-0 Baltimore. Entering that game 2-2 instead of 1-3 or, gasp, worse, is a distinct change.
“I don’t think it will save the season,” defensive lineman Chris Baker said. “But it’s a good start to get back on the right track. We let two games slip by us, We had two winnable games and for one reason or another, we just couldn’t come out with the big stops when we need to.”
The underbelly of the win still shows reason for discontentment. Safety DeAngleo Hall, cornerback Bashaud Breeland and left guard Shawn Lauvao all departed the game with injuries that could move beyond just Sunday. Offensive inefficiency in the red zone was again a problem. Quarterback Kirk Cousins made more mistakes, though they were not game-crushing ones. New York finished with 28 first downs and 457 total yards.
Yet, the two-point difference was plenty of satisfaction for the Redskins. Baker led a small group of players who waved goodbye to the MetLife Stadium crowd after Cravens’ interception meant the Redskins only had to run out the clock with a series of kneel-downs from Cousins. Norman jumped into a postgame interview of Cousins to hug him, yell with joy and slap fives. This is what 1-2 feels like for the Redskins because the alternative was so much worse.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.