Early Thoughts (Week 14): Washington Redskins Travel Well After All

It’s been a long time coming but the Washington Redskins finally did something they had not done in quite a spell.

Dec 13, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Washington Redskins head coach Jay Gruden checks the score board during the first half of the NFL game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

In this day and age, a win is a win (of course, that’s really the case any time).

For the Washington Redskins, a 24-21 win at Soldier Field over the Chicago Bears is exactly what was needed these days.

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Jay Gruden’s club got off to a 14-0 lead, watched Jay Cutler and company tie up the game at 21-all in the third quarter and then took the lead for good early in the fourth quarter.

The victory snapped Washington’s nine-game losing streak that dated back to last season. It was also a nice way to bounce back after Monday night’s home setback to the Dallas Cowboys.

Led by the combination of rookie Matt Jones and Alfred Morris on the ground as well as quarterback Kirk Cousins and tight end Jordan Reed through the air, the ‘Skins ran 67 offensive plays – 33 running plays and 34 pass plays.

Cousins hit on 24 of his 31 throws for a tidy 300 yards and a score. While he was picked off once and sacked three times, he also ran four times for 13 yards and a touchdown. Reed was targeted nine times on the afternoon and caught nine passes for 120 yards and one score.

Dec 13, 2015; Chicago, IL, USA; Washington Redskins running back Alfred Morris (46) carries the ball against the Chicago Bears during the first quarter at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

While the Washington running game totaled only 99 yards, it helped Gruden’s team control the clock for the majority of the game. The Redskins easily won the time of possession battle on the afternoon, owning the ball for 34:22.

While the ‘Skins gave up 315 yards passing and a pair of scoring tosses to Cutler (to wide receiver Alshon Jeffery and tight end Zach Miller), they also came away with three sacks and forced the Bears’ signal-caller into a lost fumble. But perhaps the biggest break the team got in the game is when Chicago kicker Robbie Gould pushed a 50-yard field goal right in the closing minutes, a kick that would have tied the game.

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As we mentioned, Washington snapped a long road losing streak in the process and while the win raised the team’s record to 6-7 and kept them right in the thick of the NFC East race, a home game vs. the Buffalo Bills next Sunday are followed by visits to Philadelphia and to Dallas to close out the season.

Meanwhile, it’s been a very interesting year for Cousins in this his first full season as the team’s starting quarterback. The four-year pro has either been very good or less than average: In six wins in 2015, the former Michigan State standout has thrown for 11 scores and turned over the ball only twice (1 interception, 1 lost fumble). In the club’s seven losses, there have been 10 touchdown throws and one dozen turnovers.

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Yes, for the second time in five seasons, no team in the NFC East will win at least 10 games. But if all goes right for the Redskins, they will capture their second division title in four seasons.

And who would have thought that this summer when this teams appeared to be an afterthought compared to the Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles?

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