Washington Redskins: Nothing beats rivalry win at right time
The Washington Redskins win in Week 7 over the rival Dallas Cowboys couldn’t have come at a better time.
For the Washington Redskins, no win is sweeter than one over the Dallas Cowboys. Week 7’s contest was a good reminder of that as the Redskins shut down running back Ezekiel Elliott on their way to a 20-17 victory. The win kept Washington atop the NFC East and now has people wondering if they are the team to beat in the division.
Sunday’s game didn’t come easy as it was an up and down performance for both the offense and defense. They let Cowboys back into the game during the fourth quarter only up 10 points with under five minutes remaining. Dallas had Washington was on the ropes as kicker Brett Maher banged a potential game-tying 52-yard field goal off the upright as time expired.
The outcome was met with a little controversy as some people questioned why an ill-timed penalty was called prior to the kick.
Originally, the field goal was supposed to be attempted from 47 yards, but a snap infraction committed by long snapper L.P. Ladouceur caused Daron Payne to jump offsides. After a short huddle by the refs, they determined Ladouceur had shuffled the ball pre-snap thus inflicting the five-yard penalty.
Had the field goal took place from 47 yards away, the attempt would likely have been good being that his kick from 52 yards seemingly hooked at the very last second.
It wasn’t a pretty win, but the Redskins will take it. It was the team’s first win over their most coveted rival since 2015. As noted earlier, the defense had another stellar performance shutting down the Cowboys offense which included stud running back Elliot. Elliot could only muster 33 yards on 15 carries.
“That was the game plan: Stop 21,” safety D.J. Swearinger said during his postgame interview on Redskins.com. “Let Dak (Prescott) beat us.”
Washington’s defense still ranks first in the NFL in terms of total defense and they came up big again on Sunday holding Dallas to 323 yards on offense. Now almost halfway through the season, it is becoming more and more evident this team will go as far as the defense takes them.
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What made the win even better was the fact that the defending Super Bowl Champion Philadelphia Eagles lost to the Carolina Panthers who Washington had defeated the week prior. Moving to 3-4 on the season, the Eagles are now over a game behind Washington for first place.
The Redskins haven’t won the NFC East since 2015, however, now seems like the perfect time to break the streak.