The Washington Redskins picked up a huge win over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 7 to extend their NFC East lead.
The Washington Redskins entered Week 7 with a 3-2 record and a slim half-game lead over the Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC East. With the Eagles losing on Sunday afternoon, Washington had the opportunity to beat Dallas in its first division game of the season and jump out to a one-and-a-half-game lead in the division.
The Redskins, known for their inability to sustain success over the last few years, finally picked up back-to-back wins for the first time in 2018 with a 20-17 win over the Cowboys. It certainly wasn’t pretty as Washington leaned on its defense to pull off a huge win by holding Dallas running back Ezekiel Elliott to just 33 yards on 15 carries, averaging a meager 2.2 yards per attempt.
Offensively, quarterback Alex Smith did just enough, completing 14 of 25 passes for 178 yards and one touchdown. Smith missed plenty of open receivers but did a good job of avoiding sacks and taking care of the football against a good Dallas defense.
Fortunately for Smith, he has future Hall-of-Fame running back Adrian Peterson behind him. Peterson had another outstanding effort on Sunday, rushing for 99 yards on 24 attempts, outshining Elliott in a battle of premier running backs.
A late Dallas rally made the game much closer than it should’ve been and the Redskins were fortunate that the Cowboys’ last-second field goal attempt from 52 yards bounced off the upright to preserve a Washington win.
Here are three big takeaways in Washington’s win over the hated Cowboys.
3. Peterson is the MVP
It’s fair to question where this Washington offense would be had it not signed Adrian Peterson late this summer after rookie Derrius Guice went down with a knee injury in the first preseason game. Peterson has rushed for 438 yards and is averaging 4.3 yards per attempt this season. He has also ran for three scores while catching eight passes for 144 yards.
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In Washington’s wins, Peterson has been outstanding, rushing for 412 yards with two 100-yard games and 196 yards combined in other two victories. In Washington’s losses, Peterson has just 26 yards on 17 attempts.
To say Peterson has been a revelation is an understatement. After splitting last season between New Orleans and Arizona, he was out of football all summer until the Redskins were desperate when Guice went down. Now, this offense can’t function without Peterson.
Part of the issue is a passing game that is still a work in progress. Head coach Jay Gruden loves to throw the football, but he’s depending more on Peterson while Smith acclimates himself to a new offense. Peterson has answered the call and has also been a factor in the passing game, too.
Can Peterson hold up over the final 10 games? Washington certainly hopes so as its season could be riding on the veteran’s 33-year old’s legs who is now the NFL’s 10th all-time on the career rushing list and poised to pass Tony Dorsett this weekend.