So the game was played, and it did not go anything like most people had thought it would go. As I had mentioned in my previous posts, it was a close game, and in fact it came down to the last play of the game with 2 seconds left on the clock, but I had no idea it would have played out like it did. So let us get to it and go over what all happened.
As the picture at the top shows, the Redskins were able to beat the Saints, in New Orleans, by the final score of 40 to 32. Yes, the Redskins actually scored 40 points! The last time they did this was in 2005! On top of that, all 40 points were scored by the Offense and special teams. The Redskins were able to score 10 points in each of the quarters, which is insane if you are a Redskins fan. The Offense looked amazing, and the Defense was able to make plays when it needed to the most.
Robert Griffin III finished the day with completing 19 of 26 passes, resulting in 320 yards and 2 TD's. He did not throw a single interception, although one should have been intercepted, the CB lost the ball when he hit the ground. He also ran the ball 10 times, both by design and scrambling, for a total of 42 yards. Some of the run plays were by design, as mentioned, but some were the result of RG3 getting away from the Defensive rush and making a play instead of being sacked. In fact, he was only sacked only once, and that was when he was tripped and had fallen down. According to stats, RG3 was rushed only 8 times out 31 drop backs, which shows that the Offensive line stepped up huge and protected RG3 very well, and also that RG3 got rid of the ball very quickly, which will go a long way in keeping him healthy and injury free.
Besides the stats, watching RG3 play, it brought home the point that finally, after many years of poor QB play, the Washington Redskins have a legitimate QB, a franchise QB, now and for the foreseeable future. Granted, it is just one game, but the future is bright, if he can stay healthy and continue to grow.
Not all was good, however. The Offense looked crisp and efficient, it looked professional and it looked as though it knew what it wanted to do, and knew how to do it exactly. In short, it looked very much like the Saints Offense last year. But the Defense had trouble with said prolific Offense. Drew Brees was only sacked twice, and was able to throw for 339 yards and 3 TD's. Yes he did also throw 2 INT's, but one of them came as a result of a Hailmary pass attempt at the end of the game. Although his accuracy was low, only 24 out of 52 attempts, he was still able to almost tie the game at the end. Although the Redskins won't be facing such an air attack on a weekly basis, they will have to deal with a much better rushing attack. The Saints stopped trying to rush the ball and went straight to the air, but other teams will not. In fact, the Redskins' next opponent is a very good rushing team.
But not all is doom and gloom. The Defense was able to stand up and make plays when it needed to, like the last play of the game to stop Drew Brees. Also, with a potent Offense which takes advantage of field position and scores, the Defense does not have to be as tough and strong as it used to be in the years past. They can take more risks, knowing that the Offense can make up for their mistakes.
Does this win change my mind on how the rest of the season will go? Very little. I still believe the Redskins will finish the season with an 8-8 record. However, I now believe that those 8 loses will be close games, and the Redskins will be there till the end of the game in all the 8 loses, and the 8 wins can potentially be blowouts. So as a Redskins fan, I am very much looking forward to the rest of the season, and am excited to see this Offense, specially RG3, grow and develop into a power to contend with.
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