| Robert Griffin III and the Redskins were all smiles following their 31-6 throttling of the Eagles on Sunday. (US Presswire) |
It was their second must win in a row. It was the first time they accomplished what they needed.
Forget the playoff race for a moment: What the Redskins needed to do was snap a three-game losing streak before the season tailed out of control.
They did that in the 31-6 win over Philadelphia on Sunday. Robert Griffin III was fantastic, but this was a total team effort.
Offense: A
The Redskins haven’t been getting enough big plays from the passing game of late, even though they were available. But that changed vs. the Eagles. Griffin completed touchdown passes for 61 and 49 yards, a big reason why the Redskins averaged a hefty 7.1 yards per play. The quick strike attack killed the Eagles. Griffin had a fantastic day, completing 14 of 15 passes for 200 yards and four touchdowns and rushing 12 times for 84 yards. He escaped trouble on two third downs that led to first downs and, shortly thereafter, touchdowns. Receiver Santana Moss deserves credit for his ability to catch a ball in double coverage inside the 5 on his 61-yard score. Previous game’s grade: C
Defense: A
This was, by far, their best showing of the season. It helped that they were facing a rookie quarterback behind a patchwork offensive line. But the Redskins have failed to play a consistent game on defense all season so they deserve credit for what they did Sunday. They weren’t necessarily more aggressive, but they did show some different rushes, sending LB Perry Riley on outside stunts a couple times, once for a sack. The Eagles averaged only 3.6 yards per play -- the Redskins had been allowing 6.2 yards per play entering the game. SS Brandon Meriweather’s return made a difference as he intercepted a pass and played disciplined, something he had been accused of not doing in the past. The Redskins held WRs Jeremy Maclin and DeSean Jackson to a combined two catches for five yards. Previous game’s grade: C-
Special teams: B
There was nothing that stood out one way or another, but it was an overall solid day by this unit. P Sav Rocca, an ex-Eagle, averaged 45.4 yards on five punts. PK Kai Forbath made another FG and his kickoffs were fine. The return game was ordinary, though all three kickoffs were touchbacks. PR Brandon Banks averaged 10.7 yards on three punt returns. The coverage was good. Previous game’s grade: B
Coaching: A
The Redskins still had issues with penalties (13) and they did not play a perfect game. In some ways, this game was as much about how bad the Eagles were rather than how Washington dominated. That said, the game plans on both sides of the ball clearly worked. Defensively, while it felt like the Redskins blitzed more, that really wasn’t the case. They did a good job showing a lot of pressure and dropping into coverage or overloading sides and rushing only four defenders. That enabled them to consistently cover with seven. Offensively, the Redskins benefitted from making big plays. On the 49-yard touchdown pass to Aldrick Robinson, the design induced FS Nate Allen to bite up hard, leaving the middle free. Allen saw TE Niles Paul wide open on an intermediate route and flew up, leaving Robinson all by himself for a TD. The Redskins played like a focused team, one that still believes it has a chance to accomplish something. Previous game’s grade: C
John Keim covers the Redskins for the Washington Examiner. Follow him on Twitter @CBSRedskins or@John_Keim.