The attitude change was evident early in the game; it had nothing to do with game plans. Nor was it about anyone’s return.
Ryan Torain bulled over a safety en route to a touchdown, leaving teammates pumping their fists in celebration — for the points and the power. Lorenzo Alexander was up next, delivering a fierce hit on the ensuing kickoff.
Once more, the sideline erupted in celebration.
And it was evident: This was a different Redskins team.
As much as their 17-12 win was about Donovan McNabb’s return to Philadelphia, it was also about their return to playing hard-nosed defensive football. After an ugly loss in St. Louis — and with this being the start of a difficult stretch — the Redskins (2-2) needed such an occurrence.
“You set a tone,” Alexander said. “You want to beat them up physically.”
Whether they beat up the Eagles is up for debate. But the Redskins did knock out quarterback Michael Vick with a rib and chest injury near the end of the first quarter. He was sandwiched by safety Kareem Moore and corner DeAngelo Hall. It certainly changed the game since backup Kevin Kolb lacks Vick’s ability to run.
Kolb nearly led a comeback, but his Hail Mary pass was initially touched by receiver Jason Avant in the end zone only to bounce out as he fell backward. Hall then intercepted the ball.
That completed an unlikely win one week after the Rams defeat.
“We were under scrutiny, and it was well-deserved,” linebacker London Fletcher said.
Washington rushed for 169 yards, testing the edges frequently. With McNabb completing only eight of 19 passes for 125 yards — all but 10 in the first half — and a touchdown, the run game took over. McNabb got the game ball — he had a 31-yard touchdown pass to Chris Cooley for a 14-0 first-quarter lead — but the ground game got the win.
“They drop the safety down, so you can get around the edge, so we tried it,” said running back Clinton Portis, who rushed for 55 yards on 11 carries before hurting his groin.
Torain, whose 12-yard run gave the Redskins a 7-0 lead, managed 70 yards on 18 carries. He had 30 yards on six carries during the Redskins’ final possession.
The Redskins succeeded with the rush despite starting a backup left tackle in Stephon Heyer and losing right guard Artis Hicks late in the second quarter to an illness. Will Montgomery took over at right guard. But Washington used more two tight end sets in the second half, helping get around the end.
Defensively, the Redskins blitzed much less than in the first two games, knowing they had to be wary of Philadelphia’s downfield attack. It worked. Dangerous wideouts DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin combined for four catches for 34 yards. The Eagles had one pass play over 20 yards all day. Washington consistently jammed Philadelphia’s wideouts, sometimes with corners dropping into zones or other times with linebackers in the slot.
“We wanted to get physical with them,” Alexander said.
The Redskins often used two safeties deep. For the first time this season, they generated a rush with only four guys.
“We played good coverage,” Fletcher said, “and that was the difference in the game.”
