Redskins enter pivotal stretch with two victories
They lacked the end-of-game heroics, with no stunning deep ball; no stirring comeback; no play that defined the victory. And that’s just fine with the Redskins.
Instead, what they showed in their 24-17 win over Arizona was a little of everything. Which gives them a momentum boost heading into a tough two-game stretch with games at Dallas and Philadelphia.
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But if the Redskins (2-1) dreamed of doing anything this season, they had to beat Arizona (2-1) at home.
“This is huge, it really is,” center Casey Rabach said. “The best thing is, we’re all growing together.”
The Redskins’ second straight win came because both sides of the ball contributed heavily.
» Quarterback Jason Campbell completed his first eight passes, giving him 16 straight over two games — the second most in franchise history. Campbell was perfect on six attempts during the first drive of the game, resulting in a three-yard Clinton Portis touchdown run.
Overall, Campbell completed 22 of 30 passes for 193 yards and two touchdowns. He finished with a plus-100 passer rating for the second straight game. He also ran for 26 yards, including a pivotal 16-yard run on the first drive.
“He was very mature about all of the things that he did,” Redskins coach Jim Zorn said.
» Arizona’s receivers, Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald, combined to catch 10 passes for 134 yards, but 62 came on one play — a touchdown pass to Fitzgerald. Corner Shawn Springs covered Boldin (three catches, 29 yards) most of the game.
“I like that matchup,” Springs said. “I shouldn’t have given up a catch.”
Said corner Fred Smoot, “After the Giants game, we said we’re going back to playing press man coverage and force people to beat us. For the last two games it’s done good by us.”
The defense contained Arizona for most of the game. Also, linebacker Rocky McIntosh and safety Reed Doughty forced a second-quarter fumble that the offense turned into three points for a 10-0 lead.
Later, corner Carlos Rogers — who hounded Fitzgerald in man coverage — intercepted a tipped pass by Leigh Torrence. Rogers made a diving grab, bounced up and returned it 42 yards to the Arizona 15-yard line. Two plays later, Campbell hit Santana Moss on a screen to the right that Moss turned into a 17-yard touchdown, snapping a 17-17 tie. The catch gave Moss six consecutive games with a touchdown reception, which tied a franchise record.
“That was the difference,” Zorn said of getting 10 points off turnovers. “The last couple weeks we ended up having to punt the ball back after we got a turnover and it was really hard to face the defense after not being able to do something. We all felt better about doing something today.”
