Life begins anew for the Washington Redskins.
The sins of the preseason are forgiven. The opening two losses are absolved. Stealing a win from the pundits by beating Jacksonville, 36-30 in overtime, on Sunday evens the Redskins’ mark at 2-2. It’s now a 12-week season.
Washington heads to New York barely out of first place. Beating the Giants would make the Redskins the most feared team in the NFC East. Washington should follow with a win over Tennessee for a 4-2 mark before facing Indianapolis.
Life is sure looking a lot different nowadays. The Redskins went from the corner of Lousy and Losers to the cornerstone of weekend schedules once again. What — the spouse scheduled something on a Sunday thinking you no longer cared about the game? That better be written in pencil because the Redskins are paramount once more.
What caused the turnaround in an offense that was so dead guru Al Saunders sat between a coroner and undertaker during games? Who’s throwing those deep balls from inside Mark Brunell’s jersey? And how are the Redskins surviving with a defense with more leaks than a White House security briefing?
Essentially, Clinton Portis is worth two Champ Baileys nowadays.
Portis barely played in the opening loss and skipped the second defeat with the bum shoulder. The playmaker has two 100-yard games since and the Redskins gained nearly 1,000 yards overall. Defenses needed to respect Portis and the receivers started slippingloose. Now defenses are on their heels and the Redskins are catching them coming and going. At least, that’s the bar stool explanation.
The real question is whether this is just one of those streaks inside a long schedule or the real start of Saunders’ blitz that worked in St. Louis and Kansas City. Saunders worked the playbook more to his talent locally after a couple of humiliating efforts so there’s hope this isn’t a mirage. Beating Houston is one thing — though the Texans followed by upsetting Miami on Sunday — but roughing up a good Jacksonville team is another.
If the Redskins can score at will against the Giants, then it’s time to rekindle those Super Bowl thoughts. The team will be have rediscovered its inner playoff hopes.
But the other big quandary is the defense remaining vulnerable with injuries to cornerback Shawn Springs and defensive tackle Joe Salave’a. An ordinary Jags offense threw over them way too often. So have other teams.
The good news is Salave’a should return against New York, though the Redskins haven’t done that badly without him. Defensive guru Gregg Williams’ ability to make chicken salad from chicken feathers is still working against the run. It’s that gaping hole in the back that opponents have soared through that is scary. What do you think the Manning brothers are going to do when Eli faces it on Sunday and Peyton follows on Oct. 15? Springs may return soon, but he might not be fully back until Thanksgiving. He is the X-factor in the Redskins prospects.
The greatest thing about football is its mood swings. If the Redskins lost to Jacksonville, everyone would have written off the season at 1-3. Instead, we’re talking Super Bowl again. A loss is like death, each victory rebirth. And if that’s too dramatic for non-sports souls, ship them off to the theater while fans enjoy those extra toppings.
You didn’t try jalapenos or red onion among your four freebies on Monday, did you? Life is sweet once more so try pineapple or banana peppers next time.
Rick Snider has covered local sports for 28 years. Contact him at [email protected].
