‘Skins Still Find Improbable Ways To Win Against the Packers

There are certain phrases that Redskins fans have eliminated from their vocabulary over the years. These phrases—things like: “They’re only down by 10 points,” or “No way he misses a 30-yard field goal,”—might bring a peaceful blanket of comfort to the followers of other teams, but Redskins Nation has seen too many insurmountable deficits and blown plays to take anything for granted. That’s what makes Sunday’s “hit ‘em in the mouth” win over the Packers so incredible (and improbable).

For once, it was the Redskins that overcame their early mistakes (which included botching a snap that took the team out of the red-zone after recovering a Green Bay fumble and allowing the Pack’s struggling ground game to break out for a 71-yard rush that set up a touchdown). For once, it was the Redskins defense that didn’t fold at game’s end and kept the team in the game. And for once, it was the Redskins that rode the arm of their veteran leader to victory, as Donovan McNabb rebounded from a forgettable first half to lead a game-tying scoring drive in the final minutes.

Sunday’s victory over Green Bay marked the first time the ‘Skins have mounted a comeback to force overtime since 2003, when they lost to the New York Giants 24-21 in overtime on September 21^st. The game was also the first time that the team had won a game in overtime when they did not receive the ball first since a 2007 overtime win against the New York Jets.

But despite those two notable accomplishments, the fact remains that the team’s 16-13 thriller against Aaron Rodgers and company wasn’t above criticism. And trust me, there is plenty to criticize about the way that the Redskins played yesterday, the most obvious being the fact that the defense again yielded over 400 yards of offense and the fact that the offense couldn’t run the ball or keep McNabb from being sacked five times. That certainly doesn’t reflect the kind of defensive and offensive consistency that fans were hoping to see by this point.

But here’s the tricky thing with consistency: it doesn’t necessarily guarantee wins. While popular logic dictates that a team that consistently puts together quality scoring drives and a defense that consistently makes plays to prevent its opponent from moving the length of the field are the key factors in a football victory, the truth is that football games are won in many different ways. Sometimes they’re won by the team that gets outgained, and sometimes they’re won by the team that only gains 24 yards in the first half and can’t run the ball to save its life. And sometimes, the opposing team’s best player leaves the game with an injury, giving the home team an opportunity to gain an advantage (*cough* Clay Matthews *cough*). Like I said, different ways.

 What separates a good team from the rest is that good teams do what they need to in order to leave the field with a win. If that’s taking advantage of an opposing player’s absence, so be it. If that’s getting outscored 13-3 for three quarters, and then scoring a long TD and kicking a pair of field goals to tie the game so that it can be won in OT, then so be it. Good teams find a way to win.

So instead of losing sleep over the sluggishness of the Redskins offense and the less than stout defensive play, I’d advise fans to just enjoy this one for a few days. Because when all was said and done on Sunday, the Redskins were good enough to beat the Packers.

At least enjoy the win a little bit before you tear into it, guys.