A few of the Washington Redskins were walking off the field,
high-fiving, hugging and celebrating another road victory when they looked up at
disgruntled fans and gave them another reason to pout.
“There’s a new Beast of the East,” players shouted.
That’s no exaggeration.
Clinton Portis ran for 145 yards and one touchdown, wide receiver Antwaan Randle
El threw a TD pass and the Redskins beat the Philadelphia Eagles 23-17 on
Sunday.
Washington (4-1) has made it through the first five games under new coach Jim
Zorn better than anyone expected. The Redskins went to Dallas last week and
handed the Cowboys their first loss, 26-24. They’ve played all three division
rivals on the road and their next three opponents—Cleveland, Detroit and St.
Louis—are a combined 1-11...
Brian Westbrook rushed up the middle for 9 yard gain
(David Akers made PAT)
0 - 7
7:47
PHI
TD
Durant Brooks punt. DeSean Jackson returned punt for 68
yards (David Akers made PAT)
0 - 14
2nd Quarter
12:00
WAS
FG
Shaun Suisham kicked a 41-yard field goal
3 - 14
1:56
WAS
FG
Shaun Suisham kicked a 48-yard field goal
6 - 14
0:02
WAS
FG
Shaun Suisham kicked a 50-yard field goal
9 - 14
3rd Quarter
8:08
WAS
TD
Antwaan Randle El passed to Chris Cooley down the middle
for 18 yard gain (Shaun Suisham made PAT)
16 - 14
4th Quarter
14:54
WAS
TD
Clinton Portis rushed up the middle for 4 yard gain
(Shaun Suisham made PAT)
23 - 14
7:18
PHI
FG
David Akers kicked a 23-yard field goal
23 - 17
Team Statistics
WAS
PHI
First Downs
22
14
Passing
11
10
Rushing
10
3
Penalty
1
1
Third Down Efficiency
11-19
5-12
Fourth Down Efficiency
1-1
0-0
TOTAL NET YARDS
388
254
Total Plays
75
47
Average Gain Per Play
5.2
5.4
NET YARDS RUSHING
203
58
Rushes
44
18
Average Per Rush
4.6
3.2
NET YARDS PASSING
185
196
Completions-Attempts
17-30
17-29
Yards Per Pass Play
6.0
6.8
Times Sacked
1
0
Yards Lost to Sacks
9
0
Had Intercepted
0
0
PUNTS
4
5
Average Punt
34.5
50.4
PENALTIES
3
4
Penalty Yards
24
33
FUMBLES
0
0
Fumbles Lost
0
0
TIME OF POSSESSION
34:45
25:15
Pregame Previews, Storylines,
and News
New Page 1
Preview:
Maybe the only NFC East team not widely expected to be a
contender for the division title was the Washington Redskins. A second straight
road win over one of the teams picked to finish ahead of them would all but
prove that belief to be false.
In a few weeks, the Redskins have gone from overlooked to among the NFC's elite,
and they would further facilitate that transformation Sunday by sending the
Philadelphia Eagles deeper into the division basement.
An ugly end to the preseason and a mediocre season opener, not to mention a
leader in Jim Zorn who had never been a head coach, led many to think Washington
would be at the bottom looking up to the other NFC East stalwarts.
While the New York Giants were coming off a Super Bowl win and Dallas was last
year's division champion, Philadelphia was considered a contender after winning
its final three games of 2008, making some key offseason additions and having
Donovan McNabb back at full strength.
However, the Eagles (2-2) go into Week 5 residing in last place while the
Redskins (3-1) have won three in a row and are coming off one of most surprising
wins of the season....
REDSKINS: The
Redskins would love to be able to pound the ball in the final minutes on
the Eagles' run defense as they did against the Cowboys last week. But
since Jim Zorn is a pass-first coach, look for him to spread the ball
around. Since the Eagles have formidable CBs, TE Chris Cooley and RB
Clinton Portis could be favorite targets for QB Jason Campbell.
Amazingly, the Redskins have yet to turn the ball over on offense, a
streak that could prove very tough to maintain against a Philadelphia
defense that has forced nine...FULL
STORY
EAGLES: The
Eagles aren't too worried about their ability to shut down the Redskins'
ground game Sunday. The Eagles have given up a league-best 2.6 yards per
carry this season. A bigger concern for them is stopping wide receiver
Santana Moss and tight end Chris Cooley, who have combined for 600 of
the Redskins' 878 passing yards. They'll likely have CB Asante Samuel
shadow Moss much of the afternoon. Defensive coordinator Jim Johnson
probably won't blitz as much as he has the past two weeks because of
Jason Campbell's mobility...FULL
STORY
The Redskins, who are 7-1
in their last eight regular season games dating back to last season,
seek their fourth consecutive victory.
Running back Brian Westbrook (ankle)
questionable to return for Philadelphia, and guard Shawn Andrews (back)
is doubtful...Redskins end Jason Taylor (leg) not likely to be back
after minor surgery early last week, and cornerback Shawn Springs (calf)
and linebacker Marcus Washington (hip) both regarded as questionable.
Redskins are the only team in the
league that has yet to throw an interception in 2008, and are tied with
Tennessee for the NFL lead in turnover margin (+6)
Tight end L.J.
Smith (back) questionable for Eagles, and wideout Kevin Curtis (sports hernia)
appears unlikely to return
12.5
13.0