Fourth time’s the charm! Redskins’ Kicker Billy Cundiff was 1-for-4 on field goal attempts Sunday against the Buccaneers, but he was able to convert on a 41-yard field goal with three seconds remaining to give the Redskins the win.
Washington had a 21 – 3 lead over Tampa Bay entering halftime, displaying solid defensive play – somewhat due to the Bucs horrid offense – and a balanced Redskins offensive attack. The tables turned in the second half, however, as the Bucs were able to post 19-unanswered points through nearly the entire second half – keeping Washington scoreless for 29 minutes.
It took a while for the Tampa Bay offense to heat up and take advantage of Washington’s smallish defensive backs, but in the 2nd half it became the “Vincent Jackson and Mike Williams show.” Both Vincent Jackson and Mike Williams, whom are over 6ft 2 (Jackson is 6ft 5) were able to eclipse the 100 yard receiving mark, mostly due to their back-breaking plays. Towards the end of the 3rd quarter, Mike Williams was able to out run the Redskins’ DB Josh Wilson for a 65 yard reception. That play helped raise the confidence level of QB Josh Freeman and it opened things up for Vincent Jackson, who had a 54 yard reception on the very next drive.
The Redskins defense tried their best to help Washington’s offense avoid getting into the dreaded “victory formation” against the Buccaneers. But the Bucs left too much time (1:42) for Robert Griffin III to lead Washington’s offense for a 4th quarter, comeback victory. The Redskins have had a taste of Griffin III’s ability to lead a last minute drive the past two weeks, but both games had drives stalled by penalties. Griffin III was able to move the ball effortlessly down-field for a 7 play, 56 yard drive – setting Billy Cundiff up for a 41-yard field goal.
Robert Griffin III and his fellow rookie teammate, Alfred Morris has orchestrated the most balanced offensive attack Washington has had in a very, very long time. Together, the two rookies are re-writing record books:
- Griffin III and Morris are the first pair of rookie teammates in NFL history to each rush for four touchdowns over their team’s first four games, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.
- With Griffin III and Morris each reaching four touchdowns, the Redskins have two players with four rushing touchdowns through the first four games of the season for the first time since the 1970 merger.
- Griffin III became the sixth NFL quarterback since the 1970 merger to register at least four rushing touchdowns in the first four games of a season, joining Cam Newton (2011), Kordell Stewart (1997), Bubby Brister (1988), Steve Grogan (1976) and Terry Bradshaw (1972).
- Griffin III scored his fourth rushing touchdown of the season on a five-yard run in the second quarter, tying Joe Theismann (1979) and Eddie LeBaron (1955) for the Redskins record of rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a single season.
- Griffin III now has 1,170 passing yards on the season. He joins Cam Newton (2011) and Ryan Tannehill (2012) as the only players to reach 1,000 passing yards in their first four games of their rookie seasons.
- Morris joins Larry Brown (1972), John Riggins (1983), George Rogers (1986), Earnest Byner (1991) and Terry Allen (1996) as the only backs in team history since the 1970 merger to open a season with at least 75 yards in each game in the first four weeks of a season.
The Redskins rushed for 160 yards. The Buccaneers entered the game with the league’s best rushing defense, having surrendered an average of 47.3 yards per game through the first three weeks. Washington now leads the league in rushing yards per game, averaging 175.5. The Redskins’123 points through four games is also the team’s highest point total for a four-game stretch since scoring 130 points in a four game stretch from Weeks 4-8 in the 1999 season (the team had a bye in Week 5 that season).
Players prepped for excellence is a weekly game preview listing two players from the Redskins’ offense and defense that are destined for a strong performance in the team’s upcoming match-up. To view Sunday’s players prepped for excellence, click here.
Unsung hero:
As Rick Doc Walker tweeted after the game, Trent Williams was all “blood and guts” out there during Sunday’s match-up. Trent played injured, but said “as a captain, I had to play.” Trent had a great game in both pass and run blocking. The guy is maturing in front of our eyes.
