Week 6: Redskins vs. Vikings

Yesterday, I watched the game in person at FedEx Field in section 446, row 10, seat 3. This was the first Redskins game I attended this season, and it was a pretty good one to go to. This week for the first time, I believe that I can say the positives outweighed the negatives. This is a very bold statement but I think pretty accurate. If you watched the game yesterday afternoon, you could not help but be impressed by how the Skins played.

The Redskins beat the over-achieving Minnesota Vikings yesterday by the score of 38-26. A game that seemed to me much more of a blowout than it really was. The Redskins, overall, played their best game of the season. No huge mistakes, no punk plays, no missed kicks, etc. With the releasing of K Billy Cundiff this past week, the stakes were high for new rookie kicker Kai Forbath. Forbath was thrown into his first NFL game and launched a 50 yard field goal to put the Redskins on the board in the 4th Quarter. This was something Redskins fans were in awe of based on previous experiences with kickers. It is safe to say that kicking has been one of the week spots for the Redskins for a while. From Nick Novak, to Shaun Suisham, to John Hall, to Graham Gano, and even to Billy Cundiff, you really never had a safe feeling when a field goal had to be taken. It seems as if Forbath might have a little bit of potential here. We'll see what happens there. 

The Redskins defense really stepped it up yesterday. The Vikings started the game with 3 drives resulting in field goals from inside the red zone. When your defense struggles, but then steps it up when it counts, you can win football games. It could have been an ugly game from the start, but the defense hung tough and forced 4th downs. That's a key part of any defense.  3rd down is where you can separate the good, experienced defenses from the inexperienced defenses. When you can hold superstar Adrian Peterson to 79 yards rushing, you also can put yourself in a good position for a victory. Quick stat: the Redskins are +9 in turnover differential, which is the best for a Redskins team in the last ten seasons. This is huge. Turnovers can swing a game in either direction and when you're on the right side of it, good things will come. The Redskins scored one (almost two) defensive touchdowns yesterday. That makes 5 on the year. A defense that scores points will take pressure of the offense and put more pressure on the opposing team. With Madeu Williams pick-six, the Redskins took command of the game and never looked back. 

This game might have been RG3's best of the season. Griffin, playing with a mild concussion, showed no fear against the Vikings. In the beginning of the game, he seemed to be tentative to run, but as it progressed he realized that this game was his for the taking and he needed to make something happen. Griffin ran for 138 yards on 13 carries and 2 touchdowns. One of these touchdowns was a spectacular 76 yard run in the 4th quarter that officially put the Vikings away. This play was created as Griffin saw an opening in the line and knew that it was his for the taking. Griffin hit the hole and then outran everyone on the field. It was one of the most electrifying plays I have seen and I hope it continues. 

This puts the Redskins at 3-3. Not bad for a team led by a rookie QB and rookie RB. This leads into a game against the New York Giants in New York. This will be RG3's first divisional game which could be huge. It'll be interesting to see if the defense can keep the game as close as they did this week against the Giants. The Giants are a good team, it'll be interesting to see how it all plays out. I'll take 3-3. Fine with me.

Hail.