The Washington Redskins ended their losing streak at three games and assured head coach Jim Zorn of no worse than a .500 record in his first season with a 10-3 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles yesterday at FedEx Field.
Washington's defense had one of its strongest performances of the season in front of an announced crowd of 82,412, limiting the Eagles to 275 total yards and keeping Pro Bowl running back Brian Westbrook in check for most of the game. Eliminated from playoff contention with Atlanta's victory over Minnesota yesterday, the Redskins dealt a significant blow to the Eagles' playoff hopes with one week remaining in the regular season.
"Losing like we have in the past several weeks has been frustrating. It just continues to build and it builds everywhere and last week was a real downer. You can't describe the emotion of toughing it out and coming through with a win," said Zorn.
Philadelphia had a chance to tie on its final drive, as Reggie Brown caught a pass inside the 1-yard line but was unable to break the plane of the goal line. The Eagles had no timeouts left, and the clock expired.
"We just found a way. We found a way to win and it was exciting," said Zorn.
Despite having the league's fifth-ranked defense, the Redskins were not effective in the fourth quarter during their 1-5 slide. Opponents had time-consuming drives that helped to finish victories, but the Eagles offense was not productive in the final quarter yesterday, going three and out on its four possessions.
The Redskins defense made things happen early in the second half. With Philadelphia needing three yards on third down at its own 37, Jason Taylor sacked Donovan McNabb (26 of 46, 230 yards) for a seven-yard loss and forced a fumble that middle linebacker London Fletcher recovered for a 12-yard gain.
Five plays later, Clinton Portis (70 yards, 22 carries) scored on a one-yard run to help the Redskins take a 10-0 lead with 8:46 to play in the third quarter. The touchdown was Portis's first since a 14-11 victory over Cleveland on Oct. 19 - a span of seven games. After the touchdown, many Redskins players playfully pushed Zorn on the sideline as they celebrated the touchdown.
With the Redskins threatening to pull away, the Eagles turned to Westbrook on their next possession. On second down from the Eagles 41-yard line, Westbrook (45 yards, 12 carries) was uncovered and McNabb connected with him for a 47-yard game down the left sideline. DeAngelo Hall forced out Westbrook at the Redskins 12-yard line.
It appeared there was some confusion on defense as defensive tackle Lorenzo Alexander was alone in coverage against Westbrook. Alexander suffered a hamstring injury on the play and did not return.
The defense, however, responded again and kept the Eagles out of the end zone. Philadelphia settled for a 22-yard field from place kicker David Akers that cut Washington's lead to 10-3.
Both teams struggled on offense in the first half and the Redskins held a 3-0 halftime lead. The only points came on Suisham's 33-yard field goal with 3:24 left in the second quarter.
Suisham, who also missed from 54 yards early in the quarter, capped a 16-play, 72-yard drive that covered 8:31. Jason Campbell (18 of 33, 144 yards) completed 6 of 9 passes for 52 yards, and Ladell Betts was the primary back on the drive with Portis briefly sidelined because of a bruised hand.
Although the Redskins struggled to move the ball and had 158 total net yards, the Eagles had only 66 yards. Campbell often overthrew receivers or bounced balls short of his intended targets. He completed 15 of 23 passes for 116 yards.
Portis was Washington's most productive player before the break. The seven-year veteran had 46 yards on 10 rushes and did not appear to be slowed by the back spasms he experienced earlier on Friday.
Unable to participate in practice Friday, Portis received treatment and was scheduled to consult with a chiropractor. Portis has remained in the lineup despite knee, him and neck injuries, and Zorn on Friday said he had no doubts the Pro Bowler would play against the Eagles.
