"#5 Donovan McNabb is now the leader of the Redskins." Image courtesy of Evan Vucci, AP
Woohoo! The first week is in the bag and the Skins come out with a win, and against the division rival Cowboys. The final score was 13-7, meager for two teams that are pretty heavily vested on the offense. But what lacked in scoring, made up for it in intensity and determination. This was a grueling match of defensive strategy, forcing both star QBs (Donovan McNabb and Tony Romo) to deliver mediocre performances. Romo had the better of his counterpart, throwing for more yards and had one TD pass; his TD pass on the final play of the game was negated by a holding call (more on that later). McNabb played respectably well in his first game as a Redskin, but could not muster up any TD drives. Two field goals by kicker Graham Gano, including a 49 yarder, and a strip-fumble TD recovery by CB DeAngelo Hall were all the Redskins could score. Romo had the lone offensive TD with his 4-yard strike to WR Miles Austin. The Skins only garnered 89 yards rushing, 63 by Clinton Portis, while the Cowboys fared a bit better at 103 yards total. In the end, the W on the column is all that matters and the Skins got theirs.
Here are some quick stats from the game, Skins in Bold.
Team Stats
Total Yards: 250, 380
Passing yards: 161, 277
Rushing yards: 89, 103
Sacks: 1 for 10 yards, 1 for 5 yards
Time of Possession: 25:57, 34:03
Player Stats
McNabb: 15/32, 171 yards
Romo: 31/46, 282 yards, 1 TD
Portis: 18 carries, 63 yards
Barber: 8 carries, 39 yards
Cooley: 6 catches, 80 yards
Moss: 6 catches, 77 yards
Austin: 10 catches, 146 yards, 1 TD
Bryant: 8 catches, 56 yards
"#19 Miles Austin on the lone offensive TD." Image courtesy of Evan Vucci, AP
The Skins under McNabb played with a lot of energy, but you can tell that they need some more time practicing together. Some of the schemes were confusing to others, resulting in the burning of time outs when not needed. McNabb had some great throws, and some poor ones as well. Portis was not as effective given all the hype of a rejuvenated reunion between him and Coach Shanahan. His son, Kyle the offensive coordinator, drew up more passing plays then rushing, but Portis did prove to us why he is one of the best blocking RBs in the league. He saved McNabb from many of the Cowboy defenders. As for the receiving corps, Without a solid number two receiver, McNabb could not establish any rhythm with any one not named Moss or Cooley. The offense sputtered off and on and showed glimpses of big play potential. Again, I think that the team just needs a bit more time together. As the season goes on, assuming everyone stays healthy, the gameplan should get results.
Now, to the end of the game. The Cowboys had sole control of the clock with two time outs under two minutes. Romo led the team down to the red zone with under 20 seconds and I imagine every Skins fan was up in their seats. Before I get to the final play, let's talk briefly about Brian Orakpo. Orakpo, who is my favorite player on the team, played throughout his high school and collegiate career at defensive end but was moved over to the outside linebacker position in the NFL. He's pretty stacked at 6-4, 255 with crazy speed for someone his size so putting him at linebacker isn't that far fetched of an idea. He's still learning to play that position, but with eleven sacks and a Pro Bowl appearance his rookie year, I'll say that he's learning very quickly and well. As for the game last night, he only had 1-1/2 tackles. But his presence was clearly felt throughout to contain Romo. On the final play of the game from the 13 yard line, Orakpo lined up on the left on a blitz package. Basically, he gravitated back to the defensive end position, on the line, right up to the tackle. Orakpo rushed in and was then held at the neck (like a chokehold) by tackle Alex Barron. Romo had just threw a TD pass to an open Roy Williams and the game appeared to be tied. The hold was caught by the referees, the flag was thrown, and since a game can end on an offensive penalty, game over, Skins win. Barron definitely lost the game for the Cowboys on that play. Side note, from footballoutsiders.com, they state that Barron has the most holding penalties from 2005 on....interesting.
"#98 Brian Orakpo held by Alex Barron that costs Dallas the game." Image courtesy of Rob Carr, AP
Next week, the Texans come into town, and I will be present in the stands for it. The Texans are rolling after their division win against the Colts at home, a much needed win for them. They are a team that had last years leaders in passing and receiving in Matt Schaub and Andre Johnson. Yesterday, neither did well at all. However, the running game, which was ranked 30th last year, breathed new life into the offense as 2nd year RB Arian Foster ran for 231 yards and three TDs. I'm a bit weary about how the Skins defense can contain the Texans offense. Committing to either the rush or pass, the Texans can pick you apart. The Skins offense must be able to respond if they are to have any chance. The offense has to score more than field goals. The Texans have a softer defense that allowed for over 400 yards passing by Peyton Manning so McNabb must be able to capitalize on that Texans secondary. Aside from Cooley and Moss, someone else must step up to stretch the offense.
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