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Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Week 1 Redskins pull off a "VICTORY" at Fed Ex making the game a respectable loss. Redskins 27, Eagles 33

Half of the Redskins Game 

Kenny Chesney at Fed Ex Field


Redskins Defense in the 2012 matchup at Fed Ex
RG3's return for the 2013 season was one of the most anticipated events since Deion Sanders and Bruce Smith came to Washington in 2000 and/or the return of Joe Gibbs in 2004.  Early tailgaters overflowed the parking lots, filling themselves with that football spirit and high expectations of the first game of the 2013 NFL season.  Game time was finally here as #10 Robert Griffin the third was presented pounding his fists on the ground followed by sprinting the entire field holding the Redskins flag.  

The first half of the Washington Redskins season opener proved that bringing a fast paced "College Style" offense to the NFL would be very effective for the Eagles and their new coach Chip Kelly. Mike Shanahan  however equally made his bold statement that the Burgundy and Gold would be an easy win for any NFL team as he brought a "High School Style" strategy.  The electrifying opening kickoff was downed by Philadelphia as Mike Vick and the Eagles offense took to battle.

It seemed almost effortless as the Eagles flew down the field in the first minutes of the game before a controversial call would change the score board inside of the Redskins 10.  Ryan Kerrigan tipped a backwards pass that was left for the referee to collect as DeAngelo Hall continued the play and returned the fumble 75 yards for a touchdown. This play got the Redskins on the board first and the Defense back on the field.  The Eagles continued to easily march down the field for the rest of the first half scoring 26 points while the Redskins only got 2 first downs in the half.  The fans at Fed Ex booed as the Skins retreated to the locker room disappointed in their 9 yards of passing.

It's painfully obvious that "RGknee" :) is not healthy or game ready at this point and should be recovering to protect the Skins future.  Apparently Dr. Andrews is a secret Dallas Cowboys fan and would like to see a 50% RG3 stumble his way to a 50% season (8 and 8) or receive another season ending injury.  The second half of football started with a big question, is RG3 ready or should he be on the bench?  Robert Griffin did improve as the game continued but never looked 100%.

2 first downs into the Redskins first drive of the 2nd half had fans who hadn't left yet getting excited about a potential comeback.  The hopes of this game winning rally from a 26 to 7 Redskins deficit would end on the next play where RG3 threw his second interception of the day into quadruple coverage.  This folly was followed by a touchdown drive on the next possession giving the Skins the 7 points that they scored in the 3rd quarter.  Kai Forbath missed the field goal when finally given the opportunity, but this play did not seem to have a direct connection with the Redskins loss.

Washington ended the game on a positive note as Philly was held to 7 points in the second half.  Griffin racked up 2 touchdowns with 329 passing yards on a conservative "bend but don't break" defense.  Alfred Morris however could only manage to get 12 carries totaling in 45 rushing yards; meanwhile LeSean McCoy accumulated 184 rushing yards, most of them in the first half.  The Eagles have some questions regarding the health of Mike Vick in the later part of a NFL season, but the Redskins have a few more questions than that.
RG3 and Vick meeting at their 2012 matchup

If you're the Washington Redskins, it's time to seriously consider that fact that Griffin is still hurt and RB Alfred Morris' rushing success is directly tied to his quarterbacks' performance.  The NFC East Championship season puts the Skins in a more difficult schedule matching them up to an angry Green Bay Packers team coming off of a loss.  A winning season cannot be defined after week one but hard work that will be required to accomplish this goal going forward.






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