Watching the Washington Redskins get the 24-14 win over the Oakland Raiders only provided a sigh of relief. This wasn't a win that you could say, "They've finally righted the ship". No, this win is far from that moment of peace.
Okay, for those of you who will torch me on not recognizing the positives, here they are:
- Seven sacks on the day
- Overcame a 14-point deficit
- Kept good pressure on Matt Flynn
I'm glad the defense decided to show up, but it shouldn't take a fear of a 0-4 record with the Dallas Cowboys on the horizon. What we saw Sunday was a team looking for any ray of hope, finding it against a team without their starting quarterback and running backs (for most of the time). There was no reason the Redskins shouldn't have beaten the Raiders.
Here are some observations:
RG3 consistently running backwards: The offensive line once again proved they can't support a "Conservative RG3" and as a result, he stayed on the run - most of the time backwards. However, I'm glad to see this didn't spell disaster. The Redskins still managed to top the Raiders in passing and rushing yards.
Pressure-cooked team?: The Redskins looked better in a no-huddle offense. In fact, it's the best they've looked all season.
Turning Point: Defensive Performance by the Redskins, period. I'm not taking anything away from what Pierre Garcon did, but we needed the defense to wake up.
In the end, a win is a win, no matter how it looks.