1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Final | |
Washington Redskins | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 24 |
Chicago Bears | 0 | 7 | 14 | 0 | 21 |
It wasn't a pretty game when it comes to weather or football, but the Redskins held off a late effort from the Bears to pull off the win in Chicago this afternoon.
As expected, the defense was the strongest unit on the team today. The team kept pressure on Cutler, and Terrance Knighton, Ryan Kerrigan, and Trent Murphy brought him to the ground. Murphy also had forced fumble and fumble recovery on the same play as his sack. They mostly contained Eddie Royal, who was expected to have a big role in his return to the field after being out for several weeks, and while they weren't perfect, including giving up two frustrating 20+ yard plays back to back in the third quarter, they held on at the end of the game to stop Chicago's final drive and give the Redskins a chance to win. DeAngelo Hall and Mason Foster, who first started for the Redskins a week ago against the Cowboys, led the team in tackles.
The offense opened well in both halves with back to back scoring drives in the first half and a scoring drive on their first possession of the second half, but they still failed to get points off a turnover from the defense. Kirk Cousins kept pace with Jay Cutler, matching him in attempts, finishing with a higher completion percentage, and falling nearly equal in passing yards. He had a rushing touchdown and made only one major mistake: a poorly thrown ball that seemed to go right to Kyle Fuller, who intercepted the ball, leading to a Chicago touchdown less than two minutes later.
Redskins' coaches continued to play the hot hand on the ground, and Matt Jones became the running back work horse of the day after Alfred Morris started the game. However, Jones was lucky to avoid a nearly costly fumble in the fourth quarter when he put the ball on the ground before he was touched down. DeSean Jackson was not a highlighted player, but he averaged the highest yards per catch on the team with 43 yards on two catches, battling through a leg injury after the first catch, and Jordan Reed led the team in receiving yards again, proving that he is one of the team's biggest offensive assets when healthy.
By the numbers: Cousins (24/31, 300 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT, 3 sacks), Jones (18 carries, 62 yards), Jordan Reed (9 receptions, 120 yards), Hall (6 tackles), Foster (6 tackles), Murphy (1 sack, 1 FF, 1 fumble recovery), Knighton (1 sack), Kerrigan (1 sack)