Redskins Complete Huge Comeback, Win 31-30

The Washington Redskins scored a touchdown in the third quarter!

In fact, they scored two! And they didn't let the Tampa Bay Buccaneers score in the quarter!

Oh yeah, and they won!

After going down 24-0, the Redskins scored on a Kirk Cousins run (!) late in the first half to start the comeback. The dreaded third quarter was actually the turning point, for the good, as Washington got a stop on the first drive, then continued where it left off with a touchdown on its first offensive drive of the second half.

Out of nowhere, Jay Gruden and his coaching staff pulled out an onside kick — perhaps boosted by the success Dustin Hopkins had a week ago, though that wasn't recovered — which Trenton Robinson fell on. By then, the momentum had shifted and the FedEx Field crowd was back into the game.

The Redskins ended that drive with a touchdown to send the crowd into a frenzy. Then they allowed a field goal on the Bucs' next drive but matched it with one of their own a few minutes later to make it 27-21.

A big red-zone stand by the Redskins defense after a touchdown-saving tackle by Bashaud Breeland (that resulted in his injury) held the Bucs to a field goal, then Cousins led the offense down the field on a gorgeous 11-play, 80-yard drive that ended in a Jordan Reed touchdown. Just one play before the touchdown, however, Cousins threw a pass that nearly got picked and ended the game, but fortune was (for once) on Washington's side, and the ball fluttered incomplete.

Tampa Bay threatened in the final seconds, but the Redskins defense held firm and the Bucs, without any timeouts, were unable to retake the lead. Washington finished with an insane 31-30 win and the biggest comeback in franchise history.

Overall, it was much better play-calling by Gruden and Co. and a really, really strong performance by Cousins to help fend off criticism for another two weeks. Cousins made a few mistakes early on, but he more than made up for it to close out the win.