Washington struggled out of the gate against the Houston Texans. In the first quarter, Houston was able to force two punts by Washington and capitalized on each defensive stop, creating a 10-0 lead for them early. Missed opportunities greatly impacted the Redskins chances to win this game early, and a lethargic performance by Washington soon carried over into the second quarter, at least for the offense.
The defense settled in and was able to mitigate the Houston’s offensive attack, shutting them out. However, Washington continued to struggle offensively to get anything going, and the inability to recover from a deficit continued to ring true. As Washington’s defense settled in, they forced a punt and turnover, at the time Washington trailed 10-7. A red zone interception late in the second quarter thwarted a scoring opportunity for Washington to take the lead, and Smith followed a bad play up with another interception with under a minute left. Houston was able to gain majority of their 153 yards in the first half in just the first quarter, showing the Redskins defense stepped up and responded to their attack. A promising second quarter for Washington’s offense ended terrible, leaving the Redskins in a come from behind situation against Houston.
A devastating injury to Alex Smith early in the third quarter seemed to have rocked the hopes of the Redskins, and according to social media, the fans too. However, another defensive turnover put Washington right back into the game after the chances of winning looked bleak. Washington’s defense stepped up mightily since the porous first quarter, forcing three turnovers in the Texans first five possessions coming out of that quarter. The defense created hope, and Colt McCoy provided a spark. McCoy’s first two offensive possessions provided 14 points and the Redskins first lead change of the season, as they eliminated a 10-point deficit.
In the end, McCoy’s spark was a much-needed boost for the Redskins offense, as he gave them a chance to win. With just under a minute left, trailing by only two points, Washington had one last chance to drive down the field after Houston misses a would-be six-point advantage for the Texans. Ultimately Washington falls short and the Redskins miss on a 63-yard game-winning field goal attempt.
Washington falls to 6-4 on the year as they head into their Thanksgiving day match-up against the red hot Dallas Cowboys in just a few days.