LANDOVER, Md. — What a difference a week makes. Last week the Redskins could do nothing right. This week, they did everything right in the first half and beat the Packers 31-17 at FedEx Field.
Quick start
The Redskins talked all week about needing a better start to the game than they had last week against the Colts.
They got it.
It took Alex Smith four plays to get his wide receivers involved. Smith hooked up with Paul Richardson on the fourth play of the game for a 46-yard touchdown. Smith was targeting his receivers a good amount in the first half.
A week after receiver Jamison Crowder led the team in rushing, the Redskins saw Adrian Peterson regain his MVP form, rushing for 120 yards on 19 carries. It’s the 52nd time he’s surpassed the 100-yard mark in a game and the ninth time against Green Bay.
As far as the performance from his team, “You could see it coming during the week, the focus and determination,” he said. “Last week was an embarrassment.”
Jordan Reed continued to show that when he’s healthy, he’s one of the best players on the field, catching four passes for 65 yards which included a 34-yard gain on a third down.
Tale of two halves
The Packers gave up 28 points in the first half, but you knew they weren’t out of the game.
Aaron Rodgers took the opening drive of the second half and went 78 yards in 15 plays, which took just over seven minutes and scored a touchdown.
The Redskins then proceeded to go three-and-out three times in the second half and were unable to get anything going.
The Packers and the Redskins defense bailed them out. There were a number of dropped passes by Green Bay in the second half coupled with the Redskins defense coming up big in moments.
- Jonathan Allen had two sacks.
- Daron Payne notched his first sack of his career.
- Fabian Moreau stripped Randall Cobb with 5:25 remaining and Josh Norman recovered to secure the win.
Fullback or linebacker?
Linebacker Ryan Anderson has lined up at fullback three times this year; all three plays have resulted in touchdowns. He was also lined up twice as a fullback last year with both plays ending as touchdowns.
Injuries
Right tackle Morgan Moses left the game after being evaluated for a concussion. He was unavailable to speak in the locker room after the game, so we’ll find out more at a later time.
Bye week
The Redskins hit the bye week at 2-1 and now have a chance to heal up and head to New Orleans for a Monday night match up with the Saints in a couple weeks.
The team needed a bounce back performance like they got on Sunday, now it’s up to them to make sure that this is the product they put on the field every week. If that’s the case, then who knows how much damage they could do.
