Coming into a new NFL season, everybody is undefeated and optimism reigns in each fan base. For a team like the Redskins, playing under a new coach and quarterback in Mike Shanahan and Donovan McNabb, the start is all the more crucial. Although their opener against the Dallas Cowboys was far from an artistic success, Washington was able to post a big, fat "W" in the column that matters most. That the 13-7 victory came at the expense of a hated divisional rival makes it all the more sweet.
Skeptics can find plenty to fault in the Redskins’ effort. McNabb threw more passes that fell incomplete (17) than completions (15), although many of the passes were on target but dropped. The ground game didn’t net 100 yards – Clinton Portis led with 63 yards on 18 rushes. Two trips into the red zone produced only one short Graham Gano field goal. On the other deep penetration, Shanahan went against the coaching axiom to never take points off the scoreboard, choosing a first down via a Dallas penalty over a made field goal, and then came away with nothing when holder Josh Bidwell missed the snap on a subsequent FG attempt.
On the flip side, McNabb’s veteran guidance promised better games ahead. With Washington leading from their opening drive, he didn’t throw any interceptions while establishing Santana Moss and Chris Cooley as favored targets. The team limited mistakes, being flagged for only 5 penalties for 42 yards, compared to 12 for 91 on Dallas. Anchored by Trent Williams, the offensive line kept the vaunted Cowboy pass rush to a single sack.
The Washington defense shone brightest, denying the Dallas offense points with the exception of a 4-yard TD pass late in the third quarter. Plus, they provided the game’s two key plays to punctuate each half. Rather than running out the clock before halftime, Dallas coach Wade Phillips elected to attack. Tashard Choice caught a short pass from Tony Romo, only to be stripped of the football by Washington’s defense led by DeAngelo Hall, Andre Carter, and Lorenzo Alexander. Hall returned the miscue for the only Redskin touchdown, putting his team up 10-0 at the break.
Leading 13-7, Washington’s fate rested on the play of its defense on the Cowboy’s final drive. The unit looked poised to win the game a series earlier by forcing a fourth and ten, but Romo hit Miles Austin for 30 yards. Three plays later, he found Roy Williams for an apparent 13-yard game winner, but a flag for a blatent offensive holding decided the game in Washington’s favor.
The ‘Skins didn’t beat themselves. With a dubious coaching decision and fumble to end the first half and a costly penalty on the game’s final play, that is precisely what the Cowboys did.
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