Robert Griffin III orchestrated his first game winning drive (Al Messerschmidt/Getty Images) |
Cundiff was in the midst of one of the worst games of his career, having missed all three of his field goal attempts, including both a 31 and a 41 yard attempt. Cundiff's final field goal attempt of the day, a 41 yarder with only 3 seconds remaining in the game, redeemed him by putting the Redskins up 24-22, and made him a hero in the nation's capital, until at least next week.
Besides orchestrating the game winning drive, Griffin was sensational throughout the game, completing 74% of his pass attempts for 323 yards and rushing for 43 yards and a touchdown. His use of the hard count to draw the Tampa Bay defense offsides was astounding for a player making only his 4th NFL start. Griffin was hit far less against the Buccaneers than he had been during the Redskins two previous losses to the Rams and Bengals, an encouraging sign for Redskins fans. The return of left tackle Trent Williams solidified the Redskins offensive line, which limited the Bucs to 4 quarterback hits after giving up 13 to the Bengals. Additionally, Griffin had only three designed runs, limiting the abuse he could take from the Bucs defense.
Much credit must be given to offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan and head coach Mike Shanahan for their creativity in the offensive game plan. The Redskins offense threw the Buccaneers defense off guard by having Griffin take snaps under center, something he rarely did in the first three games of the season. The Shanahans ran plenty of misdirection plays, and limited the use of the triple option, which was a staple of the Washington offense throughout the first 3 games, but often resulted in Griffin being hit hard. On the final play of the third quarter, the Shanahans demonstrated their offensive genius through a trick play in which Griffin lateraled the ball to wide receiver Brandon Banks, who then lateraled back to Griffin across the field. After receiving the ball, Griffin completed a 30 yard pass to tight end Niles Paul who was wide open. Griffin's 103.2 passer rating ranks 4th in the NFL through a quarter of the season.
Alfred Morris had a 39 yard touchdown run (Rick Carioti/The Washington Post) |
Defensively, the Redskins were very effective in the first half, limiting the Bucs to only two field goals. The Redskins front seven put constant pressure on Bucs quarterback Josh Freeman, led by outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan who had a sack and a pass batted down. The Redskins pass rush in the opening half helped out the much maligned secondary, which shut down the Buccaneers passing game. Cornerback Deangleo Hall intercepted a pass which led to a Redskins touchdown. The second half was a much different story, as the Buccaneers aerial attack abused the Washington secondary in scoring 19 unanswered points. The key to the Redskins success defensively appears to be pressuring the quarterback, however, without Brian Orakpo and Adam Carricker both of whom have suffered season ending injuries, achieving a consistent pass rush will be a very difficult task.
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