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Hail to the Redskins! (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter jwvdcw
- Start date
Gibbs play-called one of the most conservative games since his return. He knew the offense was not doing well agains the league's #1 defense, so he decided that Gregg Williams' side of the ball had the best chance of increasing field position, turning over the ball, or scoring.In the end, it worked out to his favor. (Luckily)Gibbs wont' have this luxury next weekend, as the Skins' defense will have their hands full with Alexander, Hass, DJAX...etc. I think they will continue to run the ball, control the clock and keep Alexander off the field as much as possible.
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dgreen
Footballguy
The numbers disagree with you on travel because home teams generally win regardless of travel. If you are trevelling, it means you are the road team.When you get to the playoffs, home teams generally win at a greater rate than regular season because the home team is generally the better team.
dgreen
Footballguy
Seattle only had three 1st half possessions. The first possession started at midfield and ended with a long FG. The other two weren't great field position and they punted. The Seahawks were 2-5 on 3rd down. IIRC, the Redskins were focusing on SA and Seattle tried to fight that with by throwing a lot of quick outs. Those short passes (Hass was 8-15-77 in the first half) and SA only getting 12 yards on 6 carries resulted in short drives with little scoring and a 22-8 TOP advantage for Washington.The second half, Seattle came out throwing and had some success. That lead to opening some stuff up for SA, who busted a long run on their first TD drive. I believe both Sean Taylor and Sean Springs were dinged up and missed some time on Seattle's last TD drive. They took advantage of that and threw passes in the middle of the field, marching right down the field.
TB did the same thing this past week. Once Taylor left, Simms began throwing down the middle. He started finding Galloway for some good gains and had Shepherd open twice in the endzone. Before Taylor left, almost every throw was short and outside (away from Taylor).
Sidewinder16
Footballguy
I think that was the gameplan all along (to let the D dictate the course of the game). The offense wasn't asked to win the game. I'd be willing to bet the gameplan was conservative for a reason. The trick plays we saw (reverse to Moss, HB option pass w/ Portis) we've seen a few times before. I'd bet if Gibbs had more than one redzone play we would have seen a playaction pass to Sellers at some point. Almost every running play was run inside. He wasn't giving anything new away if he didn't have to. Do what we've always done, unless we need to do more. For all Gibbs showed on Sat. Seattle may as well study the week 4 game tape. There was nothing new or noteworthy here. The offense was very vanilla.
Personally, if I were a coach about to go against a Joe Gibbs team in the playoffs, I'd be extremely concerned about the fact that I have nothing new to gameplan for that I didn't have the week before.
dgreen
Footballguy
I agree it was probably the overall gameplan. The Skins first drive, they opted to punt on 4th and 9 from the 34. I think Hall's leg is iffy from that distance (although his 47-yarder had plenty to make it from 52), so it was either going for it or punting. Being 4th and 9, Gibbs opted to punt, hoping for a kick to like the 10. Of course, Frost is an absolutely horrible punter and drilled into the endzone. BTW, did anyone notice that Frost's best kicks were the two after being poked in they eye?
in the first meeting with the Seahawks, the Skins kept their offense in check because they barely had the ball. The Skins were on fire in regards to coverting on 3rd downs that day, even the 3rd and longs. They will be hard pressed to repeat the 3rd down performance from that day. The Skins also need to cash in on trips into the redzone. Seattle has a bend but don't break D. Can't be trading 3s for 7s with them.
BigTuna
Footballguy
LOL You guys are comparing Seattle at Washington, to Washington at Seattle? Brunell is a veteran and this will help them with the noise, but they are going to have to put up some numbers to win in Seattle, they don't give up the ball and they score alot of points, and you can bet the fans will be juiced and ready for Washington. Seattle is undefeated at home this year, and has only lost 4 games in that stadium in the last 25 games played there. I'll take the hawks.
I know, nothing to do with it, just something I always remember since I actually flew to Seattle to watch that game (it was ugly).CBSportsline:Washington Redskins (11-6) at Seattle Seahawks (13-3) The skinny: These two teams met in Week 4, with the Redskins winning in overtime after Seattle's Josh Brown missed a field goal that would have won it in regulation. Washington won it on a field goal by a guy that's not even on the roster anymore. That was a long time ago. The Seahawks have been dominant since and earned the No. 1 seed in the NFC by going 13-3. They have a huge edge playing at home, but the Redskins have won six straight games and could be one of those charmed teams ... though they will have to be better on offense than they were against the Bucs on Saturday. Key team matchup: Seattle finished second in the league in total offense and can be explosive at times, especially with Shaun Alexander in the running game. But the Redskins had the ninth-ranked defense and did a heck of a job limiting the Bucs to 10 points in their wild-card victory. The Redskins also forced three turnovers against Tampa Bay, which led to 14 points. Key individual matchup: The Redskins did a nice job stopping the run against the Bucs. That was because defensive tackles Cornelius Griffin and Joe Salave'a had big days. How well they fare against the inside three of the Seahawks -- center Robbie Tobeck, guards Steve Hutchinson and Chris Gray -- will go a long way to deciding the outcome. Player on the spot: Alexander. He has put up some gaudy numbers the past few years, but he also has not done well in the playoffs. It's time for him to end all the talk that he isn't a money back. In last year's playoff loss to the Rams, he had 40 yards on 15 carries.
seahawk 17
Footballguy
Seattle has the #2 redzone defense in the league. Should make things interesting.
fridayfrenzy
Footballguy
Qwest Field is going to be INSANE....an all time high for crowd noise, guaranteed.This will make it very very tough for the Skins anywhere on the field.
avoiding injuries
Footballguy
While it's only Monday, I am feeling the same level of excitement I had last Thursday. This is going to be a long week.
The Redskins have to play better offensively if they are to have any chance against the Seahawks. This Hawks' offense doesn't look like it's going to be slowed down and the Redskins are going to have to keep up with them somehow. The 'Skins are going to have to rely on Clinton Portis to pound the ball to keep Seattle's offense off the field and to get Seattle out of its offensive rhythm. The Hawks haven't had a bad offensive game yet this season and they have to make sure this doesn't become the first one. They must keep executing. -- Joe Theismann
from espn.com1. Like every great defensive coordinator, Washington's Gregg Williams is at his creative best on third down, when he can mix-and-match coverages and pass-rush schemes and try to force the action and maybe force a turnover. But the conundrum for Williams is that the Seattle offense never seems to be in third down. Not just third-and-long, but third down, period. The Seahawks had only 192 third-down snaps in the regular season, the second fewest in the NFL, behind only Indianapolis. So the fact the Seahawks converted a fairly modest 39.6 percent of their third-down plays isn't as much of a factor as it might be for some offensive units. Seattle led the league in scoring drives of 80 yards or more, a testimony to the patience and consistent playmaking skills of Pro Bowl quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, and to his ability to keep the Seahawks out of precarious situations. That, in part, is why the Seahawks had just 17 turnovers, second fewest in the league. When the Seattle offense gets into tempo, and coach Mike Holmgren is dialed in with his play-calling, it is one of the most efficient units in recent league history. Obviously, Williams, who demonstrated in the Redskins' wild-card victory at Tampa Bay that he is worth every penny of the $8 million contract extension owner Dan Snyder gave him last week, can't wait for third down to spring whatever surprises he might have in his deep grab bag. The Seahawks, who averaged 6.25 yards on first down, just aren't in very many disadvantageous down-and-distance situations. Williams might have to try to force the action on earlier downs. This is a more high-octane Seattle offense than the one that the Redskins limited to 17 points in an Oct. 2 overtime win at FedEx Field, and the Redskins' defense will have to be even better than it was that day.2. Is it better to have one dominating wide receiver or a full contingent of lower-profile yet consistent wideouts who seemingly come at you in waves? This game might help answer that question. Clearly, the most explosive big-play performer in this game will be Redskins wideout Santana Moss. The five-year veteran gave the Redskins the vertical dimension the offense sorely needed in '05. His 17.7-yard average was second-highest among players with at least 60 receptions, and Moss had 10 catches of 40 yards or more. Six of his nine touchdowns were 32 yards or more, and he averaged 43.7 yards per scoring catch. But the Redskins didn't have another wide receiver with more than 22 catches, and no one stepped into the No. 2 complementary role. Tight end and H-back Chris Cooley had 71 receptions and seven touchdowns, and he is very clever in the red zone. The Seahawks really miss safety Ken Hamlin when it comes to devising coverage schemes against intermediate receivers such as Cooley and will probably try to bracket him with some linebacker help. But look for Seattle to double-team Moss all day and to try to get cornerback Marcus Trufant locked on him, because no other Washington wide receiver scares anyone. In long-yardage situations, it's a given that Washington quarterback Mark Brunell will look for Moss. Seattle ranked 25th versus the pass this season, so its D has some holes. The cornerback spot opposite Trufant, where both Kelly Herndon and Andre Dyson have taken turns as the starter, has been especially suspect. On the flip side, injuries to starting wideouts Bobby Engram and Darrell Jackson, both of whom missed considerable playing time, meant Hasselbeck had to distribute the ball almost like a point guard. Engram still had 67 catches, but four other wideouts registered double-digit receptions -- and Joe Jurevicius, signed as a free agent to play the slot role, had a huge year. Jurevicius scored 10 times on just 55 catches, a phenomenal ratio, and no defense wants him running crossing routes unchecked through a secondary. It's key that the Redskins get a body on the long, gangly Jurevicius and that they get up on him early in red-zone situations. Washington really needs cornerback Shawn Springs, the former Seattle first-rounder who missed the wild-card game at Tampa Bay with an injury, to be available for the divisional round.3. Redskins weak-side linebacker LaVar Arrington, often accused of freelancing, will need to play one of the most disciplined games of his career if the Redskins are to contain league MVP Shaun Alexander. The Seahawks love to run their star tailback to the left, behind the Pro Bowl duo of tackle Walter Jones and guard Steve Hutchinson, and that will put Arrington squarely in the middle of the action. Alexander is tough enough to corral, but when linebackers get sealed inside and can't hold containment on the perimeter, he starts turning 3- and 4-yard carries into longer gains. In the wild-card victory, Washington's linebackers totaled 32 tackles, and they're going to have to run to the football and surround Alexander to have a chance to spring another upset. In the regular-season matchup, Washington "held" Alexander to 98 yards and one touchdown on 20 carries. We're betting D-coordinator Williams would take those numbers again. If you want to see some old-fashioned trench warfare, keep an eye on Hutchinson's battles against the Washington tackles, each of whom had superb outings in the wild-card triumph. Cornelius Griffin and Joe Salave'a are tough-minded and intense, penetrate surprisingly well, and won't back down. Once the quickest 310-pounder in the league, Griffin isn't as fast as he was earlier in his career, but he's a difference-maker in the middle of the line. Salave'a is a journeyman who has finally found his niche. The inside line play, especially when Seattle is on offense, won't be for the fainthearted.4. The Redskins got plenty of pressure from their front four in their wild-card win, blitzed sparingly and preferred to play a drop-and-cover game. But they had just 35 sacks in the season and Seattle surrendered only 31 sacks. Washington right defensive end Phillip Daniels is certainly the team's hot pass-rusher, with six of his eight sacks in the regular season coming in the final three games. He'll be matched up against Walter Jones in most situations. It wouldn't be surprising to see Williams use Arrington a little more as a rush end in an attempt to pressure Hasselbeck. Meanwhile, despite not having a single defender with double-digit sacks, the Seahawks led the NFL with 50 quarterback takedowns and had 12 different players with at least one sack. Seattle isn't a big blitz-quota team but will send rookie linebacker LeRoy Hill off the edge sometimes. The bet here is that Seattle will try to focus on 43-year-old right guard Ray Brown, starting in place of the injured Randy Thomas, and see if it can force him to pick up some inside blitzes, likely from first-year middle linebacker Lofa Tatupu, who probably should have been the league's Defensive Rookie of the Year.5. Beware Redskins backup tailback Ladell Betts. Yeah, we said Ladell Betts. In games like this one, featuring a pair of premier backs like Shaun Alexander and Washington's Clinton Portis, it's occasionally the No. 3 runner in the game who makes some plays. And Betts, an effective nickel tailback who logs more snaps than many No. 2 tailbacks in spelling Portis, can make plays. Not a lot of big plays, but the kind of little ones that add up. Betts ran for 338 yards on 89 carries and, in a game that doesn't exactly feature a lot of return threats, he might be a factor on kickoff runbacks. Betts averaged 25.9 yards and scored a touchdown on kickoff returns this season. As an inside runner, he's got some punch and can break tackles. A message to Seattle defenders: Don't let down too much when Portis goes to the sideline for a breather.
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X-factor: For a second consecutive week, Washington's regular cycle will be disrupted, since the Redskins play a second straight Saturday contest. Plus, the Redskins will have to make a long flight to the Pacific Northwest, never an easy trip. Seattle won all eight games this season at Qwest Field, and the Seahawks are now 24-10 at home since the stadium opened in 2002. The home field, from a scoring standpoint, has been worth about a touchdown more per game for the Seahawks. Seattle lost its only playoff game at Qwest Field (last year to the Rams). • X-and-O factor: The play of each team's defensive tackles figures to be a key to the outcome of the game. Not many people watch the interior line play in any game, let alone a postseason contest, but keep an eye on the trench battles in this game. The Washington tandem of Cornelius Griffin and Joe Salave'a played with great intensity in the Redskins' wild-card victory at Tampa Bay, and will face a terrific Seattle interior trio of center Robbie Tobeck and guards Steve Hutchinson and Chris Gray. The Seattle tackles are a bit more active, but Rocky Bernard, the best penetrator of the bunch, has now gone six games without a sack. • Rx factor (health): Washington -- Lost starting left defensive end Renaldo Wynn to a broken right forearm on Saturday and his steadiness as an excellent two-way player will be missed. Cornerback Shawn Springs missed the wild-card game with a hamstring strain and might still be gimpy. The Redskins, of course, will be without right guard Randy Thomas, who suffered a broken leg last month.Seattle -- A pair of cornerbacks, Marcus Trufant (back) and Andre Dyson (ankle), have been slowed by nagging injuries. And linebacker D.D. Lewis (knee) is also less than 100 percent. • Numbers cruncher: Matt Hasselbeck's completion rate for December, 76.1 percent, was the highest in league history for the month. In his last four games, Hasselbeck threw only 16 incompletions and had nine touchdown passes. In that stretch, his passer rating was 104.2 or better every week, and three times he had a rating of 127.0 or better. The seven-year veteran, who operates what is arguably the purest version of the "West Coast" style offense in the NFL, has been uncannily accurate down the stretch and unflappable. The Redskins are going to have to come up with something to disrupt his rhythm. • The Redskins will win if: They gain more than the 120 yards on offense they managed last week. OK, seriously, Washington needs to control the clock with Clinton Portis, keep Mark Brunell's attempts at about 20, and avoid third-and-long situations, where their veteran quarterback tends to get happy feet and his lack of arm strength is more obvious. A few takeaways wouldn't hurt, either. • The Seahawks will win if: They continue to move the ball offensively with the kind of peak efficiency they have demonstrated much of the season. Seattle is a unique offense, one that leads the NFL in scoring drives of 80 yards or more and is also near the top of the statistics in so-called "explosive" plays. Oh, yeah, the Seattle defense definitely must limit the big plays by Washington wide receiver Santana Moss, the Redskins' one notable home-run hitter on offense. Moss had six catches for 87 yards in the regular-season game.-- Len Pasquarelli
Getting Away With ItBy Michael WilbonTuesday, January 10, 2006; Page E01If the NFL is willing to fine Clinton Portis $20,000 for wearing the wrong socks and a tinted visor, one would think the league could muster up the courage to really hammer anybody who had the gall to spit in another man's face during a game, right in front of the referee no less.Since the NFL fined Redskins safety Sean Taylor only $17,000 yesterday for spitting in the face of Tampa Bay running back Michael Pittman, the only thing we can conclude is that the league is more offended by mismatched socks than having one of its players ejected during a playoff game for doing something truly vile and detestable. Taylor and the Redskins are lucky they found a judge who was more lenient than I would have been. At best, Taylor should have been fined $100,000.This isn't his first offense; Taylor is in just his second season but already is developing a reputation for hitting late and headhunting.Not only that, this probably isn't even Taylor's first spitting offense; Bengals wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh accused Taylor of spitting in his face last year immediately after a game at FedEx Field.And if Taylor and the NFL Players Association balked at a $100,000 fine, then okay, he could keep his money and simply sit out Saturday's playoff game at Seattle in a one-game suspension. The NFL punked out on this one. They like to play tough cop on socks and visors, and whether a guy's hair is covering the league's and manufacturer's logos, but won't confront a spitter caught in the act by one on-the-money referee.See, it's always very late in the game when schools and leagues throw down a zero-tolerance policy for this kind of behavior. For way too long it's one slap on the wrist after another until, if you're like Marcus Vick or Sean Taylor, you think everybody is bluffing and you can get away with whatever you want.Then again, maybe Marcus Vick is somebody who believes his athletic prowess means no rules pertain to him. He can threaten anybody, break any rules and laws in the interest of keeping it real . The latest on Vick, according to police in Suffolk, Va., is that he allegedly brandished a firearm at three people at a McDonald's Sunday night. This comes a couple of days after being kicked out of Virginia Tech, upon which he said: "It's not a big deal. . . . I'll just move to the next level, baby."Okay, so we've got allegedly brandishing a firearm one week after stomping his spikes on an opponent's leg during a game, which came two weeks after being arrested for a misdemeanor charge of driving on a suspended or revoked license. This came a couple of months after flipping the middle finger to West Virginia fans, and a year or so after being arrested for providing alcohol to three underage girls, reckless driving and possession of marijuana and a first suspension.All this kid did during his time at Virginia Tech was get in trouble.So you'll pardon me if I'm not going to give school and athletic department officials a standing ovation for throwing his butt out of school . . . eventually. He should have been thrown out months earlier. And university officials, if they have the guts, ought to be taking a serious look at the entire football program because there's way too much trouble involving the football players on that campus.But we always forgive the talented ones, don't we?Vick has skills that will make him some money in pro football, but maybe up in Canada before the NFL. Marcus Vick isn't his brother.He thinks he is, but I'll believe the NFL scouts I talked to this weekend who say he isn't worth the trouble or anything above their second-day draft pick. I'm sure he's not worried, though. Neither is Sean Taylor about a $17,000 fine, because he knows he's great and everything will be forgiven or winked at or explained away by coaches or lawyers.Taylor awaits a Jan. 17 court date after being charged with felony aggravated assault and misdemeanor battery over the summer. On the field, off the field . . . it doesn't seem to matter to Taylor, who bailed on the league's mandatory rookie symposium, who refused to return his coach's phone calls during the offseason. Hey, when you're talented enough and rich enough to get your court date moved so it won't affect your football season, you can do whatever you damn well please, right?You think Marcus Vick doesn't already know that's how the game is played? His problem is he overrates himself dramatically. Taylor, on the other hand, may operate this way for years for one reason: He's great on a football field.An NFL quarterback who played against the Redskins this season told me that Taylor can be taken advantage of on certain kinds of plays, but otherwise he's often the baddest man on the field. He can run like Jerry Rice and hit like Night Train Lane, and if he does hit you a little too far out of bounds or just a little late after the whistle, then so be it. Receivers don't remember penalty flags; they remember writhing on the ground in agony.Have you noticed that more receivers are dropping balls against the Redskins than in previous seasons? That's largely because they're distracted by the presence of Sean Taylor. Yes, there are players who are afraid of Taylor, just like they were afraid of Lane and Jack Tatum and Ronnie Lott and **** Butkus. Taylor will mangle you. Any coach worth the chalk he uses to diagram plays loves that from his free safety.And they love that he's a roughneck with that 1970s Raiders sort of mentality, a thug persona. When other football players say -- and believe me, they say it privately -- that Taylor has that thuggish quality, they're saying it half in admiration, half in fear. No team wants to quiet that entirely. We see Taylor as being in trouble. In football, it's thought that he is trouble.So this whole thing sort of works in concert, being a menace on the field and off it. Taylor gets to play this week in Seattle, and he might just be the difference in the game because he's that effective in a game that amounts to one big organized fight. Or he might be the difference in the game for drawing a 15-yard personal foul penalty or getting ejected when his team needs him.The NFL could have gone a long way toward letting Taylor (and anybody else who wants to spit on somebody) know what acts simply wouldn't be tolerated on a football field. Instead, they took some pocket change off him and sent him back on the field. We'll see whether fining Taylor was a deterrent or a mere annoyance en route to more trouble.
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The_Man
Footballguy
Was just looking at Gibbs' playoff history and discovered that even in amassing his remarkable 17-5 record, he's never won back-to-back road playoff games (not counting the Super Bowl which is neither home nor away).In 1986, the Skins won at Chicago then lost to the #1 seed Giants in NY.In 1990, the Skins won at Philly, then lost to the #1 seed 49ers in SF.in 1992, the Skins won at Minnesota, then lost to the #1 seed 49ers in SF.So now after a road win, the Skins are again going on the road vs. a #1 seed. I'm hoping they can pull it off, but Gibbs' history shows just how hard it will be.
fatness
Footballguy
Something that isn't understood by those who have not followed the Redskins for years is the level of performance of individual players and the team as a whole under Joe Gibbs. His Super Bowl teams are now thought of as having quite a few "stars", when in reality at the time they were modestly talented teams who, through collective effort and belief, and relentless coaching, raised their level of play on a weekly basis far above the level they should have competed on. They played better than they were, pure and simple, and did it long enough that the entire opinion of them as a team and as players was raised.That's what is happening now, a collection of modestly-talented players who play better than they are. It's been inconsistent over the year, they've fallen off badly sometimes, but the last 6 games are one consistent effort over 24 quarters.If you're gauging the results Saturday by "who is better" and "who should win", Seattle will walk away with the game. But if the game is decided on cohesive and relentless effort, and on coaching, do not bet against the nobodies called "Redskins". We Redskin fans have seen this movie before, and this is the part where it gets unexpectedly cool ----- when nobodies become somebody. Maybe it won't finish happening this year, but it has started.Go Skins.
Sidewinder16
Footballguy
I agree about the 49ers, halfway disagree about the '86 Giants.Defensively, the '86 Giants top the '05 Seahawks. But I'd take '05 Hasselbeck/Alexander/Jackson over '86 Simms/Morris/Johnson.
Sidewinder16
Footballguy
He may be a thug, but I love the Lane/Tatum/Lott/Butkus comparisons.
dgreen
Footballguy
I used to do this. I used to see one play where a player makes a mistake and use that to lower my view of a player. But, I heard a very interesting interview with HOF safety Ken Houston. Houston said he made seven mistakes in his final NFL game. He said he averaged eight mistakes per game over his career. That's a HOF career; eight mistakes per game. So, an NFL quarterback said you can take advantage of Sean Taylor on certain plays? So what? That can be said about everyone to play the game, even the best of the best.
As long as he stays out of jail, he'll go down as the best safety of his era. I was thrilled when I started to watch him play last year and immediately noticed a nasty streak. It was refreshing to finally have someone on defense with an attitude.
avoiding injuries
Footballguy
Taylor could go to jail for the entire 2006 season and I will still be glad they took him over Winslow.
fridayfrenzy
Footballguy
The Home team's record coming off the playoff bye in the last four years is 12-4.
hawks won't win. seahawks had the easiest schedule in the NFL. skins had the 2nd toughest behind only san diego. skins beat tough opponents hawks beat rams, cards, and 49ers (what a tough division 3 teams that completely self destructed 6 of 13 wins against complete scrubs). hawks haven't played a meaningful game against an even average team for weeks since 11/27 against an average giants team they barely beat. hawks are soft and will be exposed by great skins defense. also hawks crappy defense will allow portis to beat them in a close game.also when you have a cream puff schedule like they do you're going to have a good home record from playing so many terrible teams. they lost to jacksonville a very average AFC team, played houston, tennessee almost lost, and a resting indy team and played all the worst NFC teams.SEATTLE'S SCHEDULE THIS YEAR MUST BE ONE OF THE EASIEST IN THE LAST 20 YEARS.cowboys and giants were the only teams over .500 they beat throwing out indy rest game. lost to the other 2 over .500 skins and jags. so they were 2-2 against teams over .500 in a 16 game schedule. color me unimpressed.
The_Man
Footballguy
As I was looking back at Joe Gibbs’ career playoff record, it dawned on me what vivid and visceral memories I have of each of these 22 games. So, because I am going crazy waiting for Saturday, have gone ahead and rated each of Gibbs' career playoff games, from worst to best. Yes, I did this from memory, and yes, I have a problem.#221983 - Lost to Raiders in Super BowlWhat a debacle. The 1981 Redskins were 14-2, set the all-time points record, had NFL MVP Joe Theismann as QB, and had beaten Oakland in the regular season. In the instant before Jack Squirek’s INT made the score 21-3, I said to my friend, “OK, if they take a knee here, they’ll come out and score after the opening kickoff of the second half and it will be 14-10.” In fact, the Skins did score on the opening drive of the second half, but missed the extra point and never scored again in the 38-9 loss. I still wonder what might have happened if they had closed the gap to 14-10.#211984 - Lost to Chicago in home divisional round shockerThis was the end of the first Redskins Super Bowl era, marked by Theismann, Riggins and the Smurfs. It was also the coming out party for the Bears defense, which nobody knew was about to become legendary but played incredibly that day in shocking the Redskins for the only home playoff loss of Gibbs’ career.#201990 – lost to SF 28-10 in Divisional playoffThis game exposed Rypien as not quite ready for prime time. The 49ers were going for their third straight Super Bowl and dominated the Redskins, with the came being capped by 400-pound Kevin Carter picking up a fumble after a sack and running 50 yards (in about 20 seconds) for the clinching TD.#191992 - Lost to SF 20-13The Redskins’ final title defense fizzled in SF, as the 49ers scored on their opening drive and never quite let the Skins back in the game. We didn’t know it at the time, but we wouldn’t see Gibbs again for 12 years following this game.#181986 - Lost NFC Championship at Giants 17-0This is the highest-rated of Gibbs’ playoff losses and might even rate ahead of some of the wins if only this overachieving Redskins team hadn’t been shut out. Played in a howling gale in the Meadowlands, Gary Clark dropped a long TD pass in the first half that might have changed the game’s complexion. Redskins played tough, but my enduring memory is of Jay Schroeder getting knocked silly on the rock-hard turf in the final minutes as the Giants immortalized the Gatorade shtick on the way to their first Super Bowl.#171992 - Won Wild Card game at MinnesotaDefending champs back-doored into a Wild Card spot despite losing in the season’s final week and then posted an insignificant victory over the Sean Salisbury-led Vikings.#161983 – outlasted SF in NFC Championship, 24-21Should have been a huge warning sign that the 1983 team was losing its edge. Skins jumped to a 21-0 lead, then held on as Mosley missed three FGs and a shaky pass interference call bailed the team out late in the fourth quarter by giving him one more chance.#151986 - Beat Rams 19-7 in Wild CardAnother fairly non-descript game. Only highlight I remember was Darrell Green coming from across the field to pull Eric Dickerson down from behind on a breakaway. And my brother got lost on the way back to the RFK parking lot where he was supposed to meet us after the game and we got home three hours late.#141982 – Beat Detroit in first roundStrike year, so all playoff teams were seeded 1 through 8 and everyone had to win three games to reach the Super Bowl, even the top-seeded Redskins. Detroit marched down the field on its opening drive until Jeris White picked off a pass and ran it back 95 yards for a TD and the 31-7 rout was on. This Lions team (with a record of 4-5) never should have been in the post-season.#131991 - Beat Atlanta in divisional roundThis was a non-descript, workman-like divisional round victory over Deion and the “Too Legit to Quit Falcons” who featured MC Hammer on the sideline. Played in a driving rainstorm, this game’s most distinguishing feature was the thousands of giveaway seat cushions thrown onto the field following the Redskins’ score of the clinching TD.#121983 - Killed Rams 51-7 in divisional gameThis was the high water mark of the original Skins champions. Rookie Darrell Green capped the slaughter with an INT return for a TD and everyone thought this game was the launching pad for a second straight Super Bowl and a dynasty. Instead, they struggled the next week vs. SF and then got killed in the Super Bowl by Oakland. We also got our first VCR for Christmas this year, making this the first game that I attended in person and then came home and immediately watched on tape.#112005 – Beat TB in Wild Card gameAn ugly game, but the Gibbs magic returns.#101982 - Beat Minnesota in second round, 21-7A fairly workmanlike victory, made notable by Riggins’ 185 yards rushing and the curtain call/bow he took at midfield as he was taken out of the game in the final minutes. This was probably the height of Riggo-mania as hundreds, maybe thousands, of fans smuggled in horns and blew them constantly in honor of “The Diesel.” #91990 – Beat Eagles at Philly in Wild CardRevenge for that season’s earlier infamous “Body Bag Game.” The game turned on a key replay challenge when Byner coughed up a fumble that the Eagles’ D returned 90 yards for a TD. Replay gave the ball back to Washington who went in for a TD. #81986 – Divisional win at ChicagoMcMahon was out with injury, but the Bears were still 14-2 and considered themselves a budding dynasty until Art Monk got loose for a couple of long TD catches in the fourth quarter and the heavily favored Bears were stunned, 27-13, missing out on a classic confrontation with the 1986 Giants defense.#71991 – Killed Detroit in NFC ChampionshipOne of my personal favorites, since it’s the only Redskins NFC Championship game I attended, Washington totally dominated Barry Sanders and Erik Kramer, 41-10. The party started before halftime and peaked with Darrell Green’s INT return for a TD. I’m still thankful to this day that the Lions somehow beat Dallas in the divisional round, because that Cowboys team was the only one that could compete with the 91 Redskins.#61987 - Beat Minnesota in NFC championshipKind of a blah game, really. Skins scored on their opening possession when Williams hit Kelvin Bryant deep out of the backfield, and then they kind of struggled the rest of the game. The 7-point victory wasn’t secure until Darrell Green defended a fourth down goalline pass that hit RB Darrin Nelson in the hands but fell away.#51991 - Won Super Bowl vs. BillsThe first half of this game was a comedy of errors for the Bills. It was hard to get too excited about watching a team so clearly beat itself. Game was over when Kurt Gouveia intercepted the first pass of the second half and ran it down to the goalline to set up a 21-3 lead.#41987 - Won Super Bowl vs. BroncosBoy, did this start ugly. After falling behind 10-0, the Redskins almost lost the ensuing kickoff inside their own 20 and Doug Williams got knocked out of the game. Still can’t believe they then scored 35 points in the second quarter. Man, the AFC really sucked in the 80s.#31987 – Won at Chicago in divisional roundWhen #1 seed SF shockingly lost on Saturday of divisional weekend, this game was suddenly being played for the right to host the Wild Card Vikings the following week in the NFC Championship. The Bears had McMahon back and jumped to a 14-0 lead, but the game turned on an astonishing Darrell Green punt return for a TD in the third quarter and ended when Payton was stuffed on fourth-and-inches on the final carry of his career. A team that had looked dead in early December was suddenly one home game away from the Super Bowl.#21982 – Won NFC Championship vs. DallasDexter Manley knocks Danny White out, then later swats a Gary Hogeboom pass to DT Darryl Grant who rumbles in for a TD and the Redskins have beaten Dallas. What a great game. Weirdly, I still remember it was played on Saturday and then we had to wait until Sunday for the Jets-Dolphins game to see who the opponent was going to be.#11982 – Won Super Bowl vs. MiamiThe Dolphins scored two fluke TDs and held the lead into the fourth quarter until Riggins took the fourth-and-one carry 43 yards for the go-ahead TD. I still remember the elation and disbelief that the Redskins had won the Super Bowl.
GreedoShotFirst
Footballguy
I remember them all as well. Can't wait to add more to the list Don't forget that the Skins also beat the Rams, Cards and 49ers.
This will be a tough game...but I think Vegas is too far ahead of themselves giving the Skins 9 points.BTW - To the person who said the crowd in Seattle will be a factor. The Buc's crowd was VERY loud, but only forced one false start on the Skins. Noise doesn't seem to effect the offense...and Greg Williams' defense LOVES the silence when the opposign team's offense is at work. In fact, the defense of the Skins seems to play better on the road for that simple reason. They can communicate better.
yes they played them but they're not in their division so they didn't get 6 wins from those 3 teams and another win from a resting indy team. 7 of 13 wins were meaningless. and they missed going to OT against SAN FRAN by a failed 2 point conversion.Don't forget that the Skins also beat the Rams, Cards and 49ers.
BTW - To the person who said the crowd in Seattle will be a factor. The Buc's crowd was VERY loud, but only forced one false start on the Skins. Noise doesn't seem to effect the offense...and Greg Williams' defense LOVES the silence when the opposign team's offense is at work. In fact, the defense of the Skins seems to play better on the road for that simple reason. They can communicate better.
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check this schedule breakdown outfor god's sake people. skins played 2nd toughest schedule in the NFL. seattle played the easiest and padded their stats. games against terrible teams go like this:arizona 37-12st. louis 37-31houston 42-10arizona 33-19st. louis 31-16SAN FRAN 27-25 almost went to OT missed by failed 2pointphilly sans mcnabb 42-0san fran 41-3indy resting 28-13all the other games they either lost or won by less than 5:jax lost by 12, 14-26atlanta won by 3, 21-18was lost by 3, 17-20dallas won by 3, 13-10ny giants won by 3, 24-21tennesse won by 4, 28-24gb lost by 6, 17-23 resting doesn't countso against even somewhat ok teams they haven't won by more than 4 points.
valhallan
Footballguy
Seattle's high-powered offense only scored above those opponents season averages once:Jax avg pts allowed: 16.8 (14 by Seattle)
Atl avg pts allowed: 21.3 (21 by Seattle)
Was avg pts allowed: 18.3 (17 by Seattle)
Dal avg pts allowed: 19.3 (13 by Seattle)
Nyg avg pts allowed: 19.6 (24 by Seattle)
