Redskins Must Stretch Their Home Win Streak to Six Tonight
By Chris West
Nov 2, 2014; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Washington Redskins defensive end Jason Hatcher (97) celebrates his sack during the second quarter against the Minnesota Vikings at TCF Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
The Washington Redskins beat the New York Giants last week in what was a must win game for them due to the need to gain an edge in tiebreakers in both the division and the conference. A loss to the Giants would have required the Redskins to win two more games than the Giants over the final five games. A win tonight over the Dallas Cowboys would put the rest of the NFC East in that same position with four games remaining.
A win over the Cowboys would give the Redskins a one game lead in the standings over both the Eagles and Giants and virtually eliminate Dallas as they would fall to 3-9. The Cowboys would have to win their remaining four games and hope the Redskins and Giants each lose their final four games and that the Eagles would only beat the Redskins in week 16 and lose their other three games. The Redskins have lost only one division game this season and their 5-3 conference record is significant compared to the Giants at 4-5 and the Eagles at 3-6.
More importantly, today’s game versus the Cowboys gives the Redskins an opportunity to give a national TV audience what kind of team they are becoming. The Cowboys are at a low point after losing their quarterback, Tony Romo, for the second time this season. The Redskins must force their will on the Cowboys and put them away.
There have been numerous times in the long rivalry between Washington and Dallas where one team was dominant but lost to the other when that team was at a low point. The Cowboys are most likely holding on to that history between the two teams and will give the Redskins their best effort.
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If he doesn’t win another game all season, Matt Cassell will be celebrated in Dallas much the same way that Colt McCoy was when he led the 2-5 Redskins to an upset 20-17 victory in Texas over the 6-1 Cowboys on a Monday night in October, 2014. That victory in Dallas was also the only time in the 2014 season that Washington was able to win two consecutive games. The Redskins have also not won consecutive games in 2015 but will if they beat the Cowboys tonight.
The Redskins aren’t anywhere near as dominating as the Cowboys were in 2014 however. One could say that they are fortunate to be in first place at this point since the Cowboys, Eagles and Giants are all experiencing unusually poor seasons. That is probably true but the Redskins have also suffered through a season of injuries and are not fielding the team they intended to when they began training camp in July.
The Redskins have won five games in a row at home and only have one game left at Fedex stadium after tonight’s game. Continuing their streak of home wins is a necessity if they are to pull off their unexpected run to a division title. The schedule is still in their favor of the Redskins over the final four weeks and if they play like they have at home all season, they will be victorious over the Cowboys and put the rest of the NFC East at the precipice of the off-season. Prediction, Washington 27, Dallas 17.