After two quarters of play, the Redskins and Cowboys are tied at seven a piece.
With the Eagles losing earlier in the day to the Carolina Panthers, the Washington Redskins came into their 4:25 matchup against the Dallas Cowboys with a chance to take sole and safe possession of the NFC East lead. Two quarters in, they’ve given themselves a fighting chance.
The Redskins started out on a good note. Dak Prescott and the Cowboys started with the football, but the Redskins defense quickly forced a three and out, giving the offense time to capitalize on the early possession.
Washington’s offense did just that. On a smart play call that featured a motion, sending a linebacker to the left side of the field, the Redskins ran a screen to Kapri Bibbs that went for six, giving them an early lead which they maintained for most of the half.
Defense was king in the first half of this game. The Cowboys’ defense displayed solid tackling, keeping Washington’s offense under wraps after their first drive (penalties on Washington’s part helped as well), but the Redskins defense matched them step for step until Greg Stroman let by a big touchdown to Michael Gallup.
Washington competed well in the first half, but a more consistent second half effort is needed if they want to put Dallas away. That hasn’t been the Redskins’ strength this season; they’ve been consistently anemic in the second half of games. That needs to change today, if they are to capitalize on the opportunity they’ve been provided.
For now, we have a tight ball game. That could change at any moment. Washington has been playing aggressive, and for the most part, it’s been a solid outing. They just need to start getting momentum. Two quarters left to go.