Riggo's Rag
FanSided

Remembering the 2007 Redskins, and four of Joe Gibbs’ greatest games

By Kyle Hundley

LANDOVER, MD - DECEMBER 30: Santana Moss #89 of the Washington Redskins runs the ball against the Dallas Cowboys at FedExField on December 30, 2007 in Landover, Maryland. The Redskins defeated the Cowboys 27-6. (Photo by Larry French/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD - DECEMBER 30: Santana Moss #89 of the Washington Redskins runs the ball against the Dallas Cowboys at FedExField on December 30, 2007 in Landover, Maryland. The Redskins defeated the Cowboys 27-6. (Photo by Larry French/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 7
Next
LANDOVER, MD – OCTOBER 21: Mike Sellers #45 of the Washington Redskins waits to run onto the field before the game against the Arizona Cardinals at FedExField on October 21, 2007 in Landover, Maryland. The Redskins defeated the Cardinals 21-19. (Photo by Larry French/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD – OCTOBER 21: Mike Sellers #45 of the Washington Redskins waits to run onto the field before the game against the Arizona Cardinals at FedExField on October 21, 2007 in Landover, Maryland. The Redskins defeated the Cardinals 21-19. (Photo by Larry French/Getty Images) /

Legendary coach Joe Gibbs won three Super Bowls during his tenure as the Washington Redskins head coach. But what if I told you his four best wins as a head coach weren’t even in the playoffs?

At 5-6, the Washington Redskins are currently in the middle of a must-win game against the Buffalo Bills. Washington is up 16-14 with time winding down and the Bills are lined up for a field goal. “Time out!” Joe Gibbs yells in an effort to ice Buffalo Bills kicker Rian Lindell. But, that was the second consecutive time out Gibbs called, which resulted in a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, shortening a tough 51-yard field goal into a very makeable 36-yarder. Lindell was dead center on his first kick from 51 yards just before Gibbs called the first timeout, so he very well could have made it again whether Gibbs called a second timeout or not.

From 36 yards away, Lindell made it and dropped the Redskins to 5-7 on the season. While this game was a must-win because Washington needed to stay in the playoff mix, much more importantly, it was the first game the Redskins played after Sean Taylor’s tragic death, and less than a week later no less. Washington absolutely needed this game for Taylor to honor his name, and to give the fans something to smile about and enjoy — even if only for a moment, and they collapsed at the end.

After missing the playoffs two out of the first three years that he was back in charge, Gibbs was now 5-7, and in the middle of what now appeared to be a lost season. But little did we know that Gibbs was about to coach the best four games of his legendary career, and get the Redskins into the playoffs. We’ll take a look back on the next four games of the Redskins 2007 season, plus the wild card game, and this team’s legacy.

Home/Commanders History