Written by John Keim at ESPN.com
The Washington Redskins committed their usual Meadowlands gaffes, giving away early points. They continued to fail in the red zone, losing a chance at more points. They lost players to injuries. They were on the wrong end of close replay calls.
And yet, they never wilted — and might have saved their season in the process.
Their 29-27 win over the New York Giants could rank as one of their biggest in a few seasons. They were helped by numerous dumb plays and penalties by New York. But to consider that as the reason they won would be unfair to the Redskins — and wrong.
The Redskins, 0-2 entering the game and with seeds of frustration beginning to sprout for a variety of reasons, absolutely needed a win. An 0-3 start with a better showing than the first two weeks wasn’t going to get it done. But things didn’t start well: a botched punt return after a good first series led to a Giants touchdown.
Then cornerback Bashaud Breeland was hurt and lost for the game and safetyDeAngelo Hall was hurt and lost for the game. The Redskins trailed by as many as 12 points in the first half and botched a series at the end of the half that cost them some points.
And then left guard Shawn Lauvao and center Kory Lichtensteiger both were lost for the game by the third play in the second half. That forced Pro Bowl tackle Trent Williams to move inside to guard.
And yet …
They somehow won. But they won because they exhibited the same resilient mindset they showed last season. The NFC East was down last year, but whenever the Redskins looked finished, they somehow recovered. QuarterbackKirk Cousins, who struggled in the first two games, had some moments Sunday when he botched a play — he did a poor job at the end of the half by not throwing the ball away and saving time for a field goal, instead getting sacked as the clock expired.
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