The-Hogs.net - Washington Football Discussion, Redskins to Commanders Era

Don't look now, but the Redskins actually have a shot at the playoffs.

By virtue of a variety of beneficial results over the weekend, Washington enters the final two weeks with a realistic shot of squeezing into the final wild-card spot, becoming the first 7-9 team ever to do so.

Although a number of games outside the Redskins' control still must fall certain ways, the club actually isn't badly positioned when considering all the tiebreaker scenarios.

In fact, if five contests go Washington's way this week — the Redskins beat Dallas, Tampa Bay beats Carolina, Atlanta beats New Orleans, Philadelphia beats St. Louis, and Cincinnati beats the Giants — the Redskins actually would control their own destiny in Week 17 against Minnesota.

The news is stunning for a club that seemed to give up its playoff hopes over the last month — sometime between the Nov. 14 loss to Cincinnati and the Dec. 12 loss to Philadelphia. Players on Monday didn't even realize they were only a game out of the wild card.

"That would be great," nose tackle Joe Salave'a said. "I appreciate the good news."

NOTES, QUOTES

—Half the time this year, RB Clinton Portis has looked like the Pro Bowl rusher he was in Denver. The other half the time, he has raised questions about whether he's the right fit for coach Joe Gibbs' offense.

Portis has five 100-yard games this season — all five Washington wins — but hasn't even rushed for 4.0 yards per carry seven times. In Saturday's win at San Francisco, Portis averaged just 3.1 yards, meaning he needed 35 carries for his 110 yards.

All that said, Portis has 1,283 rushing yards. With two games left, he's within reach of becoming the first player to have 1,500 yards in his first three NFL seasons.

"I don't think (Portis has) been up and down," Gibbs said. "If you stop and consider all the people who have played football, all the people who have run with the football, all the great backs there have been, and he's on the verge there where maybe he can have a chance (at the mark) ... that says a lot about him."

—Washington's four interceptions against the 49ers were a season high, and LB Antonio Pierce's 78-yard interception return was the first time the Redskins' stellar defense scored this season.

The performance reinforced the accolades that have been thrown the way of a unit that ranks second in the NFL despite the club's overall struggles. However, the defense still wants more. It has its eyes on the No. 1 ranking, currently held by Pittsburgh, and Sunday's four interceptions didn't do much to alter the players' focus.

"We had ball-hawking guys, but we're going for that No. 1 defense," Pierce said. "We had a bad fourth quarter. So even though we did (create turnovers), we're still not going to be satisfied because of what happened in that fourth quarter."

—CB Shawn Springs (concussion) has been cleared to participate in light practice Wednesday with the hopes that he'll play Sunday at Dallas. Springs missed one game after absorbing a blind-side hit in the Dec. 12 Eagles game.

—LB LaVar Arrington (knee) held up well in his first game in nearly three months. He'll practice this week and play at Dallas.

—TE Chris ey (calf) sat out the fourth quarter at San Francisco with a mild calf strain he hadn't told the coaching staff about. He's expected to be fine for the Cowboys game.

—DE Ryan Boschetti was inactive at San Francisco after starting the previous game. Returning to the starting lineup was Demetric Evans.

—WR Antonio Brown was given punt-return duties at San Francisco, the first time since Chad Morton's injury that James Thrash wasn't the punt returner. However, Brown generated just 8 yards on three returns.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

REPORT CARD VS. 49ERS

PASSING OFFENSE: B-minus — QB Patrick Ramsey had an efficient game on paper but not a terribly impressive one to watch. He finished with a 103.0 rating, no interceptions and just one sack — statistics that thrill coach Joe Gibbs. But he also failed to get Washington into the end zone on three drives inside the 10, and some of his passes were badly off the mark. WR Rod Gardner led the receiving corps with his best game (six catches, 111 yards) in nearly three months. The deep game remained virtually non-existent. Pass blocking was fairly good.

RUSHING OFFENSE: C-plus — RB Clinton Portis needed 35 rushes for his 110 yards, showing little of the passion that had been evident in recent weeks. Portis' best games this season have been defined by his willingness to hit the hole hard and drag defenders a few yards. Backup Ladell Betts was a non-factor, with three carries for 8 yards. Run blocking seemed lackadaisical, particularly when linemen were asked to get into space and spring Portis to the second or third level.

PASS DEFENSE: B-plus — The four interceptions clearly stand out. They were a product of Washington's pressure on young QB Ken Dorsey and an increasingly confident back seven, which is starting to break on routes more frequently. FS Sean Taylor, in particular, is playing with attitude in the deep middle. He leads Washington with four picks this year. MLB Antonio Pierce, playing for a contract at season's end, returned his interception 78 yards for a touchdown. DT Cornelius Griffin and DE Renaldo Wynn combined for a sack.

RUSH DEFENSE: A — Dominant, yet again. 49ers RB Maurice Hicks, who was coming off 139 rushing yards in his debut, managed just 37 against Washington. As a team, San Francisco averaged a paltry 3.1 yards per carry — right on the Redskins' top-ranked season average. In fact, if Washington hadn't permitted Hicks to run 25 yards on the first play of the second half, he'd have been around 1 yard per rush. Washington's formula is fairly simple and without stars — the line plays tough, the linebackers fill well and the secondary steps up when needed.

SPECIAL TEAMS: C-minus — K Jeff Chandler enjoyed a banner debut for Washington, hitting four of four field goals. One of his hits was from 49 yards — the Redskins' longest field goal of the year. He wasn't quite as impressive on kickoffs, and coverage once again was inconsistent. P Tom Tupa had one blocked (the fault of S Todd Franz in protection) and otherwise netted just 30.2 yards on a mediocre afternoon. The return game produced little, particularly on punts, where young Antonio Brown returned three for 8 yards.

COACHING: C — Coach Joe Gibbs runs an undisciplined unit that can't score in the red zone. In Week 3, we'd have absolved him of responsibility. In Week 15, the act has grown tired. Washington's 11 penalties and three stalled drives inside the 10 might have generated a loss against any team besides the worst one in the NFC. Defensive boss Gregg Williams continues to coach a unit that thrives against the run.

ANT7088 wrote:

Don't look now, but the Redskins actually have a shot at the playoffs.

In fact, if five contests go Washington's way this week — the Redskins beat Dallas, Tampa Bay beats Carolina, Atlanta beats New Orleans, Philadelphia beats St. Louis, and Cincinnati beats the Giants — the Redskins actually would control their own destiny in Week 17 against Minnesota.