The Washington Redskins earned a very important win against the San Diego Chargers, taking a 30-24 overtime decision at FedEx Field on Sunday.
Chargers vs. Redskins 2013: Loss a ‘testament to stubbornness’
San Diego had a golden opportunity at the goal line in the fourth quarter, but ultimately fell short.
Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports
After leading 24-14 in the fourth quarter, the Chargers cut the lead to 24-21 and had first and goal at the 1-yard line in the final seconds. However, San Diego could not get into the end zone, settling for the tie before ultimately falling in overtime.
Over at Bolts From The Blue, John Gennaro wrote about his issues with the play calling at the goal line that led to the crushing defeat:
What should've happened was a testament to stubbornness. Ken Whisenhunt and Mike McCoy should've done power running repeatedly. Ryan Mathews (or Le'Ron McClain) should've run behind John Phillips, Jeromey Clary and D.J. Fluker. If it didn't work on first down, the team should've tried it once more. If it didn't work the second time, the team could call timeout and then try a pass play, with Rivers knowing to throw the ball through the back of the end zone if nobody was open. At least, if the team settled for a FG, they would know it was because they had lost the battle in the trenches (against a team with a horrible run defense).
Instead, the playcall was a draw to Danny Woodhead (who had, very obviously, broken his nose on the previous play). When that predictably didn't work, Ryan Mathews and John Phillips came in. Power running, right? Wrong. The not-so-mobile Rivers rolled out to his right, giving the defense only half of the field that they needed to defend, and then threw the ball away when nobody was open. Then Woodhead was brought back in for some other random pass play that stood no chance in the face of a Redskins team that could blitz six because the Chargers only had three receivers.
On the victorious side of things, Washington has moved to 3-5 and now has a realistic shot to contend in the NFC East going forward. The Redskins finally clicked on offense, rolling up 500 yards of offense including 121 rushing yards and a touchdown from Alfred Morris.
Sean R. Patterson of Hogs Haven hit on a couple of major points in the game:
-Running the Football: The Redskins offense was making passes in crucial situations, but the running game was consistent throughout the day, accounting for the first three touchdowns.
-Lack of Pressure: Phillip Rivers only took 1 sack through the first 4 quarters. And took one shot that resulted in an incomplete pass.
-Darrell Young: A three-touchdown day for Young helped the Redskins win this game in overtime.
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