PHILADELPHIA, Nov. 25 -- The Washington Redskins punctuated their remarkable reversal with an unlikely victory today in a stadium that usually has not been kind to them. They reached the break-even point for the season by riding a second-quarter touchdown run by backup tailback Ki-Jana Carter and the tough play of their defense to a 13-3 triumph over the Philadelphia Eagles before 65,666 at Veterans Stadium.
The message scrawled on the chalkboard in the Redskins' locker room read "Expect To Win Again." That, incredibly, has become the norm for the Redskins, who won their fifth straight game after opening the season with five losses. They moved within a game of the division-leading Eagles (6-4) in the NFC East, and are threatening to become the first NFL team in a 16-game regular season to qualify for the playoffs after starting 0-5.
Tony Banks, left, and Ki-Jana Carter have helped key Washington's run from 0-5 to 5-5.
(John McDonnell - The Washington Post)
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| _____Game Ball_____
Who gets yours after Sunday's win?
What's your opinion?
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_____Plays of the Game_____
In the fourth quarter, the Redskins' defense stopped two fourth-down plays in their own territory. Before Sunday, the Eagles had converted seven of eight fourth-down plays.
• On the opening play of the fourth quarter, Darrell Green broke up a pass by Donovan McNabb for Freddie Mitchell. Trailing 10-3, McNabb rolled to the right at the Redskins 33 and threw the ball behind Mitchell.
• With 9 minutes and 30 seconds left in the fourth quarter and the ball on the Redskins' 35, linebacker Kevin Mitchell penetrated the left side of the Eagles' offensive line and tripped up rookie running back Correll Buckhalter behind the line of scrimmage. LaVar Arrington finished the play by tackling Buckhalter a yard short of the first down.
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_____He Said It_____
"People were writing us off. But the thing about football is, it's not about other people. It's about you."
-- CB Darrell Green on the Redskins' turnaround
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Sunday's quote sheet
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_____By the Numbers_____
• 37:49: Redskins' time of possession.
• 8:55: Redskins' time of possession on their last drive.
• 1: First down in the first half for the Eagles
• 5: Consecutive three-and-out possessions to start the game for the Eagles.
• 1: Team that has won five consecutive games after starting the season 0-5 -- the 2001 Redskins.
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_____Next Game_____
Cowboys (2-8) at Redskins (5-5)
• Where: FedEx Field
• When: 4:15 p.m. Dec. 2
• TV: Fox
• Week 11: The Cowboys rallied late but lost to the Broncos, 26-24, on Thanksgiving.
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_____The Season in Photos_____
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Take a look back at Washington's 8-8 year, Marty Schottenheimer's first and last season with the Redskins.
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"Nobody thought we could do it, but we did," running back Stephen Davis said. "We have a long ways to go, but we've given ourselves a chance to do some things."
Veterans Stadium has been a house of horrors for the Redskins. Before winning here last season, they had lost nine of their previous 10 regular season games here. When Davis, the focal point of the offense during the Redskins' winning streak, exited today's game in the first quarter with a strained lower back just before place kicker Brett Conway pulled a 37-yard field goal attempt wide left, it looked like more of the same.
The Redskins steadied themselves and moved in front on Carter's five-yard touchdown dash early in the second quarter, a second effort on which he broke a tackle in the backfield. A 43-yard field goal by Conway in the final moments of the first half made it 10-0, and the Redskins hung on.
They bottled up Philadelphia's offense by scaling back their pass rush and using linebacker LaVar Arrington as a spy to keep Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb from running wild. They used cornerback Champ Bailey to shut down Eagles wide receiver James Thrash, and stopped Philadelphia on a pair of key fourth-down plays in the fourth quarter. The Eagles had totaled 105 points while winning their previous three games, but broke through today only on a 49-yard field goal by David Akers late in the third quarter.
Clinging to a seven-point lead down the stretch, the Redskins used the running of Davis -- who had talked Coach Marty Schottenheimer into putting him back into the game -- and Carter to take nearly nine minutes off the clock. Conway sealed the outcome with a 32-yard field goal with 30 seconds remaining, but only after Schottenheimer had admonished players on the Redskins' sideline for offering congratulatory handshakes to one another too soon.
"We're .500," Schottenheimer said. "We move forward from here."
Schottenheimer may have played down the accomplishment, but his club has done something that even the 1981 Redskins could not manage under coach Joe Gibbs. Those Redskins rallied to an 8-8 season after starting 0-5, but they were 4-6 after 10 games. These Redskins are scheduled to play four of their final six regular season games at home, beginning with Sunday's game against Dallas.
The hole looked far too deep after the Redskins lost, 9-7, at Dallas on Oct. 15. They have not lost since, and have climbed back to respectability.
"After the first five games, I was embarrassed," left tackle Chris Samuels said. "We were terrible. Now I can walk around with my chest puffed out just a little bit."
Said Arrington: "It's becoming a total team effort. We're really starting to get things together. We have the hugest chip on our shoulders. We went through a lot, and we wouldn't go away. We're still here."
Quarterback Tony Banks, returning to the lineup after suffering a concussion in Denver, had only 96 passing yards but used his mobility to avoid the Eagles' pass rush. Samuels held defensive end Hugh Douglas without a sack, and the Redskins used their running game to control the clock and the game. Davis ran for 79 yards on 22 carries, and Carter added 56 yards on 18 attempts.
The Eagles had the ball for only nine minutes in the first half and 22 minutes in the game. They had one first down in the first half and seven in the game. They had 186 total yards. Thrash had four catches for 32 yards, and tailback Duce Staley rushed for 50 yards on 15 carries.
