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Carry-Over Effect
Washington Redskins running back Clinton Portis (105 yards) positions the ball over the goal line to cap off a 15-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. Portis's score tied the game at 10.
(John McDonnell - The Washington Post)
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Gregg Williams, assistant head coach-defense, leaned heavily on a six-defensive-back package that included four safeties -- to counter Arizona's passing tendencies. The defense conceded yards at times, but buckled down near the end zone and allowed only one touchdown. This drive stalled at the 2, with Neil Rackers kicking a 20-yard field goal that gave the Cardinals a brief 13-10 lead.
"We had to make sure we matched up on their receivers," end Renaldo Wynn said. "We knew they wanted to get the ball to those big-play receivers. That's how they score points. We had plenty of DBs out there, but then still got pressure from our three-man front."
Washington's special teams delivered the final blow on the ensuing kickoff. Brown, who was released after fumbling a kickoff in Week 1, sprinted 91 yards down the right sideline for his first NFL touchdown, adding personality to an often ugly game by blowing kisses to the Redskins fans cheering him on, and his family watching back home in Miami, before cruising into the end zone.
"I wasn't even touched at all," Brown said. "I've got 10 guys in front of me, and they all did a hell of a job."
The key to the touchdown was immediately establishing a massive wall of humanity in front of Brown when he caught the ball -- kicked by former Redskin Nick Novak -- then cordoning off an area near the sideline. "The wall in front of him allowed him to get the edge," said linebacker Khary Campbell. "They mash whoever they can mash, and he just flies to the cut and gets it outside."
Washington's fans overtook the stadium once more with cheers, and they comprised most of those still remaining by the time the Redskins put the game away. Portis, who went over 100 yards in consecutive games for the first time as a Redskin, surged ahead on third and six with less than two minutes to play, running through tackles and moving a pile of players to gain the first down, leaving the Cardinals unable to stop the clock.
Only then was it clear that the Redskins had their seventh victory, surpassing last season's total with three games against NFC East opponents left, and overcoming their first-half gaffes.
"It was a lot of frustration in here, and also confidence," Wynn said. "We didn't like how we played, but we knew we could take this game. We knew we hadn't played football like we're capable of playing."
