Lack of Monday Mourning Led to Promising Week

The coach knew he couldn't promise to keep playing like this, but you could hear in his voice that he sure wants to. "Back to the look we'd like to have on offense," he said. "I think [the players] want to run it. Hopefully, that's something we're going to lean more heavily on as we go forward." Gibbs told the team emphatically before the game they had worked on running the ball in practice during the week too hard to not run productively against the Jets.

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He and his veterans knew with a degree of certainty that even though the Jets were struggling mightily themselves and even though their young quarterback, Kellen Clemens, was making just his second NFL start, this would be a grind-it-out battle that would be far tighter than the teams' records might suggest. The Redskins aren't good enough to blow out anybody (okay, the Detroit game was an aberration) and weren't feeling sure enough about themselves in the wake of last week's beat-down to jump on any team -- not even the woeful Jets.

So, the Redskins got what they needed: a win by any means necessary.

Gibbs, who has been pretty grim after some victories in his life, was anything but Sunday. Asked how he felt, the coach used the word "euphoria," which knocked some veteran Gibbs watchers back on their heels. It's understandable he felt that way. Still, if you want to try to make sense of where the Redskins are halfway through their season, good luck.

They've needed overtime to defeat the Jets and Dolphins, teams with a combined 1-16 record. They needed a big dose of blind luck to defeat 3-5 Arizona at home. Their three losses have come to teams (Giants, Packers, Patriots) who are 22-3. They could be 6-2 (with a win over the Giants) or 2-6 (with losses to the Dolphins, Jets, and Cardinals).

You want to look at the good stuff from Sunday? The Redskins won on the road, coming from behind. They won the week after being bludgeoned in one of the worst losses in franchise history. They got the running game going the way it should have been the last two years. And the defense allowed only one touchdown (the other was that stunning kick return by Leon Washington to start the game).

You want to look at the bad stuff from Sunday? They gave up a touchdown on the first play of the game. They were down 14 points before halftime. The passing game was completely ineffective. They had to kick field goals in the red zone instead of scoring touchdowns -- again. They needed overtime to beat a 1-8 team with a new quarterback.

Here's what I'm ready to conclude about the Redskins at the midway point of the season:

Nothing.

All right, they've got resolve. They've got smart players who seem to not just understand but also accept the fact that one struggle after another can still result in a successful season. Does that mean they're going to beat Philly at FedEx Field next week? No. Does a 5-3 record at the midway point mean they'll finish 10-6? Does it even mean they'll make the playoffs? No and no. But it does mean they're alive in the NFC with half a season to go. Just seven days earlier, that was no safe bet.