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With Moss and Portis Clicking, It's All Good
"We weren't finishing earlier in the season, but tonight we did," said Clinton Portis, evading Vikings safety Dwight Smith in the fourth quarter on his way to a game-sealing 13-yard touchdown run.
(By Preston Keres -- The Washington Post)
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"We knew that they were a salty group, number one against the run, and it was going to be a big challenge against these guys," Pro Bowl left tackle Chris Samuels said. "We went out there and hit them early with some big passes, got some early scores, then late in the game we got them on some big plays to seal the victory.
"Santana and Clinton . . . both of those guys are playing their hearts out. They're just coming up with big plays. They're coming up with plays to help us win."
Against the Giants, Moss had 36- and 34-yard receptions in the second quarter that helped the Redskins score 10 points in taking a 16-3 halftime lead. In the second quarter against the Vikings, Moss beat rookie cornerback Marcus McCauley on a deep ball down the left sideline, leaping for a 32-yard touchdown as McCauley tried to locate the ball.
After Minnesota quarterback Tarvaris Jackson scored on a six-yard run to cut the lead to 25-14 with 10 minutes 18 seconds to play in the game, the Redskins went on a nine-play, 75-yard drive that Portis capped with a nifty 13-yard touchdown run. Moss made a spectacular 23-yard catch during the drive, toeing the left sideline for a first down.
"I've been saying to the receivers these past few games, 'It's going to have to go through us,' " Moss said. "We're not going to be able to run all the time, we're not going to be able to always sit back and pound, so when that ground game shuts down we have to make plays. Fortunately, we've been doing that."
Led by Pro Bowl defensive tackles Kevin Williams and Pat Williams, the Vikings had limited opponents to 67.9 yards rushing in their first 14 games. Coach Joe Gibbs, however, is committed to the run, so Saunders had to figure out how to move the ball on the ground, especially early in order to help the Redskins get off to a productive start.
Portis rushed for 39 yards on 10 carries in the first half, and the Redskins gained 43 yards on 17 rushes (a 2.5-yard average). But the Redskins also were effective throwing short passes to Portis, who consistently gained yards after the catch.
"The key tonight was the defense," Portis said. "The defense went out and played great, gave us the ball on a short field, and we just capitalized off of what the defense gave us. And then we finished. We weren't finishing earlier in the season, but tonight we did."
