If the Detroit Lions lose on Monday Night Football, then the Washington Redskins control their own destiny. Again.
If the Lions win on Monday, then the Redskins need to win next week against the New York Giants AND need the Lions to beat the Green Bay Packers in Detroit.
So let me get this straight, if you step on a crack you might break your mother’s back AND if you stare too long at the sun, you will go blind. But it depends on how healthy your mom is AND if you wear sunglasses.
But if the pull of the moon is just right, and you have slaughtered a goat with three horns AND you have watched a monkey dance hypnotically while The Moody Blues’ Nights in White Satin, the long version with that crazy poem at the end, plays on loop while you drink the last of your scotch, THEN and only then, I can haz playoffs?
Jesus. H. Christ.
Fitting, that on the eve of celebrating the birth of the Baby Jesus that the Redskins were reborn with hope for the playoffs because the Tampa Buccaneers lost to their rivals in New Orleans.
Redskins fans everywhere lamented last weeks Monday Night Football collapse even more after seeing the Redskins dominate the Chicago Bears.
Where was this effort and dominance last week? Or in any of the 3 out of the 4 losses in the last several weeks?
The whole idea that this team plays better when their back is against the wall doesn’t make sense to me. They have to be beaten into and through the wall before they start to realize they have to turn it up a notch and showcase their talent.
Matt Barkley might as well have dressed up like Santa Claus with the amount of gifts he was giving the Redskins defense with 5 interceptions. Sometimes throwing wildly and into triple coverage. Bashaud Breeland, Josh Norman, and Will Blackmon all got presents neatly wrapped and it should help them gain confidence in their capabilities to shine when the ball hits their hands. Preston Smith also seemed to come back to life and played his best game since the Minnesota match up. Will Compton, back from injury, showed that the defense just doesn’t run the same unless he’s in the lineup calling plays.
Barkley got great press recently that he was playing above his pay grade and was showing folks he has what it takes to be a starter in the league. I hope this performance ends that speculation, because he was atrocious.
The Redskins defense needed Barkley’s generosity to create opportunities for the Redskins potent offense to shine.
Kirk Cousins wasn’t perfect but he played solid and was on target when he needed to be and he seems to shine when there is a balanced attack. Because the run game was effective, Cousins had time to throw the deep ball again and again. He connected on several long pass plays and even made plays with his legs. He showed he could bounce back from a bad game and that was important not just for this season, but for his career and his future.
Maybe the short week helped the team get over that dreadful game quickly. Sometimes the way to cure a hangover is by drinking again. “The hair of the dog” as they say in drinking parlance.
The Redskins, with some help, seem to have breathed new life into their aspirations to be a playoff team. They might not deserve it, but they at least have something to play for going into the last week of the regular season and it is something more than just pride.
If the football gods do smile upon them AND you hear Nights in White Satin be ready for the message boards, sports radio, and the city to blow up with shock that this team somehow made it to the playoffs. We find out next week on January 1st if its a Happy New Year after all.
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