A game-by-game look the the Redskins' season, with commentary by WTOP's sports reporters.
WEEK 1: Dolphins 17, Redskins 10Record: 0-1
It didn’t start well for the Redskins, as Ndamukong Suh and the Dolphins shut them down. It looked like the same old Skins at first — they incurred 11 penalties for 88 yards and allowed a punt-return touchdown. “Nobody’s happy when you lose a football game,” head coach Jay Gruden said. “I’m not going to stand up here and say ‘Rah-rah we competed.’ That’s not the goal here.” on the other hand, he said, “I do have optimism for where we’re going as a football team.”
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Washington Redskins running back Alfred Morris (46) tries to get away from Miami Dolphins defensive end Terrence Fede (78) who is blocked by Redskins tight end Derek Carrier (89) during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 13, 2015, in Landover, Md.
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
AP Photo/Evan Vucci
The next day, the Redskins cut kicker Kai Forbath and replaced him with Dustin Hopkins, who lost a training camp battle to Zach Hocker, whom the Redskins drafted in 2014 and was beat out by Forbath in training camp. “The turnover at place-kicker is every bit as pathetically comical as the quarterback quandary,” WTOP’s Rob Woodfork wrote at the time. “This phenomenon is a part of why the Redskins struggle to win.”
Dave Johnson took a more optimistic view: They didn’t choke at the end and there isn’t a quarterback controversy brewing, so the “boring” loss had its bright side.
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Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) looks to pass as he is pursued by Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh (93) during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 13, 2015, in Landover, Md.
(AP Photo/Mark Tenally)
AP Photo/Mark Tenally
Week 2: Redskins 24, Rams 10Record: 1-1
The Skins ran for 181 yards, including 123 from rookie Matt Jones. “The Redskins are winning us over in the trenches,” Dave Johnson wrote the next day.
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Washington Redskins running back Matt Jones (31) outruns St. Louis Rams cornerback Janoris Jenkins (21) for a touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game in Landover, Md., Sunday, Sept. 20, 2015.
(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
AP Photo/Alex Brandon
And with the news that Dallas Cowboys stars Tony Romo and Dez Bryant would be out for significant time, the forecasting began immediately: Rob Woodfork wrote, “The NFC East is the Washington Redskins’ to win.” After waiting for the laughter to die down, he added, “No, seriously. And I’m not alone in this assessment.”
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Washington Redskins wide receiver Pierre Garcon (88) celebrates his touchdown as St. Louis Rams cornerback Janoris Jenkins (21) walks away during the first half of an NFL football game in Landover, Md., Sunday, Sept. 20, 2015.
(AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
AP Photo/Patrick Semansky
Week 3: Giants 32, Redskins 21Record: 1-2
In a Thursday-night matchup, the Redskins were done in by a panoply of mistakes. Their first two possessions ended with a blocked punt for a safety and an interception. “The Redskins’ feel-good factor didn’t last long,” Dave Johnson observed the next morning. He still declared that in terms of overall play, the season was off to “a good start.”
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New York Giants’ Rashad Jennings (23) blocks a punt by Washington Redskins punter Tress Way (5) during the first half an NFL football game Thursday Sept. 24, 2015, in East Rutherford, N.J. The ball went out of bounds on the play for a safety.
(AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)
AP Photo/Bill Kostroun
Matt Jones, the hero of Week 2, fumbled into the end zone with 9 1/2 minutes left, pretty much ending any real hopes of a comeback.
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FILE – In this Sept. 24, 2015, file photo, Washington Redskins running back Matt Jones (31) fumbles the ball near the end zone as New York Giants’ Trevin Wade (31) chases him during the second half an NFL football game in East Rutherford, N.J. The Redskins made too many mistakes to overcome in Week 3, including Jones’ fumble.
(AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File)
AP Photo/Kathy Willens, File
Week 4: Redskins 23, Eagles 20Record: 2-2
First place? Seriously? Seriously.
Rob Woodfork called it “a game they’d usually lose,” and indeed it was a game most teams would lose: The Redskins blew a 13-0 lead and committed 10 penalties. But Kirk Cousins led a last-minute drive capped by a TD pass to Pierre Garcon with 26 seconds left. In the less-than-fearsome NFC East, their 2-2 record put them in a three-way tie for first.
“That final drive — I wasn’t capable of doing that when I came in the league as a rookie. It takes time. It takes failure. It takes learning from experiences,” Cousins said afterward.
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Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) celebrates with fans as he leaves the field after an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles in Landover, Md., Sunday, Oct. 4, 2015. The Redskins defeated the Eagles 23-20.
(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
AP Photo/Alex Brandon
Prophetic note of the week: “Apparently these Redskins, regardless of the circumstances, believe,” Dave Johnson wrote. “And maybe we should, too.”
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Washington Redskins wide receiver Pierre Garcon (88) celebrates his touchdown with teammates during the second half of an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles in Landover, Md., Sunday, Oct. 4, 2015. The Redskins defeated the Eagles 23-20.
(AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
AP Photo/Patrick Semansky
Week 5: Falcons 25, Redskins 19 (OT)Record: 2-3
The Redskins gave the then-undefeated Falcons all they could handle, with a Dustin Hopkins field goal tying the score with five seconds left and sending the game to overtime, but a pick-six by Cousins ended the game. It wasn’t a bad effort, but Gruden later said, “We’re not into moral victories.”
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FILE – In this Oct. 11, 2015, file photo, Washington Redskins running back Matt Jones (31) runs against Atlanta Falcons outside linebacker Kroy Biermann (71) during the first half of an NFL football game in Atlanta.
(AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File)
AP Photo/Brynn Anderson, File
“The team does not make excuses, just gives the kind of effort that will lead to more wins than losses by season’s end,” Dave Johnson wrote.
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Atlanta Falcons cornerback Robert Alford (23) runs back an intercepted ball during the overtime of an NFL football game against the Washington Redskins, Sunday, Oct. 11, 2015, in Atlanta. The Atlanta Falcons won 25-19.
(AP Photo/John Bazemore)
AP Photo/John Bazemore
Week 6: Jets 34, Redskins 20Record: 2-4
Probably the low point. Missing offensive linemen Trent Williams and Kory Lichtenstieger, tight end Jordan Reed and cornerbacks Chris Culliver and DeAngelo Hall, the Skins were up 13-10 at the half, but fell apart after that. Cousins was 25 of 43 for 196 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. Asked whether Cousins would be the starter for the rest of the season, Gruden only came up with “Yeah, that’s the intent.” WTOP’s Noah Frank examined the perception of a double standard regarding the evaluations of Cousins and his predecessor, Robert Griffin III, and could only say the difference came down to expectations.
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Washington Redskins cornerback Bashaud Breeland, bottom, falls on the football to recover a fumble by New York Jets wide receiver Eric Decker (not shown) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 18, 2015, in East Rutherford, N.J.
(AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
AP Photo/Seth Wenig
“The Redskins have failed to establish the run and failed to stop the run,” was Dave Johnson’s diagnosis, but Rob Woodfork was blunter: “If (Jets head coach and former Redskins player) Todd Bowles still loves his former team,” Rob Woodfork wrote, “he’ll follow up on a Kirk Cousins trade so we can end the madness here once and for all.”
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FILE – In this Oct. 18, 2015 file photo, New York Jets running back Chris Ivory (33) runs with the ball against the Washington Redskins during the second half of an NFL football game in East Rutherford, N.J. The Washington Redskins are giving games away in the third quarter, outscored 46-3 in that period so far this season.
(AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
Week 7: Redskins 31, Buccaneers 30Record: 3-4
“YOU LIKE THAT?!”
Coach Jay Gruden called it a “Code Red” game beforehand, and it may have saved the Redskins’ season — certainly it’s hard to imagine a road to the playoffs if they’d lost this one. And it didn’t look good at first — they fell behind 24-0, and it was still only 24-7 at the half. That’s before the team caught fire, and Cousins hit Jordan Reed with 24 seconds left, his third TD pass of the second half, to give the Skins the game and the catchphrase for the rest of the season.
(AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
“For now, they are clearly worth watching, and that by itself is a sign of progress,” Dave Johnson wrote later.
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Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) celebrates tight end Jordan Reed’s tying touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Landover, Md., Sunday, Oct. 25, 2015. The Washington Redskins defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 31-30.
(AP Photo/Mark Tenally)
AP Photo/Mark Tenally
Week 9: Patriots 27, Redskins 10Record: 3-5
OK, back to earth, everyone. The Skins were coming off their bye week, the Patriots were undefeated heading into this game, and the result wasn’t that much of a surprise. Still, Rob Woodfork found it frustrating: “The ‘Skins will be asking ‘what if’ all week … they caught the Pats playing their ‘C’ game, and answered with … their ‘C’ game.”
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Washington Redskins running back Matt Jones (31) fumbles during the second half of an NFL football game against the New England Patriots, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2015, in Foxborough, Mass.
(AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
AP Photo/Charles Krupa
Dave Johnson pointed out that it was the fifth straight seasons the Skins started 3-5, and blamed this year’s “romance with mediocrity” on the sudden disappearance of the running game.
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New England Patriots defensive end Chandler Jones (95) sacks Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 8, 2015, in Foxborough, Mass.
(AP Photo/Steven Senne)
AP Photo/Steven Senne
Week 10: Redskins 47, Saints 14Record: 4-5
The Skins bounced back against New Orleans as Cousins threw for four touchdowns and avoided what would have been their fifth straight 3-6 start. Dave Johnson wrote of the team’s resiliency, “It’s hard not to believe there is a culture change going on at Redskins Park.”
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Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) celebrates tight end Jordan Reed’s touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints in Landover, Md., Sunday, Nov. 15, 2015.
(AP Photo/Mark Tenally)
AP Photo/Mark Tenally
This was the game “You like that?!” turned from an outburst to A Thing.
(AP Photo/Mark Tenally)
Week 11: Panthers 44, Redskins 16Record: 4-6
Another “everybody calm down” week. The Panthers were undefeated; the Skins hadn’t won on the road all season. Still, turning the ball over five times didn’t help.
Yet, the shambles that is the NFC East meant that the Skins’ home game against the Giants the next week was for first place.
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Washington Redskins’ Kirk Cousins (8) picks himself up from the ground after being sacked in the second half of an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Nov. 22, 2015. The Panthers won 44-16.
(AP Photo/Bob Leverone)
AP Photo/Bob Leverone
George Wallace kept his focus on the bright side: “As a team, the Redskins have been resilient; as an organization, they’ve shown the courage of their convictions about football decisions, most notably regarding the naming of Kirk Cousins as the starting quarterback.”
Defensive lineman Jason Hatcher theorized that a few of the calls that went against the team were inspired by the controversy over the team’s name. Rob Woodfork wrote in response, “Hopefully, somebody in Ashburn has pulled Hatcher aside and told him to pipe down.”
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Carolina Panthers’ Jonathan Stewart (28) runs past a Washington Redskins defender in the first half of an NFL football game in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday, Nov. 22, 2015.
(AP Photo/Mike McCarn)
AP Photo/Mike McCarn
Week 12: Redskins 20, Giants 14Record: 5-6
They still hadn’t won a road game, and they hadn’t won two games in a row all season, but they were in first place. Kirk Cousins threw for a touchdown and scored another and the Skins intercepted Eli Manning three times.
“If (DeSean Jackson) and Jordan Reed stay healthy,” Rob Woodfork wrote, “the Redskins will win the NFC East. Book it.”
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Washington Redskins outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan (91) celebrates his sack of New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning (10) during the first half of an NFL football game in Landover, Md., Sunday, Nov. 29, 2015.
(AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
AP Photo/Patrick Semansky
Despite acknowledging that the division should be called the NFC Least, Dave Johnson was feeling it too: Out of a new culture, a new identity is forming, and with it, a team on its way to the playoffs.”
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Washington Redskins cornerback Quinton Dunbar, center, is mobbed by his teammates cornerback Will Blackmon (41) and free safety Dashon Goldson (38) after he intercepted a pass in the end zone intended for New York Giants wide receiver Rueben Randle during the second half of an NFL football game in Landover, Md., Sunday, Nov. 29, 2015.
(AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
AP Photo/Patrick Semansky
Week 13: Cowboys 19, Redskins 16Record: 5-7
AAARRRGH!
It was “Monday Night Football,” it was at home, and the Cowboys hadn’t won without QB Tony Romo all season. But DeSean Jackson’s bizarre backwards punt return/fumble with a minute and a half to go put the Redskins in a hole, and even though Jackson scored a nice last-minute touchdown, a Dallas field goal with nine seconds left sealed the game.
Remarkably, they were still in first place.
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Washington Redskins wide receiver DeSean Jackson (11) fumbles the ball on a kickoff return setting up a Dallas Cowboys touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game in Landover, Md., Monday, Dec. 7, 2015. The Cowboys defeated the Redskins 19-16.
(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
AP Photo/Alex Brandon
“We’ve just got to keep grinding,” Gruden said; meanwhile, Dave Johnson wrote that the loss “should strengthen the team’s resolve.” Subsequent events would tend to indicate this it did — the Redskins haven’t lost since.
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Dallas Cowboys running back Darren McFadden (20) is stopped short of the goal line by Washington Redskins cornerback DeAngelo Hall (23) and defensive end Chris Baker (92) during the second half of an NFL football game in Landover, Md., Monday, Dec. 7, 2015.
(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
AP Photo/Alex Brandon
Week 14: Redskins 24, Bears 21Record: 6-7
It took a lucky break on an weird fumble by Matt Jones and a last-minute missed field goal by the Bears’ Robbie Gould, but the Redskins won their first road game of the season in Chicago.
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Washington Redskins outside linebacker Trent Murphy (93) recovers a fumble after tackling Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler (6) for a sack during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 13, 2015, in Chicago.
(AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast
“The Redskins are growing, but by inches, not miles,” Dave Johnson wrote. “The 2015 Redskins are a work in progress with character. Unless they are playing the Saints, the Redskins do not have the ability yet to dominate.”
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Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) runs to the end zone for a touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears, Sunday, Dec. 13, 2015, in Chicago.
(AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast
Week 15: Redskins 35, Bills 25Record: 7-7
The Redskins finally evened their record and started their first winning streak of the season. And the fans dropped the question mark from the catchphrase. From this day on it was simply “YOU LIKE THAT!”
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Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) celebrates wide receiver Pierre Garcon’s touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills in Landover, Md., Sunday, Dec. 20, 2015.
(AP Photo/Mark Tenally)
AP Photo/Mark Tenally
“(Bills coach) Rex (Ryan) probably won’t get fired like his brother Rob,” Rob Woodfork wrote, “but he definitely made sure Cousins will get crazy paid this offseason.”
“Back in August, when Gruden elevated Cousins to the starting position over Robert Griffin III, he made it clear it was not another spin of the quarterback carousel — the job belonged to Cousins,” Dave Johnson wrote. “Now, it’s clear that the rest of the team believes it.
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Buffalo Bills wide receiver Robert Woods (10) is upended by Washington Redskins defensive back DeAngelo Hall (23) during the first half of an NFL football game in Landover, Md., Sunday, Dec. 20, 2015.
(AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
Week 17: Redskins 34, Cowboys 23Record: 9-7
The Redskins have played meaningless games to close out the regular season recently, but not like this. Even with nothing to play for, they closed out the campaign by smearing the Cowboys on the road. Cousins and the regulars started, but were able to sit out most of the second half. Still, Cousins managed to break the single-season team record for passing yards.
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Washington Redskins’ Chris Baker (92) celebrates after sacking Dallas Cowboys quarterback Kellen Moore (17) as Cowboys’ Mackenzy Bernadeau (73) watches in the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 3, 2016, in Arlington, Texas.
(AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth)
AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth
It sure didn’t look likely after that Jets game, but playoff tickets are on sale, and Dave Johnson says the talk of a new culture isn’t just talk: “The Redskins 9-7 record hardly impresses, but the way the team secured the division title does.”
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Washington Redskins’ Will Blackmon (41) celebrates with Jeremy Harris (37), Houston Bates (96) and Keenan Robinson (52) after intercepting a pass intended for Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Cole Beasley (11) near the goal line in the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 3, 2016, in Arlington, Texas.
(AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth)
WASHINGTON — It’s been an up-and-down Redskins season, but they’ve come together at the right time, putting together a four-game winning streak to finish the regular season, win the NFC East and head to the playoffs. And in general, we like that.
Here’s a game-by-game recounting of the season so far, with commentary written after each game by WTOP’s Rob Woodfork, Dave Johnson, George Wallace and Noah Frank, as well as The Associated Press.
