The Good, the Bad, And the Ugly From the Redskins' Big Win

Yes, there was some ugly. And it wasn't just Tony Romo.

Now that we've all recovered from that heart-stopping and stomach-dropping second between Roy Williams' last second would-be game-stealing touchdown catch, and the flag for holding that negated it, let's stop and take a look at what went right -- and what went wrong -- in the Redskins' thrilling 13-7 win over the Cowboys.

The Good

* It's obvious, but the Redskins won. Never mind that it took two major errors from the Cowboys to do it -- the team that lost every divisional game last year tops the NFC East. And the Cowboys don't.

* LaRon Landry topped his career high with 17 tackles. Must be the polo shirt.

* The Redskins Media Relations Assistants are faster than yours

Chris Cooley, for contributing six catches for 80 yards, the kind of performance that has babies chanting his name.

* Brian Orapko, for subscribing to Jim Haslett's motto that drawing a holding penalty is as good as a sack -- and allowing himself to be held like a baby for the win.

* Redskins fans, haters of considerable sartorial brilliance, and 12th man of a fourth-largest-in-history sort.

* DeAngelo Hall's strip and sprint was glorious -- and also, by Dan Steinberg's count, at least the seventh game in which Hall has come up with a turnover in his 21 games in Washington. Redskins, we have a playmaker. Every third game.

The Bad

* Josh Bidwell's 27-yard punt, though he almost made up for it with his explanation: "I just tried too hard."

* Chris Cooley and Santana Moss accounted for 157 receiving yards. The rest of the Redskins pitched in 14. Eventually, Donovan McNabb's going to need another target, and does anyone think 72-year-old Joey Galloway's that guy? 

* Dallas' playcalling. Like playing Charlie Brown in chaps, so, you know, Washington'll take that.

* Albert Haynesworth. Sigh. The big man played 16 of 72 snaps, and apparently hated every single one of them. He also hates being a Redskin, if this picture of his sideline camaraderie with his unit-mates is any indication (via Mike Tunison):

This'll end well.

The Ugly

* Opinions are split on the new-look unis. If you ask us, it's hard to look intimidating with banana legs.

* Stats we're ignoring because it was a win: the Cowboys outgained the Skins 130 yards and notched seven more first downs, and Donovan McNabb completed only 15 of 32 passes. Average, scrappy, and depending on the other team to self-destruct is no way to go through life, son.

* LeBron James, but you knew that already. His pre-game Twitter feed came with a side dose of delicious Schadenfreud: "In DC for My Cowboys game tonight. Gonna be a lot of sad faces tonight in this area...All of this Maroon and Yellow is making me sick to the stomach! Haaa!"

He who laughs last, Bron-Bron. Oh sure, it'll probably be you, but for right now it's the Redskins. "Haaa!"

Contact Us