Jabar Gaffney and Anthony Armstrong may not be thought of as No. 1 receivers, but they are proving themselves as playmakers.
In Sunday's 28-14 win over the New York Giants at FedExField, Gaffney and Armstrong caught touchdown passes in clutch situations.
Early in the second quarter, Armstrong made a remarkable diving catch and landed on the Giants' 1-yard line. The next play, Tim Hightower finished the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 7-7.
"I know my catch moved the chains for us and helped set up our touchdown. I was happy to do my job," Armstrong said.
Armstrong wasn't finished, though. With just under a minute left in the first half, quarterback Rex Grossman connected with Armstrong on a 6-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 14-14 going into halftime.
Armstrong finished the game with two catches for 24 yards and the touchdown. His touchdown was the fourth of his career. He has now scored a touchdown in every game he has played against the Giants since he came into the league last year.
Gaffney picked up in the second half where Armstrong left off.
The Redskins had the ball with 5:11 left in the fourth quarter on the Giants 4-yard line.
On 3rd-and-gaol, Grossman found Gaffney in the end zone on a 4-yard touchdown pass in the back of the end zone. The score sealed the Redskins' win.
"You have to put teams away and we were able to do that," Gaffney said.
Added Armstrong: "I know everyone was harping on it, knowing that we had to score on that last drive. Last year, I don't know if we would have made those plays. It probably would have been a situation where it came down to the very end, keeping everybody on the edge of their seat. It's good to show that we can go out and finish a team."
Overall, Gaffney posted three catches for 54 yards and the one touchdown in the win over the Giants.
Now that the six-game losing streak to the Giants is over, Redskins players are more confident than ever in what they are building as a team.
"I think it's the extra year in the system," Armstrong said. "There's an attitude in this locker room – something is happening with this team that I can't really explain, but it's something special and it's showing up on the field."
Gaffney, who joined the Redskins as part of a trade with the Denver Broncos last July, shared Armstrong's sentiment.
"I love this team right now," Gaffney said. "There's something special in this locker room. Every guy in the locker room believes that we can win and we're going to try to go out and do that each and every week."
Of the eight wide receivers on the Redskins, only two – Santana Moss and Armstrong – were on the roster for the entire 2010 season. (Brandon Banks and Terrence Austin were promoted from the practice squad during the season.)
Moss is regared as the team's No. 1 wide receiver, while Armstrong and Gaffney are expected to be key role players.
Last year, Armstrong registered 44 catches for 871 yards and three touchdowns. Gaffney grabbed 65 passes for 875 yards and two touchdowns for the Broncos put up similar numbers last year with the Denver Broncos, grabbing 65 catches for 875 yards and two touchdowns.
