The Redskins' 14-13 victory over the Dallas Cowboys was a memorable one, to be sure. And with the bye week here, the Redskins deserve a moment to celebrate.
But was Monday night's nationally televised win over Dallas, a team that had beaten Washington 14 of the last 15 games, more than just a Week 2 win?
In two months, will the team and its fans look back at the Redskins' come-from-behind win at Texas Stadium as a turning point in the franchise's recent history?
It could be that the game was not so much a turning point as it was a realization that what Joe Gibbs preaches about hard work, character and fortitude works in the modern-day NFL.
"It's not X's and O's, it's people with character," Gibbs said during his Tuesday press conference at Redskins Park. "Yes, you have to be talented up here, but it's more of a personal thing, it's more about character and how much fight you have.
"I hope with this win, the players look at it and say, 'Hey, we're never out of a game.' They showed that ability last year with some real adverse situations. As a coach, you hope we can kind of build on that."
Quarterback Mark Brunell faced plenty of adversity last year during a difficult start to his tenure in Washington. He was eventually benched in favor of Patrick Ramsey, only to win back the job last week.
Against Dallas, Brunell was 20-of-34 for 291 yards, two fourth-quarter touchdowns and an interception.
Asked whether the game was a galvanizing point for him as a new leader of the offense, Brunell replied: "I hope so, but it's really not about what it does for me, it's about what it does for this football team. It's going to give us some confidence when we're in that situation again. We'll be down that road again. We know what it takes to win games like this."
On Monday night, the Redskins trailed the Cowboys 13-0 with about five minutes to play in regulation. The offense was sabotaging itself with false start and holding penalties. Brunell was sacked five times and unable to get into a rhythm with his receivers.
Things looked bleak, but the Redskins kept fighting. The defense kept the Cowboys from building a commanding lead, until the offense finally hit on two big plays. Santana Moss caught two touchdown passes, one from 39 yards and the other from 70 yards.
Gibbs suggested that the comeback win at Dallas signified that the Redskins are coming together as a team.
"When you go three quarters without getting much done on offense, the defense could have gotten discouraged," Gibbs said. "Instead, they were walking up and down the sideline, saying 'Hey, look, we're hanging in there.' They kept a positive attitude about it. They kept swinging."
