This week's Redskins Drive of the Game, presented by Ford, was a seven-play, 75-yard drive finished off by a Rob Kelley one-yard touchdown run that gave the Redskins the lead.
With all of the injuries infecting the offensive line, the Redskins had to adjust some of their offensive attack. That meant running the football and incorporating quick passes, keeping quarterback Kirk Cousins upright in the pocket and keeping the Cowboys defense steady.
Some of this game plan had to be abandoned as more injuries accrued and the Dallas' lead increased, necessitating more passing plays. But in the first quarter, the Redskins showed they could still be effective without all of their starting pieces.
Running back Rob Kelley began and finished the drive with one-yard rushes, the latter of which was good for a touchdown, giving the Redskins an eventual 10-7 lead.
After handing the ball off to Kelley to start the drive, he found tight end Vernon Davis for six yards and then picked up a first down on a Ryan Grant five-yard catch. The Cowboys were then flagged for a roughing the passer penalty that moved the Redskins ahead 15 more yards.
Kelley took the ball up the middle again for three yards before the big play of the drive, a 41-yard off-balance rainbow to wide receiver Jamison Crowder, who caught the ball in stride and was taken down at the Dallas four-yard line by Jeff Heath.
Crowder would go on to have the best game of his season, catching nine passes for 123 yards.
"We could run a fair amount of our offense from that zebra personnel," Cousins said. "It certainly takes away some of our ability to be multiple and to keep the defense on their toes, but we can run a vast amount of our offense. But, there are a lot of special week-to-week plays that we put in. For example, the long play to Jamison Crowder was a play that we thought had a great chance this week specifically, and that was out of a two-tight-end set. That kind of play is no longer available to us once the injuries stacked up."
The Redskins stayed committed to the run at the goal line. Kelley took another handoff for three yards, nearly pushing himself past the goal line, and then managed to pound the rock in on the next play.
The drive ended in bittersweet fashion, as tight end Niles Paul was placed in concussion protocol after colliding with linebacker Sean Lee as he paved a way for Kelley.
"I think we have started fast the last several games and that's a positive," Cousins said. "I think it goes back to the coaches quite a bit, crediting them for the way that they game plan going in to the game. Having a plan the first 15-20 plays and really making sure that were at our best in those moments. And I think it's just a matter of continuing that through the second quarter, and into the second half."
