This week's Redskins Drive of the Game, presented by Ford, was a eight-play, 69-yard drive capped by running back Chris Thompson, bludgeoning and eluding three defenders en route to the end zone.
After an interception return for touchdown by linebacker Ryan Kerrigan and ensuing defensive stop, the Redskins offense continued the momentum near the end of the second quarter in their 30-17 loss to the Eagles Sunday afternoon.
At the time trailing by six points, quarterback Kirk Cousins and the offense put together their first real sustained drive of the game, marching 69 yards from their own 31-yard line thanks in large part to a titanic effort from running back Chris Thompson.
On the eighth play of the drive, Thompson ran outside and then streaked up the right hash, where Cousins hit him with a pass in stride. Waiting for him in the middle of the field were three Eagles defenders, all of whom were tossed aside as Thompson took a couple big hits, spun and eluded the grasp of their depleted efforts.
He then sprinted the extra 15 yards into the end zone, tying the game with less than two minutes before the half.
"I really can't break down what happened, what I was thinking," Thompson said. "It was just something that happened on that play. I was just looking to make a big play. As an offense, we weren't prepared for them at the level that I thought we were capable of. For me, I got a trips route, and I always want coach Gruden to call a twist route for me, and he gave me the opportunity and I just made a play."
The drive began with an incompletion to running back Rob Kelley, but he took the next handoff for four yards. On third down, Cousins found wide receiver Ryan Grant for 10 yards to move the chains, sparking the rest of the drive.
Cousins completed a pass to tight end Jordan Reed for five yards, then connected with Thompson for a five-yard pass that narrowly gained the yardage necessary for a first down. Thompson, a heavy contributor on this drive, took the next handoff for a four-yard rush before collecting the touchdown pass that would ultimately give the Redskins the lead with a Dustin Hopkins field goal.
"That's my job," said Thompson, who signed a contract extension earlier in the week. "I've got to make plays with the amount of snaps that I get. I've got to come in, I've got to make plays right away. It got us up, but by halftime we were down again. For me, I've got to come in in the second half and just make more plays."
