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This week's Redskins Drive of the Game, presented by Ford, was an 89-yard venture that ended with* Robert Kelley padding his impressive rookie year stats with a seventh touchdown.*
Even on a night where the Redskins offense struggled to find its rhythm, there was still a drive that showed the firepower among Washington's skill players. Needing just seven plays to cover 89 yards, the Redskins scored a big touchdown as halftime approached in Monday night's matchup with the Carolina Panthers.
With the Redskins starting at their own 11-yard line, quarterback Kirk Cousins opened the drive with a 20-yard strike to Pierre Garçon. Washington then brought on tackle Ty Nsekhe as an extra offensive lineman. Looking as if they would try a run, the Redskins instead set up a screen play for running back Robert Kelley, who gained 17 yards and another first down.
Following a five-yard neutral zone infraction penalty on the Panthers, Cousins went back to Kelley, via the pass again, for a 22-yard gain. Kelley finished with a career-high four catches for 47 yards.
"It was nice to go out there and make some plays, especially on blitz pickups and stuff like that," Kelley said. "Everybody's starting to think I can only run the ball so I showed I can do a little more."
Following a holding penalty on the Redskins, running back Chris Thompson ran for four yards and then caught a pass for nine yards to get Washington into a manageable 3rd-and-7. Cousins hit DeSean Jackson short of the first down, but Jackson squared up to two Carolina defenders and was able to make both miss to move the chains down to the Panthers five-yard line.
From there, "Fat Rob" finished off the drive by bulling his way towards the end zone, and with some help from tackle Trent Williams, Kelley was dragged to pay dirt. The touchdown was Kelley's seventh of the season, tying him with Chicago's Jordan Howard for second among rookie running backs in touchdowns.
However, the Redskins offense was relatively quiet otherwise, managing three field goals for the rest of the game in a 26-15 defeat. Washington will look to bounce back with its season on the line Saturday against the Bears in Chicago.
