CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Washington Redskins now have back-to-back wins for the first time this season after coming back from a 14-0 deficit to upset the Carolina Panthers. Here are five takeaways from their 29-21 victory:
1. Derrius Guice and Adrian Peterson had standout games.
Interim head coach Bill Callahan made it clear from the moment he took over the team that he envisioned the Redskins with a run-dominant offense. There have been flashes of that vision coming true throughout the year, but that became a reality against the Panthers.
The Panthers' rush defense has been their weakness all season, and the Redskins exploited that with efficiency Sunday afternoon. They amassed 248 yard on the ground, led by the duo of Guice and Peterson, who combined for 228 yards and three scores.
Guice got the rushing frenzy started early in the first quarter with a 60-yard romp that put the offense at the Panthers 11-yard line. He came alive again in the fourth quarter, as he barreled over defenders on a 38-yard run that put the Redskins at the 1-yard line. He crashed into the end zone on the next play.
While Peterson did not have the game breaking runs like Guice, he was efficient with the ball in his hands. He averaged 7.6 yards per carry and got his first touchdown since Week 2 with a 12-yard scamper to the end zone that put the Redskins up, 29-14.
2. The pass rush got to Kyle Allen...a lot.
The Panthers were expected to bother quarterback Dwayne Haskins Jr., and they certainly did that. Carolina sacked Haskins five times, giving them a total of 49 for the year.
But the Redskins were bringing pressure against Allen all afternoon, and it often found its mark. Despite not having linebacker Ryan Kerrigan for the first time in his career, the Redskins sacked Allen seven times.
Led by defensive lineman Matt Ioannidis, who had two sacks in Sunday's game, the Redskins had five players with at least half a sack. The biggest, however, came at the end of the game when Allen drove the Panthers down to the 1-yard line. On a 4th-and-goal, linebacker Chris Odom got the strip-sack on Allen that essentially iced the game and ensured a Redskins victory.
Washington's seven sacks were the most in a single game since Week 8 of the 2018 season against the New York Giants.
3. Fabian Moreau continues to impress.
For the second week in a row, Moreau has gotten more playing time as an outside cornerback, and he has continued to make game-changing plays with his new opportunities.
There were just under five minutes left in the first half, and the Panthers were backed up at their own 4-yard line. The Redskins were in need of a spark with their offense punting on the last two drives. For the third time in two weeks, Moreau provided that energy by picking off Allen's intended pass to D.J. Moore and was taken down just short of the goal line.
Moreau almost did it again in the fourth quarter. The Panthers were driving deep in the Redskins' territory when Moreau came up out of the end zone with what looked like another interception on Allen, but the ball skipped off the ground just before Moreau could grab it.
Moreau has vaulted up the leaderboard for interceptions, as he's just one away from tying fellow cornerback Quinton Dunbar for the team lead. He joins a company of players like Richard Sherman, Kevin Byard and Kyle Fuller, all of whom have three interceptions this year.
4. Tress Way is a stud.
The Redskins' offense scored 29 points, which is the most it has put up in over a year, but Way was fairly active in Sunday's game. He gave yet another performance that proved he is one of the best punters in the NFL.
Way punted five times in Sunday's game and had two land inside the 20-yard line. That helped keep Moore at bay; he only had three returns that resulted in just 35 yards.
Way's biggest punt of the game was a touchback, but it still helped prevent the Panthers from working with a short field. The Redskins' offense stalled at the 21-yard line, and with just a one-point lead, they needed to get the Panthers as far away from scoring position as possible.
Way trotted onto the field and launched the ball 79 yards and into the end zone. And had it not taken an odd bounce when it hit the ground, it would have landed inside the 5-yard line.
Way finished the game averaging 58 yards per punt, giving NFL fans another example as to why he should be a Pro Bowl selection.
5. Back-to-back wins for the first time this year.
Wins have been hard to come by for the Redskins this year, but it's been even more difficult to string them together. There were five weeks between their first win of the year against the Miami Dolphins and last week's win over the Detroit Lions.
But the team has been able to put together back-to-back wins for the first time since Week 7 and Week 8 of last year, which Callahan said is a credit to everyone on the team.
"Real proud of our team today," Callahan said. "[We] came back from a 14-0 deficit, had resiliency, grit and fortitude to come back from that score and take the lead. It was really huge for our team. Really proud of our guys, all units, all phases."
