Morgan Moses gutted out an incredible performance on Saturday in the Redskins' victory, playing 75 snaps on an ankle injury that limited him in practices throughout the week.
In the days leading up to last Saturday's Washington Redskins-Philadelphia Eagles matchup, it seemed more and more likely that Morgan Moses was going to miss the game as he dealt with a painful ankle injury.
Moses barely took part in practice drills last week, and while Redskins head coach Jay Gruden thought he'd be "good enough to dress," playing in the game was certainly up in the air.
Then Saturday came, and in the Redskins' biggest game since Week 17 of the 2012 season, Moses not only suited up, he played -- on a sloppy playing surface no less -- and appeared on all 75 of the offense's snaps, gutting it out for his team so it could win its first division title since 2012.
"I'll tell you what, I was really concerned," Gruden admitted on a conference call with reporters on Sunday. "You know, Thursday in practice we did some one-on-one drills, offensive line against defensive line, and he looked bad. He looked really bad. He couldn't redirect and he was sore. I was like, 'Morgan, you gonna be alright?' And he said, 'I got you, coach. I'll be alright.' And I was talking to the trainers, 'There's no freaking way he's going to be alright.' But he just kept getting treatment, and we took a look at him in pregame, said he was going to be alright – still was a little concerned – and he just went out there and played great – one of his better games that he's played. So, you know, tough guy, and played his butt off and we're happy for him, and I'm proud of the fact that he went out and battled through a tough injury."
With the NFC East locked up, Gruden and the coaching staff now must determine how much they'll play the starters this Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys.
The team wants to continue capitalizing on their hot streak, but they also want to make sure the team is as healthy as possible, Moses included.
"We have to dress 46 obviously, and seven guys will be inactive and the injuries will be a major part of that, but the guys that play, they have every intent of trying to win this football game," Gruden said. "It's a big game for us to keep our momentum, but we also have to be smart about the guys that are a little bit [inaudible] and get them well for the playoffs."
Moses has easily been one of the brightest spots for a Redskins season that has quickly turned into something special, as he's been incredibly stout in protection after moving into the starting lineup in August.
After the team brought in first-round pick Brandon Scherff and said he'd start at right tackle opposite of Trent Williams, it meant Moses was shifted down to second-team duties.
But the move didn't deter him from getting back to where he wanted to be: the starting lineup.
And the starting lineup is where he was Saturday night, just as he has been all season, with Scherff to his left at right guard.
"I just never blinked, man," Moses said recently. "I knew what I had to do. I had a plan coming off the injury and when you have plans man, you're able to execute things. That's what I really did. I didn't let them drafting a left tackle determine what I wanted to do in the long run. So I just had a plan and I stuck to it."
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