The Washington Redskins went blow-for-blow against one of the top offenses in the league Saturday at FedExField.
So Washington – one of the top rushing teams in the league the past three years – went to its bread and butter three different times to find the end zone against the Philadelphia Eagles.
The three rushing scores were critical in the Redskins' 27-24 victory over the Eagles, snapping Washington's six-game skid in the process.
For a full recap of those scoring plays, let's take a look back at the action as it happened:
No. 1: Morris Breaks Free For Six
Thanks to a Ryan Kerrigan strip-sack and fumble recovery, the Redskins were able to jump out to an early 3-0 lead in Saturday's game. But the Eagles answered right back with a go-ahead touchdown on a LeSean McCoy 11-yard score, putting Philadelphia up 7-3 late in the first quarter.
But then it was Alfred Morris' turn to return the favor – showing that the running back position in the NFC East is well represented in the Nation's Capital, too.
The Redskins began their ensuing drive from their own 20, but it wouldn't take long at all to get into Eagles territory. On their second play, quarterback Robert Griffin III found wide receiver DeSean Jackson deep for a 51-yard gain to get to the Philadelphia 28.
Morris would do the rest from there.
On the very next play, Griffin III lined up in the pistol formation with Morris behind him. He handed off to Morris to his left, who found a small opening and ran with it, throwing an Eagles defender to the ground before diving into the end zone for a 28-yard score to give his team the lead right back.
Morris finished the game with 83 rushing yards on 21 carries, breaking the 1,000-yard mark on the season with the effort – joining Stephen Davis as the only Redskins players to reach 1,000 rushing yards in three consecutive seasons.
No. 2: Young Punches It In
The Redskins' defense saved the day again prior to the team's second touchdown on the afternoon.
Trailing 14-10, Washington received the second-half kickoff, but returner Andre Roberts fumbled the ball as he tried to go out of bounds. The Eagles, who recovered the ball, took over at the Redskins' 16-yard line.
But the Redskins wouldn't budge from there. McCoy got one yard on a run, then lost a yard on a reception, and quarterback Mark Sanchez's pass attempt deep across the middle to Riley Cooper fell incomplete on third down. From there, Eagles kicker Cody Parkey's 34-yard field goal attempt sailed wide right, setting up the Redskins at their own 24.
Griffin III and the Redskins' offense took a methodical approach to the ensuing drive, while also taking advantage of a couple key personal fouls called against Philadelphia.
Eleven plays into the drive, Washington was set up with a First and Goal at the one-yard line. From there, Redskins head coach Jay Gruden faked a handoff to the right with Morris, drawing the Philadelphia defense his way.
Instead, however, Griffin III put the ball into the gut of his trusty fullback, Darrel Young, who used a nifty block from guard Shawn Lauvao to dive into the end zone for the score. After the extra point, Washington took a 17-14 lead over Philadelphia with 6:49 left in the third quarter.
No. 3: Déjà vu – Parkey misses, Young scores
The Eagles were beginning to put together a long drive of their own as an answer to the Redskins' score.
But déjà vu ended up rearing its ugly head for Philadelphia – in more ways than one.
The Eagles got no closer than the Redskins' 28-yard line when they sent out Parkey to attempt a game-tying, 46-yard field goal. But he missed – again – to the right – again – giving Washington a prime opportunity to extend its lead.
Two plays into that ensuing drive, Griffin III – again – found Jackson deep – again – this time for 55 yards to the Philadelphia 13-yard line.
A pass interference call in the end zone two plays later set up another First and Goal from the 1-yard line for the Redskins.
If it ain't broke, why fix it? The Redskins called Young's card once again, and this time, the Villanova product showed a little bit of his power, muscling his way into the end zone for his second touchdown of the night.
With the two touchdowns Saturday, Young set a career high with five scores on the season. Saturday's effort was also Young's first game with multiple touchdowns since he scored three rushing touchdowns Week 9 vs. the San Diego Chargers in 2013.
RELATED LINKS:
-- Robert Griffin III: Eagles Game ‘A Great Team Win’
-- DeSean Jackson Comes Up Big Vs. Former Team
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