First Quarter
14:35—I like
the quick slant to Randle El to start things off, but Campbell led him
a little too much. He might have gone a long way had JC hit him in
stride.
11:28—Three
straight first downs for the Redskins, good opening drive going. They
didn’t finish off a similar strong opening advance two weeks ago,
let’s see how they do here.
7:34—Loss of
11 on a botched snap aborts the nice drive this time. The good thing
is that Frost didn’t boom the punt into the end zone and the Lions
will start from their own 10. Still, half the quarter burned for what
now appears to be nothing. The Redskins need to be able to take
advantage of the field position.
5:37—The D
got off the field in a hurry. After an initial first down, Philip
Daniels blew up a run up the middle and then Griffin got a sack thanks
to good coverage by the secondary. Good field position at their own
36.
5:04—It’s
second and about a half a yard. Will the Skins go deep with a “free”
down?
4:38—Nope,
it was Sellers right up the gut. That’s OK, but they’re going to have
to test the secondary.
4:04—OK,
they just went deep to Thrash on first down. Why not do that on second
and one?
3:26—The
Lions are getting some pretty good pressure on Campbell. He’s been
unable to stand in the pocket and throw. It’s coming from the ends,
Edwards and White.
3:14—Ed
Hochuli is the best referee going. He explains rules, like scrambling
out of the pocket and then going back in, that others just let ride.
1:10—Nice
hit on the pass by—Demetric Evans? Back in coverage, he knocked the
ball out of Calvin Johnson’s hands with a well-timed blow. The DB’s
could take a few pointers. Evans got a tip that London Fletcher picked
off against the Giants. He’s developing a nice little niche on this
defense.
End of first
quarter—Redskins 0, Lions 0
Second quarter
14:11—Campbell
can flat-out fire the ball in there with the best of them. OK, maybe
not Favre, but JC showed a rifle with on a 13-yard pass to Randle El.
11:09—Not
much going with running up the middle for the Redskins. Or outside,
for that matter. This one could well be on Campbell’s shoulders.
10:00—I like
the Redskins a lot better with a first down between the 10 and 15 than
I do a first and goal at the three. They seem to open things up more
when they’re further back. Inside the five everyone knows that they’re
going to run, run, run.
8:17—It
doesn’t look like the Lions watched the game film from the Giants
game. TD to Cooley, same play, same spot, same end zone as two weeks
ago.
Cooley 7 pass from
Campbell (Suisham kick)
Redskins 7, Lions 0
8:17—Eighty-yard
drive in 14 plays. The best defense against the Lions offense—yes,
it’s a cliché, but that’s because it’s true—is to keep them on the
sideline.
8:11—Now
Detroit has second and one. Bet Martz has them go deep.
7:40—OK, a
simple handoff to Tatum Bell for the first down.
7:03—I love
Marcus Washington’s enthusiasm, but he was celebrating and signaling a
fumble recovery while the ball still was live a few feet away from
him. Detroit recovered and although the Skins stopped them there, they
lost a lot of field position.
5:55—It’s
going the Redskins’ way so far. They’re controlling the ball and the
clock and they’re getting enough pressure on Kitna to throw the Lions’
offense off kilter. The thing is, though, that Detroit is one big play
away from a tie game.
4:32—Mike Sellers truly was a weapon on a seam pass, a blunt instrument that
pounded safety Kenroy Kennedy into the ground. To Kennedy’s credit,
though, he did trip up the raging bull enough so that help could
arrive and prevent a bigger play.
3:03—Going
for it on fourth and two? Or do they line up for a “no play”? They
burned a time out, so they’ll probably take the five yards if the
Lions stay onside.
2:34—Gotta
love that, 37 yards down inside the one on fourth and one. Take a play
or two to score here, don’t leave the Lions any time to retaliate.
1:56—Sellers
made big plays to get them there, he deserved the TD.
Sellers 1 run (Suisham
kick)
Redskins 14, Lions 0
1:56—TD
drives of 80 and 83 yards. The running is getting better and Campbell
is having his best day as a pro. Randle El already has 100 receiving
yards. And something tells me that the Redskins won’t be letting up
any in the second half.
1:39—Randle
El is on the sideline with a hammy. McCardell forced into action,
still no sighting of #85.
1:39—That’s
clearly a fumble that they’re reviewing. The Redskins have a shot at
putting this one away, or at least making a Lion comeback very
improbable.
1:39—I have
to buy the reversal, although I didn’t see McIntosh go out of bounds
before recovering.
1:30—Good
play by LaRon Landry to bat away a third-down pass rather than try for
the interception. He really wasn’t in position to make a play on the
ball.
1:15—A bit
of a challenge being thrown down by the Lions. They called time out
twice, apparently thinking that the Redskins won’t be able to mount a
scoring drive. It doesn’t look like the Redskins are being overly
aggressive, but we’ll see here on third down.
:53—They
like that direct snap to Portis, it’s been semi-effective although
they didn’t get the first down there.
0:12—Well,
the replay reversal may be a blessing in disguise. It would have been
too easy to let up with a 21-0 or 17-0 lead. The Skins know they’ll
have to play it out, assuming that their collective memory stretches
back two weeks.
Three times the
ball has been on the ground and three times the Redskins haven’t come
up with it. They probably were out of field goal range there at the
end of the half, but you have to recover the ball when you have your
hands on it.
Halftime—Redskins 14, Lions 0
Third Quarter
15:00—Wow,
two touchbacks on kickoffs booted by Suisham.
14:30—Wow,
burning a timeout on defense in the early moments of the second half.
Personnel confusion. And they they give up a seven-yard run for a
first down.
13:48—Apparently,
they were keeping Kevin Jones fresh for the second half. He’s been
picking up yards like crazy.
11:00—Randle
El out for the game with a hamstring. Down to guys who weren’t with
the team when the season started as #3 and #4 receivers.
10:18—Welcome
Keenan McCardell—20 yards on a reception up the middle.
8:59—Another
nice drive going, short stuff, ball control, keep moving the chains.
6:52—Campbell
had hit eight in a row before throwing on into the dirt while being
blindsided. And a bad miss for Suisham, wide left, giving the Lions
good field position. But Detroit hasn't had a sniff of the red zone
yet. It’s time for a turnover.
6:52—Check
that, the Lions have yet to take a snap in Redskins territory.
5:25—A legit
pass interference call on Taylor gives Detroit its first play on the
other side of the 50.
2:32—A
fortunate drop on a shovel pass stalls the Lions’ drive. It leads to a
Hanson FG.
FG Hanson 39
Redskins 14, Lions 3
2:27—Now M.
Washington is out with a hammy. Better stretching exercises, maybe?
2:27—We have
a #85 sighting, lined up wide right. Let’s see if he can get something
in his direction.
1:23—A QB
sneak with a long yard to go? Why not Sellers? Don’t like that at all.
1:00—If the
Skins can clamp down on Jones like they did on that first-down play,
they’ll be in pretty good shape.
Safety Kitna
tackled in end zone by Carter
Redskins 16, Lions 3
:28—A rather
meaningless score on the safety as two TD’s still puts Detroit ahead,
but getting possession back is big. If they can crank out a drive a
knock six or eight minutes off the clock, they’ll be in great shape.
:10—McCardell
pulls ahead of #85 in the receiving race as he now has two catches for
39 yards. The difference is, of course, that McCardell came on for the
vet minimum while #85 is getting $10 mil guaranteed.
End of third
quarter
Reskins 16, Lions 3
Fourth quarter
14:24—Sellers
again, busting up the middle. Hate to say it again, but he’s a beast!
13:50—A
fumble scuttles what would have been a clinching drive for the
Redskins. Detroit’s back in a hole, though, with a long field to
cover. The offense couldn’t finish the deal, the Redskins D will have
to.
12:56—Roy Williams just made his second catch of the day, his first since
Detroit’s initial play.
11:53—Ball
on the ground, the Redskins get it—but the pass is ruled incomplete.
Close, but I don’t think a challenge would have been successful. Big
third and two coming up.
11:45—Redskins
D came up big. Except for the last 30 minutes against the Giants, the
tackling has been outstanding all year long.
10:54—The
second-string punt returner may have won it, then lost it, then the
backup running back saved it. James Thrash, subbing for Randle El,
tore off a 62-yard return, and got the ball punched out at the end of
it. Then Rock Cartwright recovered at the Detroit three. A chance to
put it in the bag for the Redskins. Finally, the Redskins get a ball
on the ground at a key moment. Good fundamentals by Cartwright to fall
on it and not try to scoop and score.
10:47—Another
TD for Sellers, great job of stretching things out by Campbell, buying
time on the scramble and spotting #45 wide open just over the goal
line.
Sellers 8 pass
from Campbell
Redskins 24, Lions 3
10:41—That
score made the dimensions of this rout complete. The Lions’ vaunted
offense has 107 yards, the Redskins suspect attack has 347. Kitna’s
passer rating through three quarter is 42.5, far below the 105 he came
in with. Detroit will pad their total and Kitna might improve his
rating a bit with a few meaningless drives here at the end, but so far
they have been waxed.
6:46—Sean Taylor with the clinching pick, a wounded duck thrown up by Kitna. The
return to the 30.
5:00—Clinton Portis
is a football player, one hard-running SOB. He gets an additional 4-5
yards after contact almost every single run.
FG Suisham 28
Redskins 27, Lions 3
3:00—Detroit is
heading to 0-21 lifetime in Washington for the Lions. That’s one of
those streaks that defies explanation.
1:50—The Lions are
in no hurry, huddling up with the clock ticking away after converting
a fourth and short. Strange.
:45—Carlos Rogers
with the pick six to put another blob of icing in the cake.
Rogers 61
interception return (Suisham kick)
Final score:
Redskins 34, Lions 3