Kirk Cousins leads Redskins on 90-yard game-winning drive to beat Eagles, 23-20
Version 0 of 1. In a game of two steps forward, one step back and far too many penalties, the Washington Redskins had moved the ball impressively against Philadelphia on Sunday but settled too often for field goals. Now, after squandering a double-digit lead and trailing by four in the waning minutes, they had to do something they hadn’t managed all afternoon: drive 90 yards and score a touchdown. On the 15 plays that followed, quarterback Kirk Cousins proved he had learned from the losses on his résumé. Coach Jay Gruden stuck to a game plan that leavened a heavy dose of running with throws to a medley of targets. And wide receiver Pierre Garcon lunged for the game-winning, four-yard catch with 26 seconds remaining to seal a 23-20 victory. With it, a FedEx Field crowd of 74,767 that was braced for yet another disappointment erupted in cheers and shrieks. And Garcon, battered by Eagles defenders from all sides upon making the touchdown catch, wasn’t sure he’d scored until the entire Redskins offensive line converged to pat him on the head. “I felt hits from all over, hits from everybody,” Garcon said, recounting the moment he grabbed the ball. “I looked, and I was glad I was on the other side of the white line instead of, you know, a yard short.” In rallying for the victory, the Redskins (2-2) clawed back to .500 and asserted themselves as a viable contender in a hobbled NFC East. Philadelphia fell to 1-3. [D.C. Sports Bog: Best and worst from the Redskins' victory] Moreover, the Redskins finally showed what Gruden has been pleading for since the season opened: game-changing plays and toughness when things go wrong. In an ugly division game, the Redskins proved capable of overcoming the most, outgaining the Eagles, 417-320. “We gave up the lead, had a lot of adversity in that game. That’s something that we have been trying to talk about,” Gruden said. Cousins was 31 of 46 for 290 yards and one touchdown , while rushing one yard for another score, improving to 4-9 as an NFL starter. Most notably, he was steady on the fourth-quarter drive the Redskins simply had to convert, fitting his final throw into a tight window, with scant margin for error and the seconds ticking away. Known for his fourth-quarter interceptions, Cousins confessed that he wouldn’t have been capable of leading a 90-yard, game-winning drive as an NFL rookie. “It takes time,” said Cousins, who spent his first three seasons backing up Robert Griffin III before supplanting him as the team’s starter Aug. 31. “It takes failures. It takes learning from experiences.” Washington’s defense recovered two Eagles fumbles, sacked quarterback Sam Bradford five times and allowed just 87 rushing yards. Place kicker Dustin Hopkins was true on all three attempts — from 20, 38 and 33 yards And though Garcon, playing with a sprained knee, delivered the tough catch that won the game, the Redskins got impressive contributions from several youngsters. Rookie Jamison Crowder, who took fumble-prone Andre Roberts’s spot in the lineup, led all receivers with seven catches for 65 bruising yards. And rookie linebacker Preston Smith was credited with one of the sacks on Bradford. After going into halftime with a 13-0 lead, the Redskins seemed headed for their second consecutive loss to a division foe when the defense allowed Bradford (15 of 28 for 270 yards and three touchdowns ) to complete two third-quarter touchdowns. Both came at the expense of ailing cornerback Chris Culliver, who suited up despite a knee injury. It wasn’t that everything went right for the Redskins in their dominant first half, but they came up with big plays at crucial junctures and outgained the Eagles, 185-95. They also owned possession for 21:47 of the first 30 minutes. After committing two penalties on the first three snaps, the Redskins’ offense got going behind running back Chris Thompson, who exploded on a draw play for 42 yards then milked gains of 19 and five off completions. Though the drive lasting 7:38 fizzled, Hopkins mopped up with a 20-yard field goal. [With the game on the line, time for a pair of forgotten Redskins] The defense held the Eagles’ offense to a three-and-out, with Chris Baker busting through for the Redskins’ first sack. Lacking deep threat DeSean Jackson and Roberts, Cousins moved the offense by spreading completions to Garcon, Crowder and Ryan Grant. The Redskins tacked on another field goal for a 6-0 lead after what looked like a sure-fire touchdown throw to Crowder in the end zone was caught out of bounds. Helped on a subsequent drive by a pass interference call that advanced the ball to the Philadelphia 1, Matt Jones was stuffed for no gain. Cousins scooped up a fumbled snap and bored forward for the game’s first touchdown. It was the first rushing touchdown surrendered by the Eagles all season, extending the Redskins’ lead to 13-0. It took the Eagles just three minutes to pull within one score to start the second half, with Bradford heaving a 62-yard touchdown pass to a streaking Riley Cooper, who easily outran Culliver and Trenton Robinson. A missed extra point left the margin 13-6. The Redskins then went three-and-out and their punt-coverage unit was called for unnecessary roughness when Quinton Dunbar hit Darren Sproles on a fair catch. On the Eagles drive that followed, Robinson helped the visitor’s cause with another unnecessary roughness penalty. Washington’s Ryan Kerrigan, back in the lineup after injuring his hip in the second quarter, missed a gift-wrapped sack, allowing Bradford to hit uncovered tight end Brent Celek for a second Eagles score. The game was knotted at 13. Bradford found Miles Austin for a 39-yard touchdown strike on the second play of the fourth quarter to give the Eagles their first — and only — lead of the day, 20-16. The score remained there until Cousins marched the Redskins on the decisive drive in the game’s final moments. More on the Redskins: With the game on the line, Redskins turn to their forgotten men Brewer: Cousins, Redskins deliver in the clutch Boswell: After the drive, Gruden has time to breathe D.C. Sports Bog: Watch Garcon’s gutsy game-winning catch Culliver plays through injury and earns respect from his teammates Kelly has taken the Eagles from pretty good to pretty awful Cousins postgame quotes: ‘We took a step forward’ Bog: Why Knighton didn’t stop to shake hands afterward Reed leaves Sunday’s game with a concussion Box score | Discussion | Live blog | Photos Bog: Best and worst moments from win over Philadelphia |