By John Pappas
Skinscast Editor

Could it be possible the curse of the Meadowlands is over? The Washington Redskins went to East Rutherford and fared well in their first visit to the New Meadowlands Stadium. They defeated the New York Jets, 16-11. 

It was a pretty game if you like defense.

Washington produced big plays on defense, and did just enough on offense to get the win against New York. The Redskins manufactured four turnovers, while surrendering one. DeAngelo Hall made an interception. Phillip Buchanon, Darion Scott, and Robert Henson each forced fumbles that resulted in turnovers going the Redskins’ way.

On the minus side; Brandon Banks fumbled a punt, giving the Jets a short field. 

“We are getting turnovers,” said Hall. “That was something we harped on over the offseason. If we can get the ball back to our offense; they are going to have a chance to score.” 

While the scoring was limited against the pressure defense of the Jets, producing only three field goals until Larry Johnson scored a touchdown late in the fourth quarter; the unit played well with the only real blemish a muffed snap and safety by quarterback Rex Grossman. 

“All-in-all I was pleased with the effort,” said head coach Mike Shanahan. “I thought we did some good things in the first half. I still want to get that running game going a little bit better.” 

The Redskins for a second week faced an aggressive defense, but this time without starting quarterback Donovan McNabb. Instead, Grossman got the start. Grossman finished the night 8-for-16 for 111 yards and a quarterback rating of 72.7. He played fairly solid, excepting the safety. Washington totaled 292 yards total offense, with 210 yards passing, and 82 rushing. 

“It felt really good,” said Grossman. “We had a protection scheme that worked really well.” 

Shanahan was pleased by Grossman’s effort. 

“Rex did a good job,” said Shanahan. “You throw a quarterback in there, against that defense, number one in the league in so many different areas, he made some throws in there.” 

After Grossman, John Beck went 7-for-11 for 76 yards. Richard Bartel probably helped himself the most. Bartel threw the touchdown to Larry Johnson. Bartel also connected with Brandon Banks on an impressive 15-yard out on the series.

 ”I thought both did a pretty good job,” said Shanahan. 

Willie Parker started at running back for Washington, but was only able to total 16 yards on 8 carries. Larry Johnson meanwhile, amassed 42 yards on 9 carries with a 15-yard touchdown reception in relief of Parker. 

Santana Moss led all receivers with 2 catches for 42 yards, the longest a 29-yard pass from Grossman. Moss should have had a much bigger play down the middle on a throw from Grossman, but dropped the pass instead. Joey Galloway finally caught his first pass as a Redskins, catching 3 passes for 29 yard, with a 20-yard catch mixed in. Terrance Austin also made some noise, with 3 catches for 34 yards. 

The offense again struggled to score touchdowns, settling for three field goals before finally getting in the end zone on the Johnson touchdown. 

“You’ve got to score when you are down there, but good defenses can keep you out,” said Shanahan. 

But the night belonged to the defense. In addition to the turnovers, Hall’s two picks are the most by any Redskin in the preseason since Sean Taylor had three in 2004. Through three preseason games, the Redskins have allowed only 6 points in the first quarter and 21 in the first half. Minus the safety and a trick play on special teams last week and the defense looks even better. Washington was able to sack New York quarterbacks four times Friday. 

“I was pleased with our defense today,” said Shanahan. “Not only the turnovers, but we were able to keep them out of the red zone.” 

The defense however, surrendered 125 yards rushing in the first half, when the starters were in. A revitalized LaDainian Tomlinson was impressive rushing against Washington. He amassed 85 yards rushing in the first half, much of it on a 43-yard run in the first quarter.   

In the end, Shanahan was happy to accomplish some things against the Jets, and come away with the win. 

“It wasn’t a perfect game, by no means,” he said. “But it’s a start.”

Next week will feature backups almost exclusively. Clinton Portis sprained an ankle and was seen hobbling around on the sideline. McNabb will probably not do much. Expect to see mostly second and third-teamers looking to make a final statement for a roster spot.

Tags: redskins 16 jets 11, redskins versus jets, washington redskins

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