Breeland had a key interception in the fourth quarter, leading to a Dustin Hopkins field goal.
Advertisement
Matt Ryan threw just his third interception of the season on the Falcons’ first drive of the game.
It was safety Earl Thomas who broke the drought for the group that includes Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor, picking off Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton on a pass underthrown for A.J. Green in the end zone.
Either the Atlanta Falcons will move to 5-0 or the Redskins will improve to 3-2.
For a few inexplicable reason, the referees called it an incomplete pass and the Falcons.
Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) celebrates with fans as he leaves the field after an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles in Landover, Md., Sunday, October 4, 2015.
BALTIMORE – Travis Coons hit a 32-yard field goal in overtime to lift Cleveland over Baltimore, snapping a seven-game losing streak at M&T Bank Stadium. Early in the game he chose to be aggressive in the redzone by going for it on fourth down. Fantasy owners were disappointed by Ryan’s numbers, but anyone who started the red-hot Freeman against a solid Redskins run defense that was surrendering 3.9 yards per carry coming into today’s game was rewarded in a big way. He also ran for a score. He’s looking more like a Pro Bowler with every passing week. That was especially troublesome when the defense could not stop the run or pressure quarterbacks. But the feeling of 5-0 start is relatively new. Rodgers was 19 of 30 for 241 yards and two touchdowns but St. Louis picked him off twice and also stripped him with a fumble.
The Redskins couldn’t capitalize on the advantage, giving the ball back to the Falcons with less than 2 minutes to go. We have seen in the past how when a dominant back emerges in a Shanahan running scheme, he will typically give the dominant back about 80% of the touches. Instead, Darby has a share of the team lead with two interceptions and hasn’t flinched in a scheme that requires cornerbacks to frequently play man-to-man coverage. The Americans had a 32-6 lead after the first quarter.
Cousins’ first-quarter 7-yard pass to tight end Derek Carrier was the only touchdown for either team through three quarters. Alford, in his third season, had committed a pass interference penalty in regulation that cost the Falcons 42 yards and allowed the Skins to pull ahead, 13-12, on a 2-yard touchdown run by Matt Jones.
Kudos to defensive coordinator Joe Barry, whose unit kept one of the league’s most prolific receivers without a reception in the first half (he finished with five grabs for 67 yards).
Washington took possession first in overtime and was near midfield when Alford jumped in front of a Cousins pass and raced down the sideline for the winning touchdown. They missed the two point conversion. Ryan was near the bottom of the league in play-action passes last season, but with the bootleg as a mainstay of the Falcons O this year, expect that number to go up. Because of good coverage from Washington, and a fierce pass rush, Ryan wasn’t able to jumpstart Atlanta’s aerial assault. They rallied again Sunday, taking the lead with 24 seconds left, only to have to score again in overtime to stay ideal.
I can’t believe it. That was insane. Then, an awry pass from Cousins intended for Ryan Clark landed in the hands of Alford, who easily sprinted into the endzone to end the game.
Advertisement
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – If the preliminary diagnosis on Jamaal Charles’ injured right knee is correct, the Pro Bowl running back for the Kansas City Chiefs could be done for the season with a torn ACL.
