After 1st road win, Redskins now seek 1st winning streak
It took one fluky play, a late missed field-goal attempt by the opponent, and some other fortunate circumstances. All that really matters to Washington Redskins coach Jay Gruden is that his team finally won on the road.
Now, as they try to stay atop the NFC East, the Redskins need to do something else that's been elusive this season: pick up two victories in a row.
"This league is crazy the way it works out. We have yet to put back-to-back wins together this year and I think that'll be a focal point - how we rebound from a victory," Gruden said Monday at Redskins Park in Ashburn, Virginia. "I've said that before six times, and it hasn't worked out very well."
So far, each of Washington's six wins this season was followed by a loss. Indeed, over Gruden's two years as an NFL head coach, the Redskins have won consecutive games just once, in October 2014 - Weeks 7-8 of last season.
They will try to change that next Sunday when they host the Buffalo Bills in a matchup between 6-7 teams.
"We're going to have to just continue to stay on top of our game, as far as the mental and physical approach to it," Gruden said.
On Sunday, as a visitor, Washington held on to edge Chicago 24-21 in a game that featured a wild play with a fortunate outcome for the Redskins. Kirk Cousins lobbed an ill-advised pass toward traffic. The football bounced away from tight end Jordan Reed and was bobbled by running back Matt Jones before he eventually corralled it.
Jones casually let go of the ball thinking he'd been tackled, turning it into a fumble that he then pulled back in before any member of the Bears grabbed it.
Later, with 100 seconds remaining, Bears kicker Robbie Gould pushed a 50-yard field goal wide right.
Coming in, Washington had been 0-5 on the road, part of a league-high nine-game losing streak away from home dating to last season.
Nose tackle Terrance "Pot Roast" Knighton referred to the road win as "a demon that we conquered."
"Now we have another demon we have to conquer (and) that's putting two good games together," he added.
NOTES: TE Derek Carrier is out for the rest of the season after tearing the ACL and MCL in his right knee on a first-quarter catch. "He wasn't a finished product and isn't a finished product. We liked his progression, it's just unfortunate that it happened," Gruden said. "We liked where he was going. He's a smart guy." Gruden said the Redskins might bring in a couple of players for a workout Tuesday in an effort to add a blocking tight end. ... WR DeSean Jackson has a bruised kneecap and Gruden listed him as day to day.
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