In the Redskins game against the Vikings this past weekend, two unexpected players (not name Robert Griffin III) rose above the rest and proved to be key in the Redskins victory.
The first Washington Redskins player that deserves a game ball is left tackle Trent Williams. Williams, who has been spotty at best this season, had the difficult task of blocking arguably the Vikings best defensive player, Jared Allen.
While Allen, still managed two hits on quarterback Robert Griffin III, one came when he went one-on-one with tight end Logan Paulsen. When Williams was blocking Allen, he held his ground and delivered easily his best performance of the season.
Williams protected Griffin's blind side well and abled him to complete 17/22 passes. The rookie quarterback was able to comfortably stand tall in the pocket and deliver good passes because Williams had the back side locked up and protected.
As a collective unit, the offensive line should be commended. While the straight forward running suffered, running back Alfred Morris only managed 47 yards and much RG3's 138 were due to his ability to create, the pass protection was excellent. Griffin was hit just three times and sacked only once.
The other Redskins player that deserves a game ball in Lorenzo Alexander. Alexander replaced Brian Orakpo as a backside rusher opposite of Ryan Kerrigan and delivered in a big way.
The "One Man Gang" as he is referred to was just that. Alexander was all over the field making plays. He made plays on special teams and had one of the best games of his career on defense. Alexander had 5 tackles (3 solo), 1.5 sacks, and a tackle for a loss. He also laid a hit on Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder four times.
His biggest play came in the second quarter when he appeared to intercept a pass. As the play happened, Adrian Peterson appeared to run into Ponder which forced the football out of Ponder's hand and straight up in the air. The official ruling on the play ended up being an interception.
Simply put, both these players were instrumental in defeating the Vikings 38-26 yesterday. Hopefully, the new found strength of Lorenzo Alexander will be more than enough to make up for the absence of Brian Orakpo.
At any rate, if both of these players, Trent Williams and Lorenzo Alexander, can manage to play at this level for the rest of the season, the Redskins should have no problem winning more football games and have a final record above .500.
Any other players stand out to you yesterday? Leave their name and a reason why in the comments section!
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