An offense's highs and lows usually capture most of the attention in football.
If a team wins, it's generally credited by casual fans to the offense scoring the winning touchdown or setting up the winning field goal. And if a team loses, it's because the offense didn't score enough points.
And in today's high-octane NFL, that's more true than ever.
So when the Washington Redskins lost a nail-biter to the archrival Dallas Cowboys for the second time this season, this one in overtime Nov. 20 despite a season-high 24 points from the beleaguered offense, Washington nose tackle Barry Cofield blamed his side of the ball for allowing 27 points.
"We definitely take the blame," Cofield said the next day. "We can play better than that. We have played better than that, and we will play better than that."
But Cofield, who never endured a losing season in five years with the New York Giants while winning a Super Bowl, went on to add, "There is no moral victory column, but it is a building process. Guys do improve. Teams do improve. It's definitely promising. It's the team sitting atop our division, and we could've beat them twice this year."
Six days after Cofield uttered those words, the Redskins rallied from a 10-point deficit with 10 minutes remaining to stun the host Seattle Seahawks 23-17 Sunday.
Offensive heroes Anthony Armstrong, Rex Grossman and Roy Helu—who combined for the touchdowns that made it close and put Washington ahead to stay—received the headlines, but don't forget the defense's major contributions to the comeback.
"The defense, (once) we got the lead in the fourth quarter, we weren't going to let this one get away," cornerback Josh Wilson said. "I'm glad they put the onus on us. The offensive team showed up and put points on the board and allowed us to let loose."
After Helu's 28-yard touchdown run drew Washington within 17-14, LaRon Landry forced a three-and-out with the Redskins' first sack of the game on a safety blitz.
Then after a Grossman-to-Armstrong scoring strike put Washington ahead, Landry's tight coverage on third-and-long forced a punt. When Seattle got the ball back with 2:34 left down 20-17, outside linebacker Brian Orakpo and defensive end Stephen Bowen teamed for a sack on a bring-the-house blitz on fourth-and-5.
DeAngelo Hall's interception—Washington's lone takeaway of the day—with 37 seconds to go sealed the victory that improved the Redskins to 4-7 and made Cofield smile.
"Finishing strong like that is the key to wins and losses," he said. "Last week, we had some opportunities and we didn't get it done. The only thing that can get that taste out of your mouth is going out there and doing it, and that's what we did. It was a great way to finish the game, and hopefully we can carry it on for the rest of the season (starting this Sunday against the visiting New York Jets)."
