In a statement victory over one of their longest-standing rivals

Cheap Cole Holcomb Jersey , the Washington Redskins defeated the Dallas Cowboys 20-17 in Landover to improve to 4-2, and a game and a half up in the NFC East. Dallas dropped to 3-4 with the loss.The Washington defense forced the Cowboys to go three-and-out on their opening drive and gave Alex Smith and the Redskins offense possession right near midfield. The unit moved quickly, moving 52 yards on six plays, capped off by a 23-yard screen pass, catch-and-run by Kapri Bibbs to give the Redskins a 7-0 lead with 10:19 left in the first quarter.After threatening on the ensuing drive on 4th-and-1 from their own 44 yard line, DJ Swearinger jarred the football lose from Ezekiel Elliott and scooped it up, giving the Redskins their first turnover of the afternoon. Washington was unable toconvert much of anything on the following drive, a hard hit on Dak Prescott put him in concussion protocol, but he was able to return without missing any snaps. Both teams continued to trade possessions with five straight punts, before Michael Gallup got free on a double move against Greg Stroman down the sideline for a 49-yard trot into the end zone to tie the game with just one minute remaining in the opening half. Alex Smith tested the Cowboys secondary on four long pass attempts, including a Hail Mary that hit Michael Floyd in the chest in the end zone to end the second quarter.Through one half of play Smith was 7-of-15 for 87 yards and a touchdown, while Prescott went 12-of-15 for 149 yards and a matching score. The Redskins defense held Elliot to just 13 yards on 10 carries, while Adrian Peterson had 39 yards on 11 rushes. Washington started quickly moving 52 yards on six plays, mostly on the back of Adrian Peterson in the rushing game.However the Cowboys defense held inside the 10-yard line and Washington was forced to settle for a 21-yard field goal to take a 10-7 lead.The teams once again traded punts and Washington advanced into Cowboys territory as the third quarter elapsed, extending their streak of not scoring in the 3rd quarter to 11 straight games. Dallas also struggled in the stanza, not picking up a first down in the quarter.Another long run by Peterson moved the Redskins inside the ten, but for the second consecutive time the Cowboys defense held and Dustin Hopkins settled for a 25-yard field goal to give Washington a 13-7 lead. Over the Redskins first eight offensive drives, they moved into Cowboys territory on six occasions but only came away with 13 points. The Cowboys advanced 46 yards on 6 plays, but settled for a 47-yard field goal by Brett Maher, to bring Dallas back to within three. with under 10 minutes to go in the game. Washington moved to their own 45 yard line before punting it away with 6:19 remaining, penalties backed the Cowboys up to their own ten yard line, before Ryan Kerrigan forced the ball loose from Prescott at the goal line, and Preston Smith promptly picked it up to take it in for the defensive score, making it 20-10. The score was only the Redskins second-half touchdown of the year, and the first score of 2018 for the defense. Dak Prescott would not go quietly, moving quickly into Redskins territory with two long runs that brought the Cowboys into the red zone as the clock hit the two minute warning. A defensive holding by Josh Harvey-Clemmons in the end zone gave the Cowboys first and goal from the six, before Prescott rushed in for the score to make it 20-17 with 1:37 remaining in the 4th. After three straight rushes, Washington went three-and-out and stopped the ball out of bounds. A short punt gave the Cowboys the ball back with 1:09 on the clock and 64 yards in front of them. Dallas advanced into ‘Skins territory, and with three seconds left in regulation a five-yard illegal ball movement penalty prior to the snap turned a 48-yard try into a a 52-yard attempt, which Maher booted off the left upright to secure the Redskins win.Alex Smith played the role of consummate game manager, and went 14 of 25 for 178 yards, 1 touchdown and no interceptions, his second game in a row without a turnover.Kapri Bibbs had a coming out party of sorts, filling in once again for the injured Chris Thompson. Bibbs played a significant role in the rushing and passing game with four carries for 16 yards, and four grabs for 43 yards and a touchdown through the air, Jordan Reed also chipped in with 43 yards on just two catches.Washington’s leading rusher was Adrian Peterson, who tallied 99 yards on 24 carries for 4.1 yards per carry.On defense, the Redskins contained the Cowboys potent offensive weapons, holding Ezekiel Elliott to 34 yards on 15 carries, while Dak Prescott finished with a passing line of 22 35 for 273 yards, no interceptions with one passing and one rushing touchdown apiece. The play of the day was from Ryan Kerrigan who forced the fumble that led to the game-clinching score by Preston Smith. Zach Brown led the way with nine total tackles with one for a loss, Mason Foster also tallied nine hits, while the defense recorded four sacks, three TFL’s, and nine quarterback hits.The win cements the Redskins in first place in the NFC East, and marks their first back-to-back wins since December 24, 2017. In fact, the victory guarantees that no matter what,Washington will be in first place in the NFC East through week 9 for the first time since 1999.It also marks the Redskins’ first against the Cowboys since January 3, 2016, and ends a four-game skid against their division rival. Up next for Washington, another divisional rival: the last-place New York Giants. After an inconsistent start to the season, Washington now has put themselves in the drivers seat to build momentum as they seek to return to the playoffs for the first time in Jay Gruden’s tenure. Perhaps most significantly, this can be characterized as a statement victory for the Redskins as they knocked off their heated rivals at home with a feel-good week head. The 5 o’clock club is published Wednesday to Saturday during the season, and aims to provide a forum for reader-driven discussion at a time of day when there isn’t much NFL news being published. Feel free to introduce topics that interest you in the comments below.A quick peek backwardsBefore we move forward to look at the challenge the Redskins will be facing when they visit the Titans today, let’s take a final quick look back at last week’s gritty win over the Jaguars in Jacksonville.Combined with the outcomes of several other games, the Redskins playoff opportunities were maintained, and possibly expanded, by the victory over the Jaguars.Philadelphia unexpectedly beat the Rams, but that didn’t actually hurt the Redskins at all, since any playoff scenario for Washington includes beating Philly at FedEx Field in Week 17, which will have the effect of knocking the Eagles out of contention.Dallas was shut out by the Colts, leaving the door just slightly ajar for the possibility of the Redskins winning the division.To do that, Washington needs to win its final two games while the Cowboys lose their last two.Unlikely, but possible.Seattle’s unexpected loss to the 49ers opened the same door for a wildcard spot.If the Seahawks lose out while the Redskins win out, then Washington would get a wildcard seeding over Seattle.Minnesota remains the best chance of a team faltering and letting the Redskins take advantage.If the Vikings lose to either the Lions or the Bears while while the Redskins win out, then the Skins would get a wildcard seeding over the Vikings.Last weekend, ahead of the Jags game, 5 o’clock club readers were invited to vote on over-under predictions for the game. Let’s see how we did.Predictions & actual results for last week’s Jacksonville Jaguars gameJacksonville scores 13.5 points against the Redskins on Sundayprediction: over (70%)actual:The Redskins defense played the way it had early in the season, limiting the Jaguars offensive point scoring while forcing two turnovers — a fumble and an interception.Jacksonville’s offense, which has struggled for several weeks now, managed only two field goals, though the special teams for Jax did put a touchdown on the board with a punt return in the closing seconds of the first half.Jacksonville’s final point total of 13 was UNDER the mark, and lower than their season-long average.Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY SportsLeonard Fournette rushes for 65 yards against the Redskins on Sundayprediction: more (79%)actual: Once again, Hogs Haven readers underestimated the Redskins defense (or overestimated the Jaguars offense) Stacy McGee Jersey , as Washington limited Leonard Fournette to 46 yards on 11 carries.The Jaguars tried to change things up a bit by handing the ball to David Williams 5 times, and he managed 32 yards, so the two running backs did put up 78 yards between them.Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty ImagesThe Jags leading rusher for the day, though, was quarterback Cody Kessler, who ran 6 times for 68 yards, choosing to tuck the ball and run on several called pass plays.While he was able to rack up a lot of yards and move the chains several times, Kessler’s rushing ultimately didn’t help the offense get the ball across the goal line, while his two turnovers (fumble, interception) were integral to the Redskins victory.Jacksonville’s leading receiver puts up 69 yards against the Redskins defense on Sundayprediction: over (68%)actual: Jacksonville’s offense was no more successful through the air than it was on the ground.Just as Fournette was held in check, so too were the Jacksonville receivers.Dede Westbrook led all Jaguar receivers with 3 catches for 21 yards, though he did gash the Redskins special teams with a 74-yard punt return for Jacksnonville’s sole touchdown of the game.Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY SportsJosh Johnson will get 2 TDs (passing, rushing, receiving) in the game against the Jaguarsprediction: Exactly 2 (43%)actual: Redskins fans showed a surprising amount of faith that Josh Johnson would be productive against one of the better defenses in the NFL, predicting that he would put the ball across the goal line twice.He managed one touchdown on the day — a pass to #3 tight end Jeremy Sprinkle — though that proved to be enough.He did lead three other scoring drives that resulted in field goals, including the game winning drive inside the final two minutes to set up Dustin Hopkins for the coup de grace as the final whistle blew.Douglas DeFelice-USA TODAY SportsJohnson could have been more productive with a little more help from his receivers.Vernon Davis, for example, suffered another of his too frequent dropsright after the two-minute warning in the second quarter; he was unable to haul in what would’ve been a first down catch and possibly a 60-yard touchdown on that third-down play.Kim Klement-USA TODAY SportsIn addition, the Redskins patch work offensive line struggled all day to handle a good Jacksonville defensive front seven, with the right guard position looking particularly bad.With Brandon Scherff on IR and Tony Bergstrom out injured, the Redskins started Luke Bowanko, who is the subject of this James Dorsett summary:When Ty Nsekhe, starting at left guard in place of the injured Jonathan Cooper, who had in turn replaced the injured Shawn Lauvao, hurt his knee, the coaches turned to the recently-signed emergency backup guard, Zac Kerin.Report from James Dorsett:As far as Redskin linemen go, Austin Howard was active, but did not play on offense, and Kyle Fuller, formerly of Baylor University and the Houston Texans was inactive for the Jacksonville game.There are reports of the Redskins equipment managers painting burgundy & gold jerseys on a pair of traffic cones for use in emergency, and lengthy discussions among coaches about whether to rely on Bowanko, Kerin & Fuller this week, or simply go with the cones.Josh Johnson, whose life may depend on the decision against a fierce Titans defense was asked for his opinion, but reportedly couldn’t decide, and suggested to Jay Gruden that he “flip a coin”.How many 2-point conversions will the Redskins attempt on Sunday against the Jaguars?prediction: zero (66%)actual: This question was a test to see how many people were paying attention.I have no idea what the four people who voted “4” were thinking.Did anyone actually think the Redskins were gonna score 4 touchdowns?Redskins rush for 118 yards against the Jacksonville defense on Sundayprediction: under (64%)actual: The readers got this one right, but it was close.The Redskins actually rushed for 109 yards.I don’t know how many fans considered the Josh Johnson factor when voting.Washington’s starting quarterback rushed 9 times for 49 yards (and still rushed for the lowest yardage of any QB in the game).Combined with his 151 passing yards, JJ accounted for 200 yards of the Redskins total offensive production of 245 yards.Kim Klement-USA TODAY SportsOh, yeah.Adrian Peterson ran for 51 yards on 19 carries.He had very little success for most of the game, but showed the value of sticking with a running game when he picked up tough yards and first downs on the ‘Skins final, game winning drive.Shifting the focus to the Tennessee TitansThe Titans are one of three AFC teams fighting for the #6 seed in the playoffs.Due to a relatively weaker AFC W-L record, the pressure is on the Titans (as it is on the Redskins) to win their last two games.A loss in either Week 16 or 17 will likely result in Tennessee players watching the AFC playoffs from the comfort of their living rooms.The team that takes the field at home against the Redskins is talented, and should be highly motivated to win on Saturday afternoon, but, while they are undoubtedly skilled, they can be beaten, and have been 6 times already this season.The Titans have been streaky in 2018, winning three, losing three, winning two, losing two, winning three.They look ripe for the picking, as a two-game losing streak in Weeks 16 & 17 would be in keeping with the rest of the season and would give them a perfectly symmetrical 8-8 season record.While a three-game win streak sounds impressive, when you look at the opponents — the Jets, Jags, Giants — it’s perhaps less intimidating.That’s not to say the Titans don’t have ‘quality’ wins this season, because they do.They’ve beaten the Cowboys and Patriots post-bye week, and they split with the Texans.But the Tennessee Titans, while a very good football team, are not an unbeatable juggernaut.Saturday’s game pits two teams against each other who each desperately need the win.I wrote this in an article I published on Friday:The Titans are 7th in overall defense (one spot behind last week’s opponent, the Jacksonville Jaguars) allowing 329 yards per game.In the past three games — all Titans wins — the Tennessee defense gave up: 280 to the Jets, who scored 22 points255 yards to Jacksonville, who scored 9 points260 yards to New Yord, who were shut outTennessee ranks 2nd overall in scoring defense, at 18.1 points per game (The Redskin defense is 13th, at 22.1 ppg).The Redskins offense is ranked 28th in the league, at 265 yards per game, and is also 28th in scoring, at 18.9 ppg.Kim Klement-USA TODAY SportsOver the past three games, Redskins offense has produced:235 yards, 13 points in a loss to the Eagles288 yards, 16 points in a loss to the Giants245 yards, 16 points in a win over the Jaguars