Sports

RG3, Washington move step closer to East title

PHILADELPHIA — The light that suddenly flickered on for the Redskins six weeks ago still refuses to go out.

While their 27-20 nailbiter of a victory yesterday over the hopeless Eagles in what was surely Philadelphia coach Andy Reid’s last home game didn’t earn any style points, it did earn Washington another step towards its first playoff berth since 2007.

The Redskins’ sixth consecutive win — their longest regular-season streak in 16 years — did the Giants no favors while also setting up an epic win-and-they’re-in matchup with their storied rival, the Cowboys, on Sunday at FedEx Field.

“We’re playing the best ball that we have all year, and we’re doing it at the right time,” Robert Griffin III said after winning in his return from a one-game injury absence. “We’re rolling, and we all know it. Everybody’s just dialed in now.”

The Redskins are 9-6 and on the cusp of their first NFC East title this century (their last crown was in 1999), but their latest victory didn’t come nearly as easily as expected against a reeling foe with a rookie quarterback and a beleaguered coach headed out the door.

In fact, it wasn’t guaranteed until that rookie quarterback, Nick Foles, was whistled for an illegal forward pass from the Washington 5-yard line with eight seconds left.

The mandatory 10-second runoff from that penalty ended the game and finally allowed the Redskins to exhale after they nearly blew a 14-point fourth quarter lead and allowed Philadelphia to roll up 411 yards.

“It was a relief that it was over,” Redskins cornerback DeAngelo Hall said. “It felt like we let them off the hook at the end. We kept giving up plays, and we cannot do that.”

Although the Redskins’ defense struggled all day, aside from forcing two critical turnovers by Foles, their franchise quarterback took an impressive step in his maturation process.

After missing last week’s win over the Browns with a knee injury resulting from the type of reckless, open-field scramble that skeptics say will be his downfall, Griffin suddenly turned into a pocket passer yesterday.

Griffin carried just twice all day, preferring to let his right arm, and impressive rookie back Alfred Morris, do the heavy lifting instead. Griffin completed 16 of his 24 passes for 198 yards and two TDs while being sacked just once, and Morris came through with 91 yards and a score on 22 rushes.

“I’m a quarterback, not just a running quarterback,” Griffin said. “I can lead the team, throw the ball, assist guys and hand the ball off, too.”

The only drawback to Griffin’s day was a fourth-quarter interception that led to a TD and reawakened the slumbering Eagles, but Foles’ inexperience — he underthrew a wide-open receiver and was nearly picked off just before the penalty on the last play — saved the day for Washington.

Now, incredibly, the Redskins can think legitimately about winning the division and hosting a playoff game in the same season which coach Mike Shanahan publicly wrote off after Washington opened 3-6.

“What I enjoy about this team is they they just keep fighting until the very end,” said former Jets receiver Santana Moss, whose two receptions include a highlight-reel TD.

And, unlike the rest of the NFC East, the Redskins’ confidence is growing by the week.

“We know now that we can win any kind of game we [need] to, whether it’s a high-scoring game or a low-scoring game or a gut-wrencher at the end,” Griffin said. “It just feels good to be in this position, to continue to control our own destiny.”