'Skins make playoffs, and Taylor's at their side
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Taylor isn't there physically because of his senseless murder last month, but the free safety's presence can still be felt with the same intensity as the bone-jarring hits he delivered.
Immediately after Washington assured itself a playoff berth Sunday by trouncing a Dallas squad with nothing to play for, Redskins players pointed to the stadium scoreboard. The margin of victory in their 27-6 win was 21 points.
Taylor wore jersey No. 21. Coincidence?
"Our guys didn't think it was by accident," Redskins coach Joe Gibbs said.
Redskins wide receiver Santana Moss took it one step further.
"That man up there is playing with us," said Moss, who was one of Taylor's best friends. "I talk to him when I'm away from the game. I talk to him when it's time to play. I want him to know that I've got his back and want him playing with me until I can't ride anymore."
Exactly one month ago, Washington's ride toward the playoffs was seemingly over. Playing just five days after Taylor was shot during a botched robbery attempt at his South Florida home, the Redskins suffered a crushing 18-17 home loss to Buffalo. Washington played to honor Taylor but made far too many mistakes, including Gibbs' devastating coaching gaffe — the illegal use of two consecutive timeouts — that helped set up Buffalo's game-winning field goal.
The Redskins left the field emotionally drained — and that was before heading to Miami the next day for Taylor's funeral. Roughly 72 hours after returning, Washington had to play Chicago with time for only skeleton practices beforehand.
But the Redskins defeated Chicago — led by a 36-year-old journeyman quarterback named Todd Collins, no less — and haven't lost since. In fact, they haven't even trailed.
"We felt like we went through the toughest time," Redskins running back Clinton Portis said. "It couldn't get any tougher than that.
"I think everybody's attitude used to be that when you got your back up against the wall during hard times, everybody went in different ways. I think as a team losing Sean, everybody had to go in the same direction. That's the direction we're traveling in now."
Following Sunday's game, Portis took a No. 21 towel and wore it like a cape. Portis did play like Superman at times. He rushed for 104 yards and two touchdowns, raising his jersey to reveal a Taylor T-shirt after his second score.
The tributes didn't end there. Gibbs donned a black No. 21 baseball cap at his post-game news conference. Commemorative playoff T-shirts include the circular No. 21 logo that was affixed on NFL helmets following Taylor's death. And as a pre-game motivational ploy, Redskins coaches gave players a photo that Taylor had autographed for a fan during training camp.
"It said, 'Just beat Dallas,'" said Portis, referring to Washington's heated rivalry with the Cowboys. "That's what the fan wanted. That made the picture all the more memorable."
This victory should be placed in perspective. Having already secured home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, Dallas approached Sunday's match-up with the same intensity as a preseason contest. The Cowboys used vanilla schemes, rested three ailing Pro Bowl players (wide receiver Terrell Owens, center Andre Gurode and cornerback Terence Newman) and yanked quarterback Tony Romo after the first second-half series.
As it turns out, the Redskins (9-7) didn't need a win to reach the playoffs. Minnesota and New Orleans — the only other NFC teams in playoff contention — both lost Sunday.
Still, that shouldn't diminish Washington's inspired effort. Redskins defensive players were vibrant while allowing the lowest rushing output (1 yard) in Cowboys history. Moss also remains one of the NFL's hottest wide receivers with eight catches for 115 yards, including a 42-yard touchdown catch that put the game out of reach early in the fourth quarter.
Cowboys coach Wade Phillips' lackadaisical, non-Coughlin-esque approach could be second-guessed if Dallas flounders in the post-season. The Cowboys (13-3) haven't looked particularly sharp since an early December victory four games ago. Either Dallas is simply saving its best for last or the Cowboys could end the NFC's three-season streak of sending its No. 1 playoff seed to the Super Bowl.
"Please don't turn this game into something that it really isn't," Cowboys strong safety Roy Williams said.
The Cowboys defeated the Redskins last month and will get another rematch if Washington wins Saturday's first-round game at Seattle. But even if they fall short, the Redskins already are winners for doing what Taylor's father Pedro said would be the ultimately way to honor his son: Make the playoffs.
"We definitely know Sean is with us," Redskins kick returner Rock Cartright said. "I think we've got an angel upstairs watching over us."
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