It's a Good Day In Washington

It hasn't felt like this in Washington in a long, long time. It's been nearly a decade since the city has had a chance to feel this good. No, there were no peace accords signed. No terrorist attacks averted. No landmark, bipartisan agreement between Democrats and Republicans.

What happened? The Redskins beat the Cowboys, and in dramatic fashion. If you don't live in Washington or root for the Redskins, last night's game may not seem very significant. And, truth be told, once the season ends it may turn out that the game was insignificant. But for one night Washingtonians was able to celebrate in grand fashion as their beloved Redskins pulled out a miracle against the hated Cowboys in game that actually mattered. For 55 minutes the Redskins looked downright awful, but they refused to give up and completed two long touchdown passes in the final 4 minutes to secure an improbable 14-13 win in Dallas.

Perhaps no one will enjoy today more than Redskins coach Joe Gibbs. He needed this win. This was his 18th game since return to coaching after 11 years away from the game. The first 17 didn't go so well. With this win Gibbs has not only reestablished the confidence of Washington fans in his ability to coach, he may have even reestablished some confidence in himself. That, more than anything else, may be exactly what he needed. The win didn't prove that Joe Gibbs has a great game plan, or that his offensive scheme is unbeatable. Far from it. But it did show that a team coached by Joe Gibbs will not give up on him and they will fight until the very end.

Yes, today is a good day in DC. There haven't been many following Cowboy week in recent years -- thanks in part to the fact that Dallas had won 13 of the last 14 meetings with Washington. But two receptions by Santana Moss erased 10 years of misery -- at least for one day. The season is young and the Redskins are only 2-0 -- but 2-0 is as good as you can be after 2 games so no one in this town is complaining.

Redskins Stun Cowboys [WP]
Boswell in the Washington Post
Wilbon in the Washington Post
Randy Galloway in the Fort-Worth Star Telegram