It’s a Ki-Jana Party as Redskins Win Again

All of a sudden, the Washington Redskins are playoff contenders.

Ki-Jana Carter scored his first touchdown in two years and Washington shut down Donovan McNabb as the surprising Redskins won their fifth consecutive game, 13-3, over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.

Washington is the first team in NFL history to win five in a row after starting the season with five consecutive losses. The Redskins moved within one game of the first-place Eagles in the NFC East.

“Coming from where we came from, we’re in the driver’s seat,” Redskin defensive end Bruce Smith said. “I don’t know how many people thought we’d win, but we knew it in the locker room.”

Washington plays four of its last six games at home, including another matchup against the Eagles on Dec. 16.

Philadelphia (6-4) had won three straight, including its last two by a total of 64 points. But the Eagles couldn’t do anything on offense against the Redskins.

They went three-and-out on their first five possessions, punted on the first seven and didn’t get a first down until the two-minute warning of the first half.

Washington controlled the ball for 37:47 and held the Eagles to 186 yards and seven first downs.

“I can’t say that we weren’t ready to play, but that’s the way it seemed,” Eagle Pro Bowl linebacker Jeremiah Trotter said.

After stopping Philadelphia on fourth-and-three at the Washington 35 with 9:25 left, the Redskins held the ball for almost nine minutes before Brett Conway kicked a 32-yard field goal for the 10-point lead with 30 seconds left.

Redskin quarterback Tony Banks completed 12 of 18 passes for 96 yards, and Stephen Davis ran for 79 yards despite a sore back that forced him to miss part of the game.

McNabb was 15 for 27 for 92 yards. Duce Staley had 50 yards rushing in 15 carries.

“The atmosphere was electrifying,” Banks said. “It was like the playoffs. To get to 5-5 and back to mediocrity--I’m not saying we’re mediocre because we’re better than that, but that’s what the record is--there’s a lot of football to be played.”

Carter, who entered the game when Davis left in the first quarter, gave the Redskins a 7-0 lead on a five-yard run 63 seconds into the second quarter.

He broke a tackle by Hollis Thomas and ran up the middle for the TD.

Selected by Cincinnati with the No. 1 overall pick in the 1995 draft, Carter never established himself with the Bengals. He dislocated his right knee in the third game in 1999 and sat out until this year.

“Everybody wrote me off, but I knew what kind of player I am,” said Carter, who finished with 56 yards rushing in 18 carries. “I had confidence in myself. I knew I’d get another shot.”

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Reversal of Fortune

With a 13-3 victory at Philadelphia, the Redskins moved within one game of the first-place Eagles in the NFC East. Washington is the first team in NFL history to go 5-0 after starting the season with five consecutive losses. The key to the turnaround has been the Redskins’ running game and their ability to stop the run.

Below is a glance at how the Redskins, Eagles and Giants have fared over the last five games.

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REDSKINS EAGLES GIANTS Record 5-0 3-2 2-3 Avg. pts. 21.8 23.6 18.2 Avg. pts. against 9.8 12.0 25.5 Rush yards 148.2 131.0 107.0 Pass yards 178.4 154.4 243.2 Total yards 326.6 285.4 350.2 Opp. rush yards 81.6 120.4 107.2 Opp. pass yards 193.8 166.6 210.4 Opp. total yards 275.4 287.0 317.6 Turnover ratio +6 +7 E

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