Key stats, quotes from Redskins playoff loss

“Green Bay is a playoff-caliber team and they showed it tonight”.

It was a better season than most expected for the Redskins, who won their first NFC East crown since 2012. “It would’ve been out of bounds on a Canadian field probably”. A blown touchdown, a missed extra point, penalties and poor play calling squandered their postseason chances, as the Green Bay Packers eliminated Washington, 35-18, January 10 at FedEx Field.

The Packers will travel to face Arizona in the 2nd round of the National Football League playoffs next Saturday night. James Starks scored touchdowns on the Packers next two drives, putting the Packers up by 14 and the game nearly out of reach.

Instead Walsh’s chip shot hooked left – ending the Vikings season and a few hours later the Cardinals geared up for another rematch with the Green Bay Packers.

Green Bay, Seattle, Pittsburgh and Kansas City won over the weekend, marking the first time road teams went 4-0 in the wild-card round in the current playoff format, which started in 1990. But we just needed a game like this to get our mojo back. Newly signed Alex Smith, brought in Derek Carrier went down, caught his first pass as a Redskins and rumbled for a 16-yard gain, trucking over Packers in his path. Reed responded with an 11-yard first down, following Alfred Morris picking up one of his own.

Green Bay fell behind 11-0 early in the second quarter before Rodgers, who completed only one-of-eight passes for 11 yards in the opening quarter, got his sides’ attack into gear on an unseasonably warm, windy day in the U.S. capital.

The Packers then were able to take over, with Rodgers finding Randall Cobb from 12 yards out to narrow the gap to 11-7. Rodgers even got a couple of free plays by quick-snapping the ball when Washington still had 12 men on the field. We got our confidence going. He directed traffic and basically did whatever he wanted the rest of the way.

After an bad first quarter, the offense scored on five straight possessions.

“I mean, it’s a little sick feeling any time you lose a game at the end of the year, not matter when it is”, Coach Jay Gruden said. The television broadcast caught Aaron Rodgers with a confident smile and a strut in his step.

Long was replaced on those drives by Josh LeRibeus, who had been the starting center for the last 11 games of the regular season before Kory Lichtensteiger returned following a nerve issue that weakened his left arm.

The scores were opened via a safety when Redskins rookie line-backer Preston Smith pushed J.C. Tretter back into quarterback Aaron Rodgers for an end zone sack.

But Rodgers, mixing in an effective running game with James Starks and Eddie Lacey carrying the ball, directed Green Bay on a pair of touchdown drives, capping the second on with two-point pass conversion to put the Packers on top 32-18. At the midway point of the third quarter, Green Bay had only 19 rushing yards on 10 carries.

In the end the Redskins were more pretender than contender, but there are pieces around which to build.

Injuries of note: Adams suffered a knee injury in the second half but McCarthy did not know the severity after the game.

Washington added a field goal later in the first quarter to go up 5-0. I take the blame for that we’ve got to be better.

“We couldn’t get them off the field”.

And Rodgers is the conductor, as good at it as anyone in the game not named Brady. Their running game was sound.

“We came together today and played for each other”, said Rodgers, per the Packers.

With about six minutes until halftime, Green Bay defensive end Mike Neal sacked Cousins, and the Packers recovered the loose ball near midfield. “It’s the way you need to play, and we’re going to have to play that way moving forward”.