October 21, 2013
Ceci Ferrara
Sports Writer
Sports Insider
The Redskins outscored and outlasted the Chicago Bears 45-41 at FedEx Field Sunday for their second win of the season. In the most exciting Skins game this season, Roy Helu Jr. rushed for three touchdowns, while Robert Griffin III seems to be back to his old self, rushing for a season high 84 yards.
“That’s the breakthrough I feel I’ve had for myself,” Griffin, who threw for 298 yards and two touchdowns, told reporters afterward. “I’m proud of that, to just go out there and play with your instincts. That’s what I meant when I said that’s what got me here and that’s what made me the player that I am.”
Teammate Logan Paulsen felt the positive changes in their quarterback reverberated throughout the entire team. “So much success was based off how he played, so to see him playing well and believing in himself makes me feel better,” he said.
Bears quarterback Jay Cutler exited in the second quarter with a groin injury after a sack and was replaced by Josh McCown. The Redskins led 24-17 at halftime, but the game turned into hot potato in the second half, with the teams trading touchdowns. Chicago made the Skins work for the win with McCown shining as a backup with 204 yards and a touchdown. Runningback Matt Forte matched Helu with three touchdowns on the day.
With just 3:57 left in the game, McCown threw the go-ahead touchdown for a 41-38 Bears lead. But that was enough time for the newly mobile Griffin to lead his team on a scoring drive that ended in Helu’s third touchdown run. Chicago got the ball back with 45 seconds left, but a Barry Cofield sack ended their shot at a comeback and sealed the win for Washington.
The Skins improved to 2-4 on the season, and next week travel to Denver to face Peyton Manning and the Broncos (6-1). While Manning has been playing MVP-level football this season, his defense is porous and currently ranked 29th in the league, which gives an advantage to the Redskins and their re-energized offense. But Washington will face Denver at least one player short. On Monday, the league announced they will be suspending Skins safety Brandon Merriweather due to illegal hits he made on Bears’ players on Sunday. The length of the suspension has not yet been announced, but it’s speculated to be no more than a couple of games.
World Series
The St. Louis Cardinals shut out the L.A. Dodgers 9-0 in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series for their first World Series berth since 2011. While the Boston Red Sox sent the Detroit Tigers home early with a 5-2 Game 6 ALCS win full of errors, bad base running and one infamous belly flop. It will be Boston’s third World Series appearance in 10 years, and first since 2007 when they swept the Colorado Rockies.
The Red Sox and Cardinals are familiar World Series foes. The two teams first faced off in 1946, with the Cardinals winning 4-3. They next met in 1967, where the Cards again came out on top after seven games. Most recently, the two teams met in the Fall Classic in 2004, when Boston swept St. Louis for their first title in 86 years.
With 11 Championships, the Cardinals are second only to the New York Yankees (27) in World Series wins. The Cards bested the Detroit Tigers in the 2006 World Series, and more recently the Texas Rangers in 2011. Despite the fact that their World Series rematch against the Boston Red Sox is almost a decade later, there is no doubt the Cardinals are looking to prove they can hold their own against the dominant American League team.
It’s hard to predict which team will win, as they have both done consistently well. The Red Sox and Cardinals finished the regular season with identical 97-65 records, and both advanced to the World Series after impressive Game 6 wins. With clutch hitting and their tendency to come from behind in postseason games, it’s unlikely the Cards will get swept this time around. Then again, Boston’s pitching has been almost flawless, highlighted by 38-year old reliever and ALCS MVP Koji Uehara.
The match-up between baseball’s best teams begins Wednesday night at Fenway Park.
