Redskins 10, Eagles 3 (final)

The Washington Redskins play the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday at 4:15 p.m. at FedEx Field in Lanham.

For up-to-the-minute scores and plays, click here.

FIRST QUARTER

What happened: The wind aided David Akers’ opening kickoff out of the back of the end zone, attesting to the power of the wind. Despite that wind, Washington came out determined to throw, and it worked to an extent; seven of Washington’s first nine plays were pass attempts, and for the quarter Campbell completed six of his nine attempts. But for the most part, the offenses traded 3-yard pileups and punts, and no team got across the 50 until the Redskins’ last drive of the period.

Analysis: Make it five straight games for the Redskins in which they’ve gone scoreless; that’s obviously one thing Jim Zorn and Co. didn’t fix with their week of introspection. Some of the same problems continued to haunt Washington: Dropped passes, poor pass protection and no push at the line, as Clinton Portis got nothing on third-and-1 to kill the Redskins’ second drive.

SECOND QUARTER

What happened: The quarter started on an ominous, head-scratching note for the Redskins. On third and four from the Philadelphia 34, Shuan Suisham came out for a 54-yard attempt with the wind at his back. The kick fell well short, and Quintin Demps returned it 55 yards. But Philadelphia got nothing going and got one first down before punting. Washington took over on its own 14 and took its longest drive of the season: 16 plays, going all the way to Philadelphia’s 14 before another field goal attempt, this one good from 33 yards. On Philadelphia’s ensuing drive, Zorn successfully challenged a spot that otherwise would have given the Eagles a first down. Washington got the ball back with two minutes left but mustered little more than getting Campbell clobbered by Darren Howard.

Analysis: After the rough start, the Redskins didn’t fare so badly. The short kick didn’t deflate them, as they responded with a defensive stop, a time-consuming drive and a down-the-middle field goal. The pass-protection breakdowns came back to haunt them after the successful challenge, which basically ended their final drive. Philadelphia, meanwhile, continued to look flat, with Washington more than doubling their first-half yardage.

THIRD QUARTER

What happened: The Eagles started with a slow march from their own 17, but Jason Taylor ended it with a fumble-causing sack of Donovan McNabb, which London Fletcher recovered. Starting in the ever-treacherous red zone, Washington needed only five plays for Clinton Portis to score on third and one. McNabb took advantage of busted coverage to complete a pass to Bryan Westbrook for the first time, who took it 47 yards to get the Eagles in the red zone. Four plays later they got on the board with a field goal.

Analysis: Washington played one of its most complete quarters since the first half of the season, as it moved the ball, finished a drive and got a takeaway — and capitalized on it. The early-second half double-digit lead was its first since Week 8. The Westbrook reception was huge, but the Redskins didn’t let the Eagles break through, forcing them to settle for a field goal.

FOURTH QUARTER

What happened: After a three-and-out mess of incompletions for the Eagles, Washington took over on its own 30. The drive had two highlights: A 19-yard scramble that didn’t end with Campbell getting clocked, and a 50-yard Ryan Plackemeier punt that landed at the Eagles’ 3. The teams then traded three-and-outs — six in a row — with McNabb throwing three incompletions on their third drive. The dropped balls and poorly thrown passes ground what had been a fast-paced game to a halt. Then, finally, the Eagles took advantage of a soft Redskins scheme to march down the field from their 9. The drive — and the game — ended just short of the goal line, with Laron Landry’s hit kept Reggie Brown out of the end zone.

Analysis: Had the Redskins all season had the type of punting they got Sunday out of Plackemeier, they might not have been playing for their playoff lives in Week 16. Hindsight, however, is 20-20, which makes for ugly viewing when looking back on a season of not-so-special teams. Washington got win that surely felt good, especially with the wild ending, but with Atlanta beating Minnesota minutes earlier it was largely for pride, as their postseason fate was sealed.