The Commanders not only scored from the defensive side when Kendall Fuller returned his interception 37 yards for a touchdown, the defense also shutout the Texans for the first half.
The Commanders defense did not yield a point until Ka’imi Fairbairn’s field goal with 9:53 remaining in the third quarter. The Texans did manage to find the end zone with 3:19 remaining in the game narrowing the Commanders’ lead to 23-10.
NFL rules certainly favor the offense, making scoring easier, and the NFL certainly doesn’t desire to see shutouts in their games. Interestingly enough there have been three shutouts already this season:
- Saints 24, Raiders 0 (Oct. 30, 2022)
- Patriots 29, Lions 0 (Oct. 9, 2022)
- Jaguars 24, Colts 0 (Sept. 18, 2022)
How about Washington? Well, Washington was last shut out on Oct. 20, 2019, on a wet soggy FedEx Field by the 49ers 9-0. You might also recall Washington finishing the 2018 season poorly with both Alex Smith and Colt McCoy being lost to season-ending injuries. They were shut out by the Eagles on December 30, 2018, 24-0.
When was the last time Washington shut out an NFL opponent?
Had Washington shut out the Texans Sunday, it would have been the first Washington shutout since the magical 1991 season when the former Redskins went 14-2, won the NFC, and then Super Bowl XXVI over the Bills 37-24.
In the 1991 season opener, Washington faced the Detroit Lions on Sunday Night Football. The Lions had to come to RFK without their injured Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders. Washington crushed the Lions 45-0.
Two weeks later, Washington rolled the Phoenix Cardinals 34-0 at RFK. If that wasn’t enough, two weeks later on Monday Night Football, the Eagles came to RFK without their starting quarterback Randall Cunningham. The Eagles had to play Pat Ryan and Jim McMahon and only managed four first downs in a 23-0 shutout against the eventual Super Bowl champions.
Therefore, it’s been 31 years since Washington’s defense shut out an NFL opponent. Sunday, the Commanders defense was good enough and the Texans offense lousy enough that after the first half, the Texans had managed a single first down, five total yards (6 rushing, -1 passing).
Consequently, at halftime, the idea for this story was born.