ASHBURN, Va. -- The tone of the next two weeks was headed down a direction the Washington Redskins did not want. Coach Jay Gruden understood that well. Which is why he's glad, in many ways, that the team finished off the best comeback in franchise history.
Because? Well…
"I probably wouldn't be standing up here today. I might have done something crazy," Gruden said, jokingly.
That, of course, would have left the Redskins at 2-5 entering the bye week with a game at New England on Nov. 8. Hardly the recipe to calm down a long-suffering fan base. But, instead, the Redskins rallied vs. Tampa Bay from a 24-0 deficit to win 31-30.
"It was a terrible start to a football game, it really was," Gruden said, in perhaps an understatement. "That's what makes the victory all the more sweeter. It wasn't like we came out and just didn't try or were lazy or lackadaisical. We had good energy. We were ready to play. They just took it to us. To come back from that whooping in the first quarter and put three good quarters of football together and get a comeback victory -- the biggest comeback ever in Redskins history -- it's just awesome."
And, yes, Gruden played along with the Kirk Cousins vine -- "Did you like that! Did you like that!"
"I liked it a lot," Gruden said. "It was a good performance by a lot of guys. ... It shows their character. You have to have strong character and will to come back from something like that."