Sure, Asante Samuel leads the team in interceptions, but for the first time this season, he got himself a pick-six. The only problem is it took both of Samuel's interceptions for the Eagles to cash in on those six points with two field goals.
Samuel intercepted Redskins' quarterback Jason Campbell twice in a three-minute span late in the second quarter, and helped turn the tide for the Eagles en route to the team's 27-24 victory.
"First, I'm happy that I got my picks of course, glory to god, and we got a team victory, a good team victory," Samuel said after the game. "We won and anything I could do to help out, that's why they signed me here. So I'm just trying to do what they brought me here for.
"We got six points off both of (the interceptions), so it definitely helped win the game. I can't quite say (they) were momentum-changers, but it definitely helped us win."
Samuel's two interceptions tie him for second in the NFL with seven. It's the most interceptions for an Eagle since Troy Vincent's seven in 1999.
"I guess it's just God-given ability," Samuel said, when asked what makes him such a prodigious turnover machine. "I just go out there and use my instincts. Coach (Andy Reid) lets me go out there and do my thing; I just try to make plays.
The Redskins' offense was effective for most of the day against the Eagles, especially on third down. In fact, Washington was able to convert eight of their first 12 third-down attempts, and Samuel's interceptions accounted for two of those missed conversions.
The first interception came on a third-and-2 with 3:11 left in the second quarter. The ensuing David Akers' field goal cut the lead to 14-13.
Three minutes later, Samuel made a diving interception after Campbell was hit by defensive end Trent Cole during his release. The Eagles closed out the half with another Akers field goal to give the home team a two-point lead at halftime.
The two-interception day for Samuel was especially impressive because he was listed as questionable coming into Sunday with a neck injury that forced him out of last week's game against the Chicago Bears.
"I'm still kind of banged up," he said. "I just have to go out there and fight through it the best way I can. It's a little nagging injury, but it'll get better.
"I didn't know what to expect until I got on the field. I was going to go out there and give it a shot. First contact felt pretty good, I could still feel a little something, but I could roll with it."
For Samuel and his teammates, there are no style points for the hard-fought victory.
"It's hard to beat somebody convincingly two times a year, as far as beating them period," Samuel said. "We won a tough game last week, we won a tough game this week and that's all we can ask for, just keep trying to win tough games.
"We don't like it, but we'll take it. We'd love to be in first place, undefeated, home-field advantage all that good stuff, but we'll deal with it."
-- Posted by Bo Wulf, 6:12 p.m., November 29
