Yes, those 3-6 Redskins without Clinton Portis. Better even than the division-leading Dallas Cowboys, who they play today in the 99th game of their ever-bitter rivalry.
Simply put, the last-place Redskins are the only NFC East team that won its last game. Could it be the sign of a turnaround toward a late-season surge?
"I just sense that we won one game, we won our third game of the season. That's really all I can sense," Redskins coach Jim Zorn said. "Being 3-6, it's not a record that just bodes of competitiveness, but our players have not thrown in the towel. We're just trying to climb our way out of this hole we've dug."
Washington took a positive step with a 27-17 victory over AFC West leader Denver, scoring its most points for Zorn since his second game as coach last season. Ladell Betts ran for 114 yards in place of Portis (concussion) even with the Redskins' fifth starting offensive line combination this year.
The New York Giants haven't won in more than a month - a four-game losing streak since their 5-0 start - and Philadelphia has lost two in a row. Even Dallas (6-3), which had won four straight, needed a late touchdown to avoid being shut out last weekend by the desperate Green Bay Packers.
"It's going to be a tough challenge for us," Cowboys receiver Roy Williams said. "They're pretty much in the position as Green Bay last week. They're looking for this game to be their momentum swing and we just can't let that happen two weeks in a row."
After an impressive recovery from their 2-2 start that including a loss in Denver, the Cowboys have to make sure a downward spiral doesn't continue after the 17-7 loss in Green Bay. Williams' touchdown catch came with 38 seconds left.
"It was a lonely feeling in the end zone because it didn't matter," he said this week.
"We had a good run, but now from here on out we have to earn our victories. It's just that simple," Cowboys linebacker Bradie James said. "Let's start a new streak - that's what it's about."
Dallas has two games in a five-day span, following the Redskins with another winnable game: Thanksgiving Day against struggling Oakland. Then it's a trip to New York to face the Giants, whose last-play field goal in Week 2 ruined the Cowboys' debut in their new stadium.
