PHILADELPHIA — Washington Redskins quarterback Colt McCoy left Monday night’s game with a lower leg injury, resulting in Mark Sanchez taking over in only his second game with the franchise.
On his first play from scrimmage, he handed off to running back Adrian Peterson, who took the ball 90 yards for a touchdown.
McCoy injured his right leg on a scramble on the final play of the first quarter. His leg whipped over as he was being tackled and hit Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins. McCoy finished the final two plays of the series, and with the defense on the field, he walked around on the sideline and was then escorted to the locker room.
That left Sanchez as Washington’s only quarterback. The Redskins signed him after starter Alex Smith broke his leg in Week 11 and was lost for the season. Sanchez had not played in a game since the 2016 season finale, when he completed nine of 17 passes for 85 yards and two interceptions in a 27-13 loss to the Eagles.
The Redskins signed Sanchez in part because Kevin O’Connell, their passing game coordinator/quarterbacks coach, and offensive coordinator Matt Cavanaugh both were with him in New York. O’Connell played with him. Redskins offensive line coach Bill Callahan also was on that staff.
The Redskins felt their familiarity with Sanchez would ease his transition. They also liked that he was 4-2 in playoff games, giving him experience in tense situations.