Rare Feats For D.C. Sports Teams Made Sunday Memorable

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As far as D.C. sports go, there are two specific stories from this Sunday that will hog local television and sports radio for the next few days.

These days, it’s hard to find a large number of local people that simultaneously believe in the Washington Redskins and Washington Wizards. Each team, despite lofty predictions and high hopes a few months ago, is likely to miss their respective postseason and the frustration lately has been palpable. But then Sunday happened, and while it doesn’t mean playoff runs will follow, the two teams were able to pull off a pair of unlikely victories that definitely made D.C. sports fans crack a smile.

The first rare feat on Sunday came in the form of Josh Johnson, the newest Redskins quarterback. Johnson is a guy that, despite spending time in 12 different NFL locker rooms, had never won a game as a starter. Yet, there he was in Jacksonville on Sunday as Washington’s starter, running for his life and playing as if his life depended on it. Nothing about the game was pretty, but four quarters and a miracle catch later, the 32-year-old finally won his first NFL start.

As for the Redskins, they improved to 7-7 and kept their playoff hopes alive. According to FiveThirtyEight, they have an 11-percent chance to sneak into the NFC Playoffs.

A few hours later, LeBron James and the Lakers rolled into Washington, D.C. for a game against the Wizards. Since LeBron is LeBron and the Wizards are the Wizards, the Lakers were favorites on the road. Nobody was surprised by the line; The King hadn’t lost a game in D.C. since Paul Pierce was starting for Washington. Yet, four quarters after tip-off, the Oubre-less Wizards walked off the court with a convincing 128-110 victory over LeBron and company. Four Wizards had 20-plus points — including a game-high 40 from John Wall — and LeBron left the District as a loser for the first time in years.

The Cavs lost a game in D.C. a few years ago with LeBron on the roster but he didn’t play in the game.

It was a good day for D.C. sports. Let’s just leave it at that and not look too far ahead.