If Washington wants a blueprint to the postseason, they should borrow Baltimore’s. The Ravens clearly know how to rebuild.
A rookie quarterback and first-year coach haven’t stopped the Ravens from rebounding from four wins last season to nine with three weeks remaining. Baltimore is peaking in the season’s second half with a possible division title.
And Washington? Looks like the Redskins are done.
Baltimore beat Washington 24-10 last night before a M&T Stadium-record crowd of 71,438. The crowd was barely frost-bitten before the Ravens led 14-0. The game then returned to the expected mind-numbing defensive battle with Washington’s kicker once again faltering and the end zone nearly abandoned.
This is getting old. The once 6-2 Redskins are now 7-6 with less chance of a turnaround than Barack Obama’s economic plan.
It doesn’t matter the defense played well overall. The Redskins were shredded on the first drive. Washington was beaten on fourth-and-one in the third quarter for 24 yards that led to a 17-0 lead. The Redskins surrendered an 83-yard touchdown drive after closing to 17-10.
The Redskins have no excuses. Nor do they have any solutions. Kicker Shaun Suisham has gone cold, but finding another kicker in December is harder than scoring inaugural tickets. You can scream for wildcat formations til Christmas, but the offense is a toothless cougar. The playmakers are beaten up, the quarterback looks dazed and the offensive playcalling has the sexiness of Don Rickles kissing Phyllis Diller. Washington only scored thanks to defensive turnovers.
A perfect example why Baltimore will play in January while Washington prepares for another unproductive draft came in the fourth quarter. After offensive tackle Stephon Heyer replaced injured Jon Jansen, the Redskins were forced to play reserve center Justin Geisinger at left tackle when Chris Samuels tore his tricep. Two plays later, the Ravens ended the drive with a sack over Geisinger.
The Redskins should have had Jared Gaither in reserve. Instead, the Ravens stole the left tackle for a fifth round supplemental pick last year. The Redskins ignored the Maryland lineman, saying they wanted to save their draft picks for the next spring.
The Redskins are now last in the NFC East. Washington should beat a horrid Cincinnati team on Sunday, but Philadelphia and San Francisco are no longer sure wins. Washington is staring at 8-8.
They coulda been contenders.
Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Contact him at [email protected].
