LaVar Arrington was kidding. Seems for the former Redskins linebacker took the offensive playbook with him to New York.
The Giants offense didn’t need insider knowledge to beat the Redskins defense. New York just ran its usual offense with Tiki Barber rambling through arm tackles as he often does against Washington for 123 yards. Quarterback Eli Manning looked like big brother Peyton with plenty of medium-range completions for 256 yards. New York simply knuckled past Washington, 19-3, on Sunday in an old-fashioned NFC East game.
Mr. Cheney — please raise the alert status to red. As in red-faced over such a flat effort.
The Redskins are bi-polar. One week they’re maniacs, the next depressing. It’s probably going to be that way the entire season.
Washington reverted to its earlier meager form following two impressive victories. The offensive line took turns letting their man hit quarterback Mark Brunell. The running game rarely saw any room and the passing game was grounded.
“It just wasn’t a good day for the Redskins,” quarterback Mark Brunell said.
Gee, thanks for the insight. Look for Brunell to become another talking head come retirement with that analysis similar to many other retired Redskins.
At least the offense made a few plays. The defense was flat out manhandled. The Giants didn’t punt until the third quarter. They hogged the ball and kicked field goals. New York closed the first half with a four-minute scoring drive and opened the third quarter with a near eight-minute touchdown drive. The Redskins offense could have gone sightseeing between snaps.
It was a complete fiasco. No one was worth a hoot. That New York only scored one touchdown and four field goals doesn’t excuse the defense. The Giants offense was in complete control.
“We just couldn’t get anything done,” Gibbs said. “We couldn’t get a spark anywhere. We couldn’t get a big play on offense today. … It wasn’t defense, it wasn’t special teams, it wasn’t offense. It was all of us.”
The team is hard to figure. You knew the Houston victory was fool’s gold because the Texans stink. But beating Jacksonville, 36-30 in overtime, was impressive given the Jaguars are supposed to be a playoff contender. Then again, the Jags came off a brutal schedule and played in Washington so maybe it wasn’t the breakout triumph everyone thought.
“The only good news is we’re going back home in front of our fans,” Gibbs said.
Yes, the Redskins get winless Tennessee (0-5) on Sunday at FedEx Field before traveling to undefeated Indianapolis (5-0) on Oct. 22. Washington will probably reach its Oct. 29 break at 3-4. It’s not crisis mode yet, but the Redskins’ inconsistent and underperforming efforts make oil market speculation seem simple.
Rick Snider has covered local sports for 28 years. Contact him at [email protected].
