The Washington Redskins are in a free fall. Thoughts of the playoffs have vanished. So have a few more starters. If it hasn’t already been confirmed that this is another lousy season, it soon will be.
Just eight days after they led the NFC East, the Redskins fell to 3-3 following an embarrassing 33-20 loss to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday. Washington simply was abused by a 1-5 opponent with a rookie quarterback.
Receiver Santana Moss is likely out for a few weeks after suffering a broken hand against Carolina. Running back Tim Hightower might be lost for the season with a knee injury. Demoted quarterback Rex Grossman didn’t even reach the bench, staying in the locker room the entire game with pneumonia. After losing a handful of starters the previous week, the Redskins are decimated by injuries.
And that’s not the scary part.
The defense crumbled Sunday just weeks after it ranked among the NFL’s top five. Opponents not only have figured out how to run through the line but pass over the secondary. Washington still has a pass rush, but it’s worthless if opposing offenses regularly deliver big plays.
The defense was supposed to compensate for a mediocre offense that makes 24 points seem like a mythical figure. Washington needs a high-scoring offense to counter its defensive collapse, and that’s not happening.
The Redskins look no different from their recent clueless predecessors. It seems Washington is no closer to ending its 20-year Super Bowl drought. Another rebuilding effort has brought better talent and a talented coach but not a consistent winner.
Coach Mike Shanahan used the well-worn tactic of taking the blame, saying he should have had the team better prepared. This time Shanahan was right.
The offensive playcalling has been ridiculous at times in 22 games under coordinator Kyle Shanahan. The Redskins passed in the waning seconds of the first half instead of running out the clock, resulting in a turnover and a short field goal that gave Carolina a 9-6 intermission lead. Throwing the ball short of the first-down marker on a fourth-and-4 later in the game is not defendable. It happened too often on third down, too.
At least Kyle Shanahan is a young coach who will learn. What’s defensive coordinator Jim Haslett’s excuse? Injuries and modest depth? That only works for so long, and 22 games are too long to keep permitting 30-plus points. If the Redskins finish 6-10 or worse again with this talent, Shanahan may have to rework his staff.
Perhaps the most galling part of the loss, other than seeing players smiling in the late moments, was cornerback DeAngelo Hall celebrating after dropping a possible pick-six. Even Deion Sanders wasn’t that self-congratulatory.
That the effort was there isn’t enough. It’s all about winning, and the Redskins are looking worse each week with little prospect for real improvement against a harder schedule.
It’s a free fall to 2012, and there’s no stopping it.
Examiner columnist Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Read more on Twitter @Snide_Remarks or email [email protected].
