The offense showed signs of life late in the third quarter, giving the Redskins hope that a comeback neared. Except that the drive stalled, the coaches opted for a field goal on fourth and one and the kick was missed.
The momentum, what little they had created, was lost.
Not that Redskins coach Joe Gibbs agreed that the pivotal moment had just passed.
“There was no turning point,” Gibbs said.
And, sadly, he was right.
Because, in reality, the Giants slowly distanced themselves from the Redskins, bludgeoning them with a steady diet of Tiki Barber and a defense that suddenly played like it hadn’t all season. Just like that a two-game winning streak turned into a one-game frustration and 19-3 loss in the Meadowlands, otherwise known as Washington’s House of Horrors.
Worse, the Redskins (2-3) are now 0-3 in the NFC and 0-2 in the NFC East (both road games). One reason Washington made the playoffs in 2005 was because of a 5-1 record in the division and 10-2 in the conference.
“We’ve got to learn how to win division games on the road,” said Redskins right tackle Jon Jansen, speaking in a somber postgame locker room. “It was not the brand of ball that we wanted to play.”
He was speaking for the offense. He might as well have been speaking for the entire team.
Consider: Washington was outgained, 411 yards to 164;the Giants (2-2) converted nine of 16 third downs and gained 117 yards on three pass plays alone; they averaged more than seven yards on first down. It added up to yet another clunker up here for Gibbs, now 0-3 in the Meadowlands since his return.
The Redskins led, 3-0, after the first quarter when the Giants started to pull away, getting three Jay Feely second-quarter field goals for a 9-3 lead. Receiver Plaxico Burress capped an eight minute, five second drive to start the third quarter with a two-yard touchdown catch. The Giants had the ball to end the first half and again to start the second. In that time, they controlled the ball for 12 minutes, 31 seconds – in essence dominating the game – and managed 10 points on those two series.
Meanwhile, Washington’s lone scoring opportunity came after that drive. But kicker John Hall missed a 42-yard field goal attempt on fourth and one; Gibbs said he considered going for it, but wanted the points.
“That was really critical,” Redskins running back Clinton Portis said of the missed opportunity. “We needed to do more to help the defense out.”
But the overall ineptitude was nothing new here. Last year, Washington lost, 36-0, at the Giants; two years ago, the Redskins turned it over seven times in a 21-14 loss.
“We just couldn’t get anything going,” Gibbs said. “We couldn’t get a spark.”
Big plays still big problem
The Redskins defense again featured missed tackles and big pass plays to Giants receivers followed. There was a 44-yarder to Amani Toomer, running ahead of cornerback Mike Rumph; there was a 46-yarder to Plaxico Burress; there was a 27-yarder to Tim Carter; there was a 21-yarder to Toomer.
That’s 21 plays over 20 yards allowed this season — and counting.
“We keep saying every week we’ve got to stop it,” safety Adam Archuleta said. “Until we stop it, they’re going to try and keep throwing [deep]. We’ve got to stop making excuses.”
