It was easy to think about the Super Bowl when the Redskins were 4-1 and 6-2. With an aggressive offense and road victories over Dallas and Philadelphia, the Redskins looked like a contender.
Now in the final month, the Redskins have become the great pretender.
The long NFL season tends to give teams the record they deserve, as Bill Parcells says, and the Redskins are probably a 9-7 team. At 7-5 with an offense fading faster than gas prices, Washington needs the luck of a lottery winner to make the playoffs.
The Redskins offense has no energy, no zip, no zing. They have no deep game. No inside game. The defense isn’t much better and special teams haven’t been special in a long time.
Washington must take at least three of four remaining games. While Philadelphia, Cincinnati and San Francisco should be wins, Sunday’s game at Baltimore is looking like a loss. That means Washington probably needs to sweep its final three and win tie-breakers for a wild card.
Boy, does that sound familiar.
Even more telling over the Redskins’ postseason prospects was three straight home losses to playoff teams. Pittsburgh, Dallas and New York all decisively beat Washington.
The Redskins haven’t shaken the midseason blahs. They were tired before playing Pittsburgh, claiming the coming bye would refresh them. Instead, Washington has since lost two of three and barely beat an awful Seattle team.
“We’re just not seizing the moment,” cornerback Fred Smoot said.
The moment has passed. Washington peaked early. The energy of a new coach that worked so well early has surrendered to a string of injuries, lack of depth and general malaise. When Santana Moss wore down, Washington’s young receivers didn’t emerge, Devin Thomas’ 29-yard touchdown run on Sunday notwithstanding. When Clinton Portis has a bad day, Ladell Betts hasn’t been the instant offense of the past.
“It doesn’t matter what we call if we don’t execute,” coach Jim Zorn said.
So they’re darned no matter what they call? Oh, the final month will be a long march.
“We’re not out of the playoffs,” Clinton Portis said. “Think back two weeks ago, everybody was crucifying the [Dallas] Cowboys. Now the Cowboys are back to America’s Team. I think we’re in that same situation. … We’ll be fine.”
Sorry — that pledge is too familiar around Washington to be believed.
Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Contact him at [email protected].
