Heartbreaking loss. Contrary to RobsObs thinking, the Redskins did show up and played in a very competitive and exciting game. RobsObs thought we were wasting jet fuel by going down there, that we would lose by at least 20, that the 'Skins were a down and out bunch and most did not believe we even had a chance.
We played hard and came very close to pulling it out in the end. JC had a strong game and it was good to see Moss get back to playing the way he did two years ago. I like that the coaches are recognizing the offensive tools that we have and have allowed Campbell to spread the field some. Our offense seems much more dynamic over the past two weeks. Again, very good effort by our offense yesterday.
For the second straight week, the defense let us down. They played strong in the first half but the secondary breakdowns in the second half are inexcusable. The mental errors are crushing.
I have no problem with the first TD. It was good coverage but it was a good route run by T.O. and a good pass from Romo. Not much you could do on that. The second TD was horrendous. It is 3rd and 19 and if there is one guy you need to cover it would be T.O. Instead there are blown assignments and he is left alone running down the hashmark for an easy TD. The third TD had to be another blown assignment by a safety. Cover 2 and T.O. is left running down the middle of the field with only London Fletcher covering. There needed to be safety help but I think the safety (I believe Landry) got caught up trying to cover the WR on the outside. Finally, the last TD where T.O. caught it on the sideline...again, blown coverage. Looked like Springs should have followed T.O. further since there was no one coming into the flat. Also, Prioleau has to get over there and at least make the tackle or push him out of bounds.
Interesting to see the very calm secondary coach, Jerry Gray, get as upset as he did. He let Springs have an earful on the sidelines. It was just horrible secondary play and the Redskin players knew it.
Sure, there is some consolation that we competed hard and had an opportunity to win the game against what most people would believe is the best team in the NFC. However, as I always say, at the end of the game there is only one stat that matters and we came out with the L. Hurts as we are now 5-5. We are still very much in the mix as far as the playoffs but we have to put together a string of victories and get back on the right track. We'll see what happens.
3 comments:
Not much more I can say. The loss hurts, especially given that we gave another game away. Not having Taylor in there definitely hurt us. It hurts to think that we let two division wins slip away in the 4th quarter in back-to-back games.
On a positive note, the coaches seem to have a lot more trust in JC. He made a costly mistake yesterday, but we can't blame him for letting T.O. score 4 times.
The next few games will be tough, but I think they're winnable if we go in hungry and JC's allowed to do what he obviously is able to do. We could (should) be 7-5 going into the Thursday night showdown with da Bears.
I will admit that I did not expect to win the Dallas game (although I expected a tough competitive game which is what we got). Frankly, I am more upset over the Philly game since we gave that one away. Still, yesterday we were set up for a win but couldn't pull it out. We need to win the next few games and we have the ability to do so but we just have to make it happen. The good news is that we hold the tie breakers against the Lions and the Cardinals who are also fighting for a playoff spot. Still, we have to find a way to close teams out and players need to come up with those one or two more critical plays to get that victory.
Yesterday is mostly disappointing because of the number of mental breakdowns in our secondary. Having Taylor back there certainly would have helped and could quite have possibly made the difference but the fact is that he wasn't available and we can't use that as an excuse. We play who we have available and they needed to do a better job. There is no moral victory in yesterday's loss. The good news is that I believe the players feel the same way and know what they need to do. Also, they seem to be rallying more and more around JC which is encouraging.
It will be a tough game at TB next week. They are fighting for the playoffs just as we are and it will be hostile territory. They also have a good defense and Galloway may present similar issues that T.O. did this past week. We'll see if we can bounce back and get a crucial win next week.
I didn't expect to win either, but when it became clear that we were dictating the pace of the game, it was also clear that we had a shot to win. It's a tough loss, but compounding it with losses to Green Bay, N.Y., and Philly, makes it that much worse to let another one slip by.
Taylor is an all-pro and is widely considered one of, if not the most, feared DBs in the league. Going with anyone else would be a drop-off, but whoever takes his place should know better than to let the opposition's best player run freely down field.
The Farkingqueers will be tough, but they are not nearly as dynamic as the Cowpokes are on offense. They play a more conventional 4-3 defense, which we should be able to open running lanes through. I am confident that JC will continue his solid play and find holes in the Tampa secondary.
As long as our defense doesn't crumble in the 2nd half, we'll be fine.
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