D for dismal

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IRVING, Texas -- There were no miracles for the Washington Redskins this time around at Texas Stadium.

Last year against the Dallas Cowboys, the Redskins were able to steal a division road win with two late Mark Brunell-to-Santana Moss touchdowns.

Last night the only miracle was that despite the passing game's incompetence and defense's inability to make a third-down stop, the Redskins remained in striking range until the first play of the fourth quarter, when a 40-yard touchdown pass from Drew Bledsoe to Terry Glenn chop-blocked the visitors, sending them to 0-2 with a pitiful 27-10 loss to their biggest rival.

"This is as tough time as I can remember," coach Joe Gibbs said. "The only way to fix it is to find a way to put this thing together to win next Sunday [at Houston]. That's the only thing that can get us going."

The Redskins have nothing going for them right now. They simply aren't very good, and they have more questions today than they did Sept. 1, a day after finishing the preseason 0-4.

Will Clinton Portis' left shoulder be healthy in the near future after sitting out last night's game? The running game had only 93 yards against the Cowboys.

"It's a difficult situation any time you can't help your team," said Portis, who was told by Gibbs on Wednesday he would sit out because of a rotator cuff injury to his left shoulder. "I feel like I'm a key ingredient to this offense. It's hard to watch when you can't help."

Will Shawn Springs return soon, and will he be effective after missing a month with an abdominal surgery? The Cowboys were 6-for-16 on third down, and Bledsoe was 19-for-38 passing for 237 yards.

"We're not clicking right now, and somewhere along the line, we have to get it back going and find that sort of magic we had last year," defensive end Renaldo Wynn said.

And, maybe most importantly, is Brunell the right quarterback to steer Al Saunders' passing offense? He was 18-for-33 for 197 yards, a key interception and another slew of misfires. He looked every bit of his 36 years.