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A mixed bag

By Ryan O'Halloran | Thursday, November 6, 2008

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Three games above .500 but they haven't played well in a month and are 2-2 at FedEx Field.

Elite performances from three indispensable offensive players but only seven teams average fewer points.

Top-eight rankings in four major defensive categories but a group that produces far too few field-flipping plays.

That is where the Washington Redskins stand this week.

At 6-3, is the Gatorade cooler half-full or half-empty? Were the last four games emblematic of an exhausted team or what the Redskins really are?

Through the first nine games, the conclusion is there is no conclusion. The next three games - home against Dallas, at Seattle and home against the New York Giants - will be telling.

As Pete Kendall said the other day, everything is still out there for the Redskins. Whether they prove capable of taking it is a coin flip.

Q: Holy cow, are the Redskins 3-6 or 6-3? Shouldn't fans be rejoicing at the first nine games and how the Redskins might not need another December to Remember to reach the playoffs?

A: Just stating the facts. Looking at the St. Louis-Cleveland-Detroit stretch, the last month has been full of unimpressive football, particularly on offense. The Redskins flubbed an opportunity to destroy three subpar teams but instead gave one game away and survived two other games. In the NFL, it's all about progress, and the Redskins spent October on a treadmill.

Q: What needs to get better on offense? All the statistics look good, so something has to be missing, right?