Forty-five minutes after the Washington Redskins’ embarrassing 19-17 loss to the St. Louis Rams, defensive end Andre Carter and left guard Pete Kendall watched their chance for a shower also disappear.
A water main break at FedEx Field wreaked havoc with players who were the last to dress. For the Redskins, it was merely another indication of how badly the day went.
Things observers had started to take for granted about the Redskins didn’t go as planned Sunday. The turnover bug bit them three times. The offense didn’t block the St. Louis pass rush. And contrary to what defensive coordinator Greg Blache would say, the Rams’ Steven Jackson averaged nearly 5 yards a carry in the second half.
The loss isn’t necessarily a cause for panic. Consider it more of a lesson: Teams can’t win games they continually try to hand away.
Q: Well, so much for the Redskins rolling into the Monday nighter against Pittsburgh at 7-1. What was the biggest factor in the loss?
A: One factor divided into two sections - giveaways and takeaways. The Redskins went 344 snaps without a giveaway to start the year, then had three in a span of 23 snaps, which led to 10 St. Louis points. But just as big an issue is the defense’s continuing inability to catch the football. LaRon Landry and London Fletcher dropped sure interceptions.
Q: The offense looked like something out of Gibbs Version 2.0. Was Al Saunders secretly calling the plays?
A: After the game, Saunders - now calling the plays for St. Louis - was beaming. But seriously, the Redskins’ execution on offense was Week 1-ish. The pass protection was shoddy (a season-high four sacks allowed), and the turnovers have been mentioned. Jason Campbell didn’t seem like he had any time to throw downfield. Santana Moss had only two catches (after none last week), so it’s time for Jim Zorn to start devising new ways to get No. 89 involved.
Q: Durant Brooks was certainly involved, and he was certainly bad again after his first punt pinned St. Louis inside the 5-yard line. His time has to be up right?
A: If it doesn’t happen Tuesday, count on the Cleveland game being his last chance. Brooks averaged 34.2 net yards on five attempts, but the consistency just isn’t there, and this isn’t the time of the season to develop guys. The Redskins probably will be on the phone Monday arranging for a few tryouts for Tuesday. The only thing keeping Brooks on the roster is his status as a draft pick.
Q: Brooks may have set St. Louis up with some field position, but he had nothing to do with the Rams’ scoring drive to open the third quarter. Why are the Redskins so bad defensively coming out of halftime?
A: That one’s a mystery - and it’s a problem. Four out of six opponents have scored on their opening drives of the second half. Steven Jackson ripped runs of 7, 8, 9 and 7 yards for the Rams. Blache got ticked when quizzed about giving up the yards in chunks (and, yes, any run that gains more than 5 yards is a “chunk”). It’s as if the Redskins’ defense thinks halftime lasts 20 minutes, not 12.
Q: So 7-1 and even 8-1 are out the door for the Redskins. How concerned should we be about this defeat?
A: Ask that at about 8 p.m. Sunday. If the Redskins get the message - the margin for error in the NFL is slim regardless of the opponent - they should be able to bounce back and beat Cleveland. If the Redskins struggle but still win, that’s fine, too. But if they lose a second straight, it’s back to the panicky days after Week 1.
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