As if the 2-5 record and an inability to exceed 17 points weren’t enough of an indication, the flaws in the Washington Redskins’ roster were on display Sunday… on their bye weekend.
They simply don’t have enough playmakers in general and young playmakers in particular to compete with the league’s elite and even mediocre teams.
That can be the only conclusion after a Sunday spent watching players like Baltimore running back Ray Rice, Minnesota receiver Percy Harvin, Miami kick returner Ted Ginn and the Philadelphia trio of DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin and LeSean McCoy make game-changing plays.
But on a day when St. Louis broke a 17-game losing streak, Houston climbed two games above .500 for the first time in franchise history and Philadelphia flexed its muscles against the Giants, it was an old guy who was the top story.
Q: Brett Favre’s return to Green Bay with the Vikings certainly met expectations. What was the difference?
A: Minnesota won because it has better personnel. The Vikings have an elite pass rush, a superstar running back (Adrian Peterson) and a rookie playing like a veteran (Harvin). And then there’s Favre, who posted his 21st career four-touchdown game, tied with Dan Marino for the most ever.
Green Bay got back in the game when the Vikings forgot how to tackle, but Minnesota (7-1) showed a national audience it has several of the needed pieces to make an extended playoff run. The Vikings have their bye and then three straight home games.
Q: The Giants have lost three straight after starting 5-0. What’s wrong with them?
A: Their defense looks broken. The Giants have allowed 112 points during the losing streak. Safety Kenny Phillips’ absence is being felt particularly in the passing game. Donovan McNabb was able to survey the field and find Jackson, Maclin and Brent Celek roaming open down the middle of the field.
Offensively, Eli Manning always has a stretch in which he throws passes up for grabs - six interceptions in the three losses - but he’ll get things fixed… probably.
Q: Philadelphia is 5-2, and Dallas is 4-2. The teams meet next week in Philadelphia - is NFC East supremacy on the line?
A: For the time being, yes, and for the long haul, absolutely if the Eagles win. Philadelphia’s offense can be so dynamic once Andy Reid decides not to screw around with bells and whistles. Keep McNabb in the game all the time and let him use his myriad weapons.
Jackson has six touchdowns of 50-plus yards this year, Maclin is making an impact as a rookie, Celek is the Eagles’ version of Chris Cooley and rookie runner McCoy rushed 11 times for 82 yards. All are draft picks. Particularly with McCoy, the Eagles knew Brian Westbrook was injury-prone so they drafted his replacement instead of waiting. What a novel concept.
Q: Dallas thumped another opponent at home. Are the Cowboys headed in the right direction?
A: That should be clear in the next two weeks when Dallas plays at Philadelphia and Green Bay. Miles Austin has been a discovery for Tony Romo - he has six TD catches and is averaging 21.7 yards a catch.
The Cowboys always will be a tough team to figure out because that’s their history. They needed overtime to win at Kansas City early this year and then thumped Atlanta at home.
Q: Back to the playmaker angle, what are the Redskins specifically lacking in that department?
A: Well… everything. Just looking at Sunday’s games, the Redskins need to make a bunch of changes just to get close to teams like Indianapolis, Minnesota and Philadelphia
Ginn returned two kickoffs for touchdowns (106 and 101 yards), and Harvin’s 77-yard return set up a Vikings score. Chicago’s Charles Tillman scored on an interception.
One of the Redskins’ problems is that everything requires hard labor. To start the second half last week, the Redskins needed six plays to move from their own 32 to the Philadelphia 46. They don’t get a lot out of the return games and aren’t able to take vertical shows downfield.
Q: There were more blowouts Sunday. Things will only get worse, right?
A: It’s going to be a long second half for a lot of teams. The disparity is exhibited by how the lesser team just runs out of gas. At 2 p.m. Sunday, only the Eagles had a double-digit lead (16 points). By the end of the early games, five teams - Philadelphia, Dallas, Chicago, Baltimore and Houston - had won by more than 20 points.
Cleveland is the best candidate to finish 1-15. The Browns have scored six or fewer points in four games, and Eric Mangini pulled the plug on Derek Anderson (10.5 passer rating) with three minutes remaining.
Q: St. Louis defeated Detroit and Tennessee blew out Jacksonville, making Tampa Bay the only winless team. When will the Bucs win?
A: Rams coach Steve Spagnuolo pulled out all the stops because this might have been St. Louis’ last best chance. He called a fake field goal that resulted in a 36-yard touchdown pass. In his first start in more than a year, Vince Young was 15-for-18 for 125 yards for the Titans, so expect the final half of the year to be an audition for him.
Tampa Bay’s in trouble. The Bucs have gone to Plan C at quarterback (rookie Josh Freeman), and their only real chance will be Week 15 at Seattle.
Q: With some teams halfway through their schedule, which 12 teams will make the playoffs?
A: AFC - Indianapolis, New England, Denver, Pittsburgh, Baltimore and Cincinnati. NFC - New Orleans, Minnesota, Philadelphia, Arizona, Dallas and Atlanta.
The Colts and Saints are the last two undefeated teams, but New England is still worthy of elite status. The NFC playoffs are going to be terrific because of the offenses and the potential for several games to be played indoors.
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