Loss to Lions Drops Skins to 4-4

The Washington Redskins up-and-down season continued to do just that after losing to the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on Halloween afternoon. In what was surely a scary game for the defensive coordinators, the offenses and special teams stole the show in this one. With the win, the Lions improved to 2-5, matching their win total from last season. The Skins dropped to 4-4, recording their second loss to the Lions in as many years.

In a game that featured six lead changes until Detroit finally sealed it in the fourth quarter, there were also two non-offensive touchdowns that helped both teams throughout the game. The first one should have been a kickoff return for a touchdown by Washington's Brandon Banks, but that got wiped out by a holding call. Thankfully, Banks is a pure enough athlete to be able to do it again, and he did about half way through the fourth quarter, giving the Skins a 25-20 lead after the two-point conversion failed. After Detroit had retaken the lead on a Calvin Johnson touchdown reception from Matthew Stafford, and then another field goal a few minutes later following a Skins turnover, Lions' number two overall pick Ndamukong Suh recovered a fumble and took it to the house to put the game out of reach. By that point, Rex Grossman was in the game, and all Skins fans knew hope was lost for this one.

Prior to getting benched late in the fourth quarter, Donovan McNabb put up similar numbers that he has been posting throughout the season. He completed 17 of his 30 pass attempts for 210 yards, with one touchdown and one interception. Turnovers have been a problem for McNabb so far this year, as he has now thrown at least one interception in each of the team's last six games.

> Find Washington Redskins hats & Merchandise online through Pro Football Fans for all your team gear!

One bright spot for the Skins' offense is wide receiver Anthony Armstrong. He's quietly putting together a nice little season so far. Halfway through, Armstrong has 14 receptions for 276 yards and a touchdown, including the three receptions for 92 yards he had against the Lions. While he's still the number three option behind Santana Moss and Chris Cooley, Armstrong does seem to be McNabb's favorite deep-ball threat. For the season, he's averaging close to 20 yards per catch, and has had multiple grabs of over 50 yards.

The 37 points scored by the Lions was the most given up by the Skins defense so far this year, and the third time the Skins have given up more than 30, all three of which were losses. The defense has been forcing some turnovers recently, though. DeAngelo Hall added another interception to his season total, which now stands at six. London Fletcher also recovered a fumble during the game. Albert Haynesworth, who seems to fitting into his role in the 3-4 nicely now, recorded the team's only sack of the contest.

The Skins take the loss into their bye week, and will have the extra week of practice to prepare for the Philadelphia Eagles coming to town for Monday Night Football during week 10.

By Matthew Dagen
ProFootball-fans.com Washington Redskins Correspondent