Missed Field Goals Lead Redskins to Sixth Straight Loss
Who would of thought the bye week would have been the worst thing for the Washington Redskins this season? A healthy 3-1 record through the first four weeks of the season, then leading into the bye during week five, seemed like the Skins' season was finally heading in the right direction for once. Every Skins fan should have known better. Week 11 brought the same result as the five weeks before it: another Washington loss. This time, the loss hurts twice as much, as the Skins fell to the Cowboys in overtime, 27-24.
The Redskins lost their sixth straight, this one to their rival, the Cowboys. The loss drops them to 3-7 overall, and made sure that they will have been swept by at least one of the other teams in the NFC East. Coupled with the Giants losing to the Eagles, the win gave Dallas an edge in the East playoff race, putting them atop the division with the tie breaker over New York. The Skins lay all by themselves on the cellar floor.
If there ever was a game where the offense needed to show up, it was this one. The defense, which played very well and has been throughout the losing streak, can only do so much before breaking after so much bend. But, thankfully, the offense did do its part to try and get a win for the hometown crowd. Rex Grossman started under center, and statistically, did have a good game. His passer rating was in the mid 90s, and he threw for 289 yards, completing 25 of his 38 attempts, two touchdowns and one interception. He fumbled the ball once, but it was recovered by Washington. Grossman looked very poised throughout the game, but looked his best in the 2 nd and 4 th quarters when the Skins needed a score.
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Down 10-0 with just over seven minutes left in the first half, the Skins took over after a terrible Dallas punt gave the Skins the ball on the Cowboy's 32 yard line. One big pass play to David Anderson got the ball inside the 10, and Grossman ran it in from four yards out to get within three. The Skins' other scoring drive in the first half came when Washington got the ball with just over two minutes left before the half. A great punt return by Brandon Banks set up Washington in Dallas territory, and a couple short passes and a short run led to a Jabar Gaffney 16 yard touchdown with just 14 seconds left on the clock. The Skins extended their lead in the 3 rd quarter with a Graham Gano field goal to 17-10 on their first possession. On the next Washington possession, the Redskins had a chance to take a ten point lead, but a missed Gano field goal gave Dallas the ball back, and Romo took it right down the field and tied it up. Dallas' next possession also led to a touchdown, this one on a 59 yard toss to Jason Witten. After a Grossman interception, the Skins held the Cowboys and forced a punt after five plays. With just over five minutes to play and the length of the field to tie, the Skins took over, and Grossman couldn't have looked much better. Rex went 6/7 for 83 yards and the game-tying touchdown to Donte Stallworth with 14 seconds left on the clock. Washington won the coin toss in overtime, and were driving right down the field until the drive stalled at the Dallas 34. Gano lined up for the game winner, but the kick sailed right of the goal posts. On the ensuing possession, Romo made the plays that win games and brought his team down to the Skins' 21 yard line, setting up the Dan Bailey game-winner.
The Skins travel to Seattle in week 12 to face the 4-6 Seahawks. The Seahawks are coming off two straight wins, knocking off the Baltimore Ravens and the St. Louis Rams in those contests. Like the Redskins, the Seahawks have a struggling offense but make up for it on the defensive end. Unlike the Redskins, Seattle has found a way for its offense and defense to show up at the same time and win some games. It's looking like the Redskins' front office should start watching a lot more college football than they already have been because, unfortunately, it's also looking the Skins are going to be on the clock pretty early next April.
By Matthew Dagen
ProFootball-fans.com Washington Redskins Correspondent