You ever seen Raiders of the Lost Ark’s ending when they perform the ceremony and they open the ark and they see there are no tablets in there, that its just sand and the crazy german guy starts laughing as the sand slips through bad guy Bolloq’s hands and then the demons come pouring out of the ark and melt everyone’s faces?
Yah, that’s what’s happening to the Washington Redskins playoff chances except its Redskins fans faces who are getting melted with the sudden realization that the season might end in the same way it started, with utter disappointment.
With the 31-24 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, this two game losing streak has been a hard slap of reality onto this team’s face and it has to change very quickly or else we might start talking about a losing season instead of a winning one.
It seemed only days ago that we were talking about the playoffs and how this team was ready to make a big push and possibly be a real team with real playoff aspirations. Now all of the sudden, questions about their strength and resiliency have to be brought up again.
Does this team have those qualities? It certainly hasn’t seemed so in this two game losing streak. Its almost as if the defense thinks that the offense is going to bail them out and come storming back. Its obvious that isn’t going to happen and these shootouts only work when you can at least have some cover.
This Redskins defense is officially a major weakness of this team. Let there be no doubt. As if there is still some strange weirdo who thinks the Redskins defense is any good? Pffffffffffffff! Not even Joe Barry believes this.
Barry is doing the best he can (whatever that means), but clearly he knows they can’t stop anyone when the chips are on the line. The run defense just doesn’t have it. Why would anyone throw against the Redskins defense? It is their only mediocre strength. The run defense is just hoping for a lucky break.
Sure, defensive lineman Chris Baker is good, but is he really a difference maker? He had ZERO tackles in this game and he can’t be the only one that the team relies upon to do something. Hell, anything. But if he wants the money he is looking for, he better step up his game and take full responsibility for his lame play.
There was hope the defense would find a way to slow down opponents just enough, maybe 4 or 5 possessions a game, that would give them a chance right? That now seems like an impossible achievement. This defense will be lucky to stop anyone 2 or 3 times a game.
But blame shouldn’t be placed on just the defense this game. Kirk Cousins did not play up to his own self imposed expectations. Although, to be fair, he had a good deal of pressure in his face for most of the game . The left side of the line gave up one too many rushes as teams have apparently figured out left tackle Ty Neskhe’s weaknesses. All that talk of him being as good as Trent Williams can now go back into the arena league dungeon from whence it came.
Can we have a moment of silence for left guard Shaun Lauvao’s Redskins career? Because its over after this season. I know many fans have said he’s been the team’s weakest link on the offensive line, but did you see how he got beat on the Cousins sack/fumble?
Lauvao was pushed around like a dirty shopping cart at Safeway. Broken wheels and all.
Finally, lets blame Jay Gruden for having this team unprepared to handle a hungry, desperate Cardinals team. Gruden had extra time to prepare, and to understand that Arizona was in a dire position and that they might go for it on a 4th down in their own territory.
That was a desperate move. Gruden should of been screaming for a timeout and given his defense a chance, to mentally gather themselves for the make or break play. Or maybe he knew, what we all knew, when they lined up for it, that Arizona would get the first down.
Gruden apparently yelled viciously at the players after the game. Sources said they could hear it outside the locker room. That certainly makes Redskins fans feel a little better that he told them what is on his mind but he better come at them this week in practice to get real results.
At the ending of the Raiders of the Lost Ark when Indiana Jones asks about what is to happen to the ark and who is working on the project right now. Military intelligence officers answer with “Our TOP…men.” The next scene is some old dude boarding up the ark in a wooden crate only to place it among a million other wooden crates in a giant warehouse. For the Redskins fans asking the same type of question of whats to be done about this team and this season, it now looks like it might be joining the multitude of sad memories fans have had over the decades in the giant warehouse of their minds.
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