’49ers15′
courtesy of ‘Homer McFanboy’

It is starting to feel like the Redskins are playing the same game each week. The names and faces of the opponents change, but the results and the recipe are the same. The defense struggles against the run, the secondary gets torn apart when the opposing quarterback gets time, and the Redskins offense is the Redskins offense. The change from Beck to Grossman did some good as Grossman was at least able to get the Redskins into the Red Zone, but then remembered he was Rex Grossman and promptly turned the ball over in the fashion that has become all too familiar to those that have watched Grossman through his career.

It wasn’t all bad for the Redskins. Rookies Ryan Kerrigan and Leonard Hankerson had good games. Kerrigan had two sacks one of which caused a fumble and Hankerson had eight catches for over 100 yards. Both players were drafted in 2011 and are part of the Redskins commitment to rebuilding. It gets harder every week to look for positives but they do exist and it doesn’t all have to be about draft position. Kerrigan and Orakpo are a good one two punch and having a solid pass rush is important for a team.

It almost doesn’t matter who the Redskins are playing. The Redskins recent struggles can be summed up by a series in the first quarter. After Kevin Barnes intercepted Matt Moore and returned the ball to the five yard line the Redskins were unable to do much of anything except to go backwards and settle for a field goal. The defense did their job and got the ball for the offense, but then the offense was unable to accomplish much once they had the ball.

The Redskins offense once again failed to hold onto the ball long enough to allow the defense to rest and to keep the opposing team’s offense on the sidelines as they allowed the Dolphins to hold the ball for seven minutes longer than the Redskins. It is never a good idea to give an opponent more opportunities to score and the Redskins have allowed their opponents to have far too many opportunities in recent weeks.

Reggie Bush was not as effective as he had been in recent weeks but combined with Thomas and Moore the Dolphins rushed for over 100 yards. Moore was the real offensive star for the Dolphins as he passed for 209 yards on 20 completions out of 29 attempts with no touchdowns and one interception. The stats don’t tell the entire story as they sometimes fail to do with a quarterback. Moore managed the game well and when the Dolphins needed a big completion he got it for them as the Dolphins on a whole converted 57% of third downs.

It is hard to believe now that this is the same Redskins team that at one point was 3-1. They were due for a bit of regression, but at this point they have gone past regression and are in full downward spiral mode. The Redskins were not a pretty team to watch when they were winning and now that they are losing it is particularly ugly.

David Huzzard

David Huzzard was born at Fairfax Hospital in 1981 and has spent his entire life in the Washington, D.C. area. He has been a fan of all the area sports teams either since he was born or since they arrived here. He is also very pleased that his hometown is a burger town.