Are the Redskins really unified and “all-in” for a playoff push?

Washington has lost its second consecutive game as a result of the Thanksgiving Day loss against the Dallas Cowboys. This loss marks the first losing streak of the year for the Redskins, and it could not have come at a worse time of the year. The Redskins head into the most critical part of the year reeling, injured and agitated with one another.

Defensive back D.J. Swearinger has made his feelings known over the past couple of days about how some of his teammates treat practice and how it translates to the field on game day. Simply put, he is not a fan of any of it. The Redskins’ lack of execution along with fundamental errors costs the Redskins a chance of winning their seventh game of the season this past Thursday, and Swearinger believes his teammates do not treat practice seriously enough.

Is that fair to say, publicly? Well at this point, not really. The comment made by D.J. was not the first time in which they were made. D.J. has said this on multiple occasions, pointing out the flaws in the Redskins’ preparation for big games. Each of the times it was mentioned though, the Redskins were on the losing end of things. Is it a coincidence that the Redskins happen to just be on the losing end of things when these comments are made, and he truly feels they have bad habits? Alternatively, is it an excuse to distract the public from focusing in on the legitimate issues of the team? Which is their overall level of play?

This is not written to focus on D.J. and what he specifically said, but to point out the following: If the Redskins are blaming their disturbingly bad performances or collapses on practices, are they mentally prepared for this portion of the season?

The Redskins were up 13-10 against Dallas with 24 minutes left in the game – for more than half of the game it seems as if “practice habits” were just fine. There are flaws in this team, and one leader is trying to distract the masses from those issues. The bottom line is, with five games left in the season, the Redskins staff and players need to come together and focus on playing better every Sunday. Otherwise, a promising start to the season will be lost down the stretch due to an ill-prepared organization.