Redskins 0 – 2 after Loss to Cowboys, 31 – 21

Another week, another loss. Another blown lead. Another 20+ streak of unanswered points. Another poor fan turnout. Another reason to ponder the post-Gruden era of the Washington Redskins, which soon approaches.

The defense held through much of the first half. Dallas punted on their first drive and turned the ball over on the next when Randall Cobb deflected a would-be catch into Montae Nicholson’s arms. Credit to Daron Payne for pressuring Prescott into a bad throw. The skins scored on the ensuing drive, making the score 7-0. So far, so good.

In the second quarter, both Washington and Dallas punted before things shifted in the Cowboys’ favor. The tide-turning moment came with 6 minutes left in the half, when Prescott threw a beautiful play-action deep ball to Devin Smith for a 51-yard TD. Norman trailed right behind Smith on this play, and in slow motion it looks a little low-effort on his part, especially in the final 7 yards after the catch has been made. He may have been due some help over the top on this play, but it doesn’t look good on tape.

Smith’s TD emboldened the Cowboys. After a Washington punt, Dak tried to hit a wide-open Michael Gallup in stride with another deep bomb. Gallup dropped the ball, but I again note Norman’s poor coverage. Not that it matters. The Cowboys marched on with little resistance from Washington, and Prescott gouged the defense with a 42-yard zone read. Dallas scored soon after, and they’d score on every subsequent drive throughout the second half.

Washington would not. As with the first half, there were some good offensive moments sprinkled throughout, but on the whole it was a dismal performance. Terry McLaurin is the shining light of this offense through week two. He caught a pair of beautiful 3rd quarter passes from Keenum, helping sustain a drive that would end with a Richardson TD, and ended the night with 62 yards on 5 receptions and a TD of his own. His score came in a too-little-too-late moment deep in the 4th quarter, with Washington trailing by 17, but he showed good moves in the red zone and caught a tight pass in coverage for the score.

I like McLaurin, and I like Trey Quinn, who caught a clutch 4th down conversion pass in the second half on Sunday. He’s excellent on 3rd and 4th down, and I’m impressed with what we’ve seen of him in the first two weeks of the season. So far, in terms of receivers, it feels like McLaurin’s the workhorse, Richardson’s on spot duty, and Quinn is the guy defenses forget about at the worst times.

The defense falters with the offense, it seems. Early in the game they played well, but as Keenum and co. stalled out the defense broke like a cheap dam. When the Redskins did score in the second half, Washington’s D managed to hold Dallas to a field goal. But the offense turned it over on downs immediately after, and Dallas scored again. Pass rushers aren’t showing any ability to provide consistent pressure this year, and it’s exposing an exploitable secondary and linebacker corps. This is exceptionally disappointing.

Washington’s offense managed 21 points this week and 27 last week, all while looking pretty ineffectual. Playing against the prevent D is part of this, and standout performances from a handful of players are another part. Either way, the outlook is not good. Keenum has thrown multiple balls that should have been interceptions, both sides of the offensive line are struggling, and the running game is pretty much DOA. It’s going to be an uphill climb for the rest of the year.

Two losses to two divisional rivals. Rough start. Next week may be better, as the team faces the Chicago Bears, who are not known for big point totals. Let’s hope it’s an easier day on both sides of the ball.