Written by Jerry Brewer at Washington Post.com
A really bad thing happened to the Washington Redskins over the past week: Their health improved. For most teams, that qualifies as good news. For the mercurial herd representing the nation’s capital, it was complicated, as usual.
The players were coming off the high of a rare victory in Seattle. They had earned immense credit for their resolve. Now, reinforcements were arriving at the right time. On Sunday, the entire starting offensive line was able to play, as were wide receiver Jamison Crowder and safety Deshazor Everett. After weeks of clinging to hope and staving off doomsday early-season scenarios, they managed to claw within one quality performance at home against the NFC North-leading Minnesota Vikings from returning to the playoff picture.
Naturally, they blew it.
Naturally, this perplexing group became stronger — and got weaker.
In a 38-30 loss at FedEx Field on Sunday, Washington played its most disappointing game of the season. Forget that the team technically stayed in the game until the end. That’s just because every NFL matchup is pre-programmed to be close. The defense strayed from the improvement it has shown and started gift-wrapping yards again. Kirk Cousins — yes, the quarterback I told you was avoiding devastating interceptions this season in my last column — threw a horrible pick late in the second quarter that helped the Vikings take over the game. The offense was a mess in critical situations: 5 for 14 on third down and just 2 for 4 in the red zone. Even cornerback Josh Norman, who is among the team’s most consistent players, turned in an effort that he dubbed “probably my worst game since my rookie season.”
As much as you try to analyze Washington on a sophisticated level, this is really quite simple. It is just an average team. Start thinking these players as lousy, and they’ll go to Seattle and shock you. Start thinking they’re good, and they’ll turn soft against a superior team. Start considering them uninspiring, and they’ll inspire. Start defining them as resilient, and they’ll act lackadaisical.
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