Written by John Keim at ESPN.com
The Washington Redskins gutted one out, ignoring injuries, a hostile crowd and a firecracker offense. And now they’re in position to make the sort of move few envisioned after the season opener.
That could have been the story, instead of this: The Redskins (2-2) learned a valuable lesson in a 29-20 road loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday night. That lesson is if you want to join the top teams and win a tough game on the road, you can’t make silly mistakes. You can’t mishandle a pitch. You need to line up properly. Basic things. Crucial things.
It’s the difference between 3-1 and being a big topic in the NFL and 2-2 with people wondering what direction you’ll go.
The Redskins lost a number of players to injury, including running back Rob Kelley (ankle) and cornerback Josh Norman (ribs). If you’re into silver linings: The Redskins played a team many consider the NFL’s best right now — and the league’s only undefeated squad — fairly evenly. The Skins stunned the Chiefs early — and rallied late. There’s reason to remain optimistic.
However: “It’s no moral victories,” Redskins linebacker Preston Smith said. “We know we killed ourselves with penalties. If we eliminate the penalties, it’s a better outcome for us.”
The Redskins even — for a split second — appeared to have won in regulation. Receiver Josh Doctson makes acrobatic catches all the time in practice. Teammates often get wide-eyed discussing them. Doctson turned and jumped for a ball in the end zone Monday — and made the catch — but then lost it as he hit the ground. It wasn’t a bad play; it was nearly a great one to win a game. Instead, it merely set the Chiefs up to drive for the winning field goal with four seconds left. A touchdown off a fumble recovery after a series of Redskins pitches completed the scoring.
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