Redskins Recap: Team falls to lowly Giants, moving on to uncertain future
By Ian Cummings
The Giants proved to be the Redskins’ kryptonite yet again today, and instead of ending the season on a high note, they’ll stumble into an offseason filled to the brim with uncertainty.
The Redskins do not handle expectations particularly well. In Week 17, they were expected to pummel an unstable and incompetent Giants’ squad. They didn’t. Weeks ago, with a 16-point lead against the New Orleans Saints, and less than two minutes to kill, they were expected to win the game. They didn’t. And in 2017, with a revamped roster and a chip on their shoulder, they were expected to compete for the playoffs.
They didn’t.
The Redskins lost to the New York Giants by a score of 10-18 today, in a game that was troubling in its similarity to last year’s season finale. The defense couldn’t stop the Giants’ running game. The punters were the most active players in the entire contest, and Kirk Cousins was as cold as a winter day in New Jersey, throwing three interceptions, only finding the end zone once on the ground.
The Redskins did not look good. And while drastic, immature decisions may be unwise in times like this, it’s too early to rule out a change of direction from the front office. Jay Gruden’s job was rumored to be safe. But that was before the Redskins lost to the 2-13 Giants in embarrassing fashion.
Washington’s 2017 season is officially over. And the team is now at the mercy of a crucial offseason in 2018. So many questions remain, and so many different answers are possible. Who will be the quarterback? How thin is Jay Gruden’s margin for error? And most importantly, where is this team headed?
Next: Redskins Draft Scenario: Who does Washington pick in 2018?
For another year, the Redskins are a team without direction. And it seems unlikely that clarity will be discovered in just a year’s time. The Redskins have been doomed to this kind of life for years now. And it’s hard to believe that anything, other than a change in the front office, will change that. Their latest chapter is over. They’ll finish the 2017 campaign with a record of 7-9. And it’s on to the next one.