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Redskins Ingredients for Improvement: Don’t let opponents back in

By Ian Cummings

LANDOVER, MD - OCTOBER 21: Kicker Brett Maher #2 of the Dallas Cowboys reacts after missing a field goal at the end of the fourth quarter against the Washington Redskins at FedExField on October 21, 2018 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD - OCTOBER 21: Kicker Brett Maher #2 of the Dallas Cowboys reacts after missing a field goal at the end of the fourth quarter against the Washington Redskins at FedExField on October 21, 2018 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) /
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LANDOVER, MD – OCTOBER 21: Kicker Brett Maher #2 of the Dallas Cowboys reacts after missing a field goal at the end of the fourth quarter against the Washington Redskins at FedExField on October 21, 2018 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD – OCTOBER 21: Kicker Brett Maher #2 of the Dallas Cowboys reacts after missing a field goal at the end of the fourth quarter against the Washington Redskins at FedExField on October 21, 2018 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) /

No. 1 – Redskins can’t let opponents back into the game

There are many figures at fault in this key point. After all, it was the team as a whole that amassed a 20-10 lead over the Cowboys in the fourth quarter, and it was the team as a whole that nearly squandered that lead in a scary sequence of events.

Jay Gruden is certainly to blame for late situational gaffes, as is Alex Smith. On the Redskins final offensive drive, the team merely had to get a first down, in order to force the Cowboys to burn all of their timeouts.

On first down, they faced a loaded box, and they tried to ram the ball down the middle with Adrian Peterson, making no adjustments. On second down, they ran again, and on third down, Alex Smith scrambled to the left, and, while attempting to get the first down, he was instead pinched out of bounds by the defense.

This sorry excuse for a drive was a gift for the Cowboys; it gave them plenty of time to work with (time which Jason Garrett graciously squandered), it allowed them to maintain one of their timeouts, and it put them in control of their own fate. Ultimately, the Cowboys would waste their final opportunity to tie up the game, but the result doesn’t justify the means. The Redskins can’t let their opponents back in like they did on Sunday.

Next. Redskins: 3 standout performers from Sunday's win. dark

Despite the clear Ingredients for Improvement, the Redskins are still 4-2, sitting atop the NFC East by one and a half games. They have a winning formula that works, and with their next three games coming against the Giants, Falcons, and Buccaneers, respectively, the Redskins can realistically enter the halfway point of the season at 6-2. Things are going well in D.C., and with these Ingredients for Improvement, things can get even better.

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