Redskins Reality Checks: Team loses game, Alex Smith, but not hope

LANDOVER, MD - NOVEMBER 18: Alex Smith #11 of the Washington Redskins reacts as he is carted off the field after an injury in the third quarter against the Houston Texans at FedExField on November 18, 2018 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD - NOVEMBER 18: Alex Smith #11 of the Washington Redskins reacts as he is carted off the field after an injury in the third quarter against the Houston Texans at FedExField on November 18, 2018 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images) /
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LANDOVER, MD – OCTOBER 29: Cornerback Josh Norman #24 of the Washington Redskins celebrates with free safety D.J. Swearinger #36 of the Washington Redskins after recovering a fumble against the Dallas Cowboys during the first quarterat FedEx Field on October 29, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD – OCTOBER 29: Cornerback Josh Norman #24 of the Washington Redskins celebrates with free safety D.J. Swearinger #36 of the Washington Redskins after recovering a fumble against the Dallas Cowboys during the first quarterat FedEx Field on October 29, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

No. 1 – Reality Is, Norman and Swearinger are totally right, and also wrong.

Much of the lead-up to the game on Sunday circulated around what Josh Norman and D.J. Swearinger said about the disparity in home and away crowds for the Redskins this season.

Norman and Swearinger made accurate observations about how bad the atmosphere has been at FedEx field. I don’t blame them for their frustration, but they clearly don’t realize how many factors, on and off the field, have contributed to Redskins fans’ lack of enthusiasm when attending games at FedEx field. With all of that said, I felt the fans would respond to the challenge issued by the players. I expected the environment at FedEx to be solid.

Reality Check: The crowd that was present was electric. But the Redskins need to put together a playoff run in order to fill the stadium, most likely. That said, the combination of gutsy play and electric crowd that we observed on Sunday is the kind of thing that the fan base can build on.