Redskins season takes the ultimate turn for the unknown

The Redskins walked into Sunday’s tilt against the Texans hoping to advance to 7-3. They walked out of FedEx Field losing more than just a game.

With Washington Redskins quarterback Alex Smith out for the foreseeable future, the season has now entered the dark depths of the unknown.

The NFL has a crazy way of turning tables. One week, you think you have things figured out. The next week, you are left desperately looking for answers.

The Redskins’ 23-21 loss at the hands of the Houston Texans was full of storylines.

After falling behind 10-0, the Redskins clawed their way back. With two interceptions, a fumble recovery, and three sacks of Deshaun Watson, the defense showed up to play. Adrian Peterson continued his steady climb up the ladders of the NFL record books, passing John Riggins on the list of all-time rushing touchdowns with 105. Jordan Reed also found the end zone for the first time since Week 1.

But it was the sight of Alex Smith laying motionless on the 40-yard line midway through the third quarter that stopped everything. As the medical cart made it’s way across the field, FedEx Field was draped in a blanket of silence.

Alex Smith has been highly criticized by the fan base in his first year in the nation’s capital. While he led the Redskins to a 6-3 record, the magic, and productivity that made him an early MVP candidate in Kansas City in 2017 was yet to be found.

The glimpse of Smith being carted off and waving to fans on his way off the field and to the hospital was a touching reminder of the person he is. We often dehumanize athletes and get ourselves caught up in the madness of professional competition. But the feeling of heartbreak for Alex Smith was a universal dark cloud that parked itself over Landover.

In the words of Freddie Mercury, however, the show must go on. That is when all eyes turned to No. 12.

Colt McCoy.

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The Redskins season now takes a brand new form. With Alex Smith being diagnosed with a broken tibia and fibula, the keys of the car have been passed to Colt McCoy, and with a short week ahead and a trip to the Dallas Fort Worth area to face the Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day coming up, the Redskins season is on the line.

McCoy has done this before. Redskins fans remember the Monday night victory McCoy led in 2014 over Dallas in AT&T Stadium. But can McCoy lead this team down the stretch to win this division?

Washington’s loss to Houston was paired with a Dallas Cowboys victory over the Falcons. The Cowboys are now only one game behind the Redskins in the division. Thursday’s game now takes on a whole new weight. Jay Gruden was faced with the daunting task of piecing together an offensive line after losing the Falcons game, as well as three key offensive pieces for the season.

This, however, is a completely different set of circumstances.

Colt McCoy taking over does two things for this offense. It raises the ceiling for success and lowers the floor for failure. The fact of the matter is this; the offense has been pedestrian at best to this point. Outside of Adrian Peterson, you would have a hard time naming an offensive MVP.

A few things stand true. Alex Smith never lost games for the Redskins. But he was never a key piece in winning games either. He was the ultimate game manager, and other than Sunday’s game, protected the Redskins from costly turnovers.

You have to take risks in football. You have to take risks in most sports. But unless you have an Aaron Rodgers or Drew Brees level passer, most teams go through a simple risk assessment with their quarterbacks. Quarterbacks pushing the ball downfield and being aggressive through the air to make big plays come with the risk of throwing interceptions. The biggest question is, can your team survive with the risk of turning the ball over?

This question was the core reason that Kirk Cousins is in Minnesota. Cousins would sling the ball around the field, and take chances downfield. But the cost of his turnovers became a debt the Redskins couldn’t pay off.

Alex Smith, for the most part, never turned the ball over. He also didn’t take risks. For the Redskins’ offense to thrive, the man under center needs to take risks. It seemed like Smith was beginning to get there, but with his season cut short in the most gruesome way possible, Colt McCoy becomes the man instead.

McCoy can make this offense work. In fact, the offense has the chance to improve behind him. It comes down to this simple question. Can they afford the risk of Colt turning the ball over? If so, the division is theirs for the taking. If not, this season could take a wild tailspin southward.

With that said, this team is still a contender, this defense is still legit, and Jordan Reed and Josh Doctson are becoming more involved. This season is far from over. But the order of this division can change, and change dramatically.

With Alex Smith, the Redskins won games protecting a lead with the work of their defense and avoiding costly turnovers. With Colt McCoy, the Redskins offense now takes center stage, as they have the ability to win games by putting up numbers and taking chances. It just comes down to how much those chances will cost them in the turnover category.

It’s Colt McCoy time in our nation’s capital. With Alex Smith done for the year, McCoy and the Redskins have six games left to make their mark.

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Make sure your dinner plate is full on Thursday, and I would advise you to have a drink ready, because Thursday’s matchup in Dallas just became the biggest game of the year.

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