The Redskins appear to be approaching total combustion. But in a week-to-week league, would a win in Jacksonville stave off the doom and gloom or just delay the inevitable?
Just four weeks ago, the Redskins were 6-3, two games clear of their competition in the NFC East, and looking to earn the opportunity to host a playoff game. What happened next?
- DJ Swearinger and Josh Norman criticized the fanbase.
- Alex Smith broke his leg.
- The team failed to put the division away in Dallas.
- The organization bungled the Reuben Foster signing.
- Colt McCoy broke his leg.
- The team forgot to show up against New York.
- Mason Foster (or his cousin) disparaged the fanbase, the team, the organization.
All the while, the team lost four straight games and finds themselves on the outside looking into the playoff picture. As the Redskins approach their game this weekend in Jacksonville, there appears to be much more at stake than simply avoiding a fifth straight loss. The Redskins reality is pretty dismal right now, but, as usual, there are intriguing and encouraging glimpses to consider as well. Let’s take a look at the Week 15 Redskins reality checks.
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1. Reality Is, the Redskins do still have a chance to make the playoffs.
Any year where it’s Week 15 and that is true isn’t a total loss. We’ve all experienced plenty of years where the Redskins had nothing to play for in December. It’s important to remember how bad it could be. If the Redskins weren’t starting their fourth quarterback in five weeks, it might feel reasonable to hope they could make the playoffs. Since they are starting their fourth QB, the hope that some Redskins fans feel is somewhere short of reasonable…but far be it from me to blame any fan for hoping.
2. Reality Is, there’s a reason Josh Johnson was out of the NFL before last week.
Johnson hasn’t proven capable of running an NFL offense for long stretches. He had flashes along the way but was not consistent enough to demand a starting, or even a backup, role. However, just because a guy isn’t a long-term solution doesn’t mean he can’t provide a short-term spark.
There is no reason to think the Redskins can’t move the ball a little bit with Johnson and his skill set under center. But which version of the Jaguars defense shows up will certainly play a large part in determining what kind of a day Johnson has. I’m not expecting spectacular, but neither am I expecting total ineptitude. Johnson should have an exciting, roller-coaster type of day. Redskins fans should hope the ride ends on a high.
3. Reality Is, the Ha Ha Clinton-Dix trade was a mistake.
Clinton-Dix has gradually improved during his time with the Redskins, but he is just not athletic enough to make the plays this team needs him to make. He might not make as many glaring mistakes as Montae Nicholson, but he also isn’t capable of making the spectacularly athletic ones either.
Given the reality that Clinton-Dix is most likely not in the plans for next year and Nicholson is still on his rookie deal, the Redskins would be wise to start Nicholson and get him the valuable playing time. His style of play, making the big plays but giving up some smaller ones, also is more conducive to helping this Redskins defense win this game this weekend.
I don’t know about you, but if a decision is better short-term and better long-term, it sounds to be me like it’s just better overall. I’m also working on a theory that bringing in Clinton-Dix was one of the things that split the defensive locker room. I think some guys were happy about it and others wanted to keep playing Nicholson. It’s time for the Redskins to admit the trade was a bust and play Nicholson. Is this organization capable of admitting a mistake at that level? I am not sure that they are.
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4. Reality Is, the Jaguars are worse than the Giants.
Anyone who thought the Giants were going to be a push-over last week hadn’t been paying attention. And truly, the same goes for the Jaguars this week. Their record is not a fair representation of how tough of an out they can be on any given Sunday. However, they are dramatically less talented and dangerous than the Giants, offensively, and have been quite inconsistent defensively, as well.
If the ‘Skins manage to put the distractions and losing streak behind them and put together the all-around defensive and special-teams effort they are capable of, there’s a real chance the Redskins could keep it close in this game. But, the flipside of that argument is that a bad loss to the Jaguars will simply accelerate the dumpster combustion.
5. Reality Is, the Redskins need a win worse than the Jaguars.
As I’ve mentioned before, the NFL is still so much about heart, effort , nd execution. So often, the team that needs to win more is able to prevail. That’s what keeps the parity in place and keeps the late-season games interesting.
The Jaguars truly have nothing left to play for this season. It’s a lost season. They have started cutting players to clear cap space, they’ve benched their quarterback, and they are in full tank mode. The ‘Skins are not yet (though an argument could be made that they maybe should be, for the long-term good of the franchise).
Washington, if they somehow can put together a little three-game winning streak, would very likely end up as the sixth seed in the NFC playoffs. There truly should be no excuse for the Redskins players and coaches to have given up on this season at this point. It sure seems like they may have, given how they just played last Sunday, but maybe, just maybe, they have one more bounce-back in them under Jay Gruden.
The team that puts forth more effort and executes more cleanly on Sunday will win. The Redskins won six games so far this season using that exact formula. We’ll see if they are able to do so again this weekend. If not, the dumpster fire very well might be in full flame, and then our only hope will be that from the ashes comes some culture changes, beginning at the top of the organization.
How do you feel about it, Redskins fans? Join the conversation by following me on Twitter @TheRealityIs__. In the meantime, HTTR!