All posts in photos

07Oct

Patriots act like Super Bowl champs. Redskins do not.

The winless Washington Redskins host the undefeated New England Patriots. And it went about as well as anyone would have predicted.

The defending Super Bowl champions allowed the rudderless Redskins to jump out to an early lead — thanks to a 65-yard touchdown run by rookie wideout Steven Sims Jr. — and then reeled off 33 straight points to dispatch of their would-be competitor. While some took solace in the Redskins becoming the first team to hold a lead over New England this season, it was definitely short-lived.

And if the Redskins were hoping for a boost from veteran quarterback Colt McCoy, starting for the first time since he broke his leg last season, it never materialized. The former Texas Longhorn threw for just 122 yards and an interception while being sacked six times against the league’s top defense.

Mercifully, head coach Jay Gruden was fired after his team fell to 0-5 on the season. He will continue to earn a paycheck for another year and a half without having to actually be held accountable for this dumpster fire, which has to come as a great relief to Gruden.

24Sep

A case for keeping the Redskins far away from Monday Night Football

The Washington Redskins jumped out to an early lead against Philadelphia and Dallas before letting off the gas and ultimately faltering to a division rival.

Welp.

They didn’t really have to worry about blowing a lead against the Chicago Bears in Week 3 because this one was over long before the Redskins ever found the endzone.

Chicago’s defense feasted on the Redskins, thanks to five Case Keenum turnovers, and cruised to a 31-15 victory that wasn’t nearly as close as the final score might suggest.

With the loss, the Redskins are now 1-9 on Monday Night Football under head coach Jay Gruden and at 0-3 on the season, hold the worst record in the NFC. 

Also worth noting: the Redskins have lost seven straight home games on Monday Night Football, which is the second-longest streak in the show’s lengthy history. 

Sadly, they also own the longest streak, having lost 10 straight home Monday Night Football games between 1998-2010. 

So yes, the Washington Redskins are officially the two worst teams at home in Monday Night Football history and are an unfathomable 1-17 in their last 18 home games on Monday Night Football.

16Sep

Redskins defense remains missing in action versus Dallas

It’s nearly impossible to win games when your defense can’t play defense.

During the season opener, the Washington Redskins pressured Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz on just 11 of his 41 drop-backs. And when Wentz did face pressure, it wasn’t effective. Wentz calmly completed 9 of 10 passes for 141 yards and two touchdowns in those situations, taking just one sack.

In Week 2, Washington’s defense pressured Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott a mere six time out of 33 drop-backs.  Prescott responded by completing his final 18 passes and threw for 269 yards and three touchdowns.

When opposing quarterbacks have all the time in the world, they tend to pick apart defenses with relative ease. On this day, the Cowboys converted 7 of 11 third downs and, through two games, the Redskins have allowed opponents to convert 18 of 28 (64 percent).

Bigger picture, the Redskins’ defense has given up 63 points and 918 yards through two games, which is ridiculously pitiful.

08Sep

Redskins start strong. Eagles finish stronger.

NFL schedule makers did the Washington Redskins a huge favor, assigning them a measuring stick matchup to kick off the 2019 season.

That’s because there’s zero pressure taking on the Philadelphia Eagles, the presumptive favorite in the NFC East, in their hostile stadium when no one outside of Redskins Park gave them much of a chance to avoid embarrassment.

And while most of the football-loving world expected a blowout, Washington refused to follow conventional wisdom. Instead, the Redskins’ offense, which features way more question marks than sure things, came out firing on all cylinders — jumping out to a 17-0 lead that stunned the Philly faithful, who could barely muster up the energy to boo their hometown team.

Unfortunately for the burgundy and gold, they were unable to hold on to their 17-point lead. Like a veteran boxer, the Eagles were able to weather the early storm and then methodically worked their way back into the contest before overpowering their opponent.

The knockout blow on this day, was delivered by wideout DeSean Jackson, who torched his former team as he returned to his other former team — with eight receptions for 154 yards and two touchdowns.

16Aug

Redskins backups lose to Bengals backups in meaningless exhibition

The Washington Redskins dropped their preseason homer opener to the Cincinnati Bengals, 23-13. That said, roughly 10 minutes after the game ended, the vast majority of the football-loving world forgot everything about this irrelevant practice game.

One play that ‘Skins fans won’t purge from memory though was the first touchdown pass by Redskins rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins Jr., who staved off a defender long enough to launch a beautiful pass deep downfield to receiver Robert Davis for a 55-yard touchdown that was unquestionably the highlight of the night.

This preseason has been a bit of a rocky start for Haskins, who looks very much like a newcomer with limited experience trying to learn on the fly. But plays like this, when he’s able to stay calm and composed in the face of pressure, will go a long way towards establishing the Ohio State standout’s confidence moving forward.

01Jan

Cincinnati rallies past Hokies in 2018 Military Bowl

Let’s be honest — the Virginia Tech Hokies shouldn’t have been allowed to play in a bowl game this year. Not when they needed an overtime victory over Virginia and a win over Marshall, who magically appeared on their schedule just two weeks earlier.

That said, Hokies fans weren’t exactly going to protest when Virginia Tech was invited to a 26th consecutive bowl game, which is how I found myself patrolling the sidelines of the 2018 Military Bowl. But much like the rest of the season, this one was far from pretty — as Virginia Tech and Cincinnati slogged it out in monsoon-like conditions in an otherwise meaningless affair.

23Dec

Redskins officially eliminated from playoffs. Again.

The Washington Redskins were hoping for a holiday miracle as they traveled to Nashville three days before Christmas. That’s because, after losing four out of five games, the Redskins needed to win and — and get help from others ahead of them in the standings — just to back into a playoff berth. And while no one likes to see opposing players get injured, Washington had to feel encouraged after knocking Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota out of the game.

But much like everything else that’s gone on during the second half of the season, the Redskins were unable to take advantage of the situation and ultimately saw their slim postseason dreams dashed by below average back-up Blaine Gabbert. While a weekend in the Music City is always enjoyable. These are three hours that most ‘Skins fans would love to get back.

HomerMcFanboy background image
0