"No question, yeah, we've got some problems." free safety LaRon Landry, Sept 27, 2009.
THE RESULT: Following a now-familiar theme, the Washington Redskins were pushed around up front on both sides of the ball, got down to a lesser team, and never could find the momentum shift they needed, falling to the Detroit Lions at half-full Ford Field, 19-14.
It was Detroit's first win in 19 games.
Things started well enough for the Skins. They stopped Detroit after five plays and forced a punt, then marched 75 yards to the Lions one-yard line. On fourth down, though, coach Jim Zorn decided to go for the touchdown, and Clinton Portis was stopped short of the end zone.
The Lions then went the length of the field to score their own touchdown, and the wind was taken right out of Washington's sails, right there after two possessions.
"We drove all the way down there," Zorn said. "I didn't think we'd be denied getting in the end zone, and we were, but there was no way a team could drive 99 yards on us."
Zorn even helped the lions out on their drive, taking a penalty instead of forcing the Lions to attempt a 50-yard field goal. Rookie QB Matthew Stafford pulled the ball down under pressure on the ensuing third down play and went 21 yards for the first down. On the following play, Stafford hit Bryant Johnson for a 21-yard score.
Detroit controlled the ball, the line of scrimmage and the time of possession, especially in the first half, with drives of 3:51, 5:50, 5:26 and 6:23 as they built a 13-0 halftime lead.
RB Kevin Smith, who averaged less than three yards a run coming into the game, rushed 16 times for 101 yards before leaving due to injury early in the third quarter.
Washington finally got some things going in the second half, as Jason Campbell (27-for-41, 340 yards, one interception) threw for two touchdowns, one to Santana Moss (10 catches for 178 yards ) and Rock Cartwright. But it wasn't enough, as the final drive died with the Skins desperately lateraling the ball multiple times in an effort to reach paydirt, to no avail.
THE TAKEAWAY: The Redskins just completed the "soft" part of their schedule, against two of the worst teams in the league last season, with a 9-7 win and a loss to a winless team in 19 games. This only get rougher from here.
The Redskins defense's inability to get off the field in the first half really tells the story of where this team is at right now. As a whole, Washington is getting out-worked, out-hustled and out-classed, even by the bottomfeeders of the NFL.
The quarterback was quick to defend his coach and teammates. "Let me make one thing clear: It's definitely not on one person," said Campbell, who threw two second-half touchdown passes but also had an interception that ended a third-quarter drive at midfield. "And it shouldn't be directed on Coach Zorn at all."
"We all got to uphold our part. We all participate. We all go out there and play. Every time, it's something that's here or there, and people can't put this on one person. And if you're a guy that's finger-pointing, then you're wrong."
But it needs to be directed somewhere. It's hard to win in this league if you don't have talent. It's harder still if you don't have effort. The Redskins say they have both, yet they are one play away from being 0-3.
The Skins were out-rushed 154-65, 116-0 in the first half. Where was Clinton Portis? His meager totals? Twelve carries for 42 yards. That's getting whipped up front. Is the offensive line that bad? Or were they outworked that hard?
And the defense? Detroit drives of 99, 74, 86 and 85 yards, and 281 yards of total offense, tell the story there. Embarrassing.
It's going to be a long week at Redskins Park, looking for answers to the many questions about this team's talent, character, and administration.
THE GOOD: Santana Moss. 10 catches for 178 yards. Passes to Moss were the only things that worked with regularity.
THE BAD: The complete absence of a running game. Washington had 10 possessions in the game, none of four minutes length and only two over three minutes.
THE UGLY: The defense. It's an absolute embarrassment to allow the repeated drives the Lions had. They were facing a rookie QB, who had throw five interceptions in his first two games, and all he did was walk his team down the field time and time again.
Defensive coordinator Greg Blache should feel his seat getting hot, and his words after the game sounded like a coach defending his scheme, "... we didn't execute. It was one guy one time, and it was one guy one time, it was not one person all the time."
"It was execution. They executed, and we didn't. We talked early on about detail. Taking care of detail. In the run game, we weren't very detailed, particularly early on. We had guys with 'bad' eyes. We had guys with wandering eyes, watching more than they should be watching, which caused some issues."
NEXT GAME: Washington hosts the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday, Oct. 4 at 1:00 pm. The Bucs were shut out by the New York Giants on Sunday and are 0-3 this seaason.
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