LANDOVER, Md. -- Some initial thoughts and observations after the Washington Redskins' 27-7 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday:
What it means: The Redskins can forget about a miracle turnaround like they had in 2012 when they won their last seven games. They now need to avoid a repeat of last season’s disastrous finish en route to a 3-13 record. This was a horrendous performance, coming off a bye week and after the players expressed confidence in what they could do over the final seven weeks. The Redskins will get, and deserve to get, tough questions over the next few weeks about the direction of this franchise -- and whether they have the right people in place to get them where they want to go at any of the key spots, starting with the front office on down. Tampa Bay had lost close games and clearly wasn’t going to be an easy opponent for Washington. But the Bucs looked much better coached and kept hitting Washington with big plays. An early 13-0 hole was too much to overcome. Against a 1-8 team. Time for Washington fans to start paying attention to Mel Kiper and Todd McShay.
Stock report: Down -- The franchise. Redskins coach Jay Gruden said earlier in the week that, with a few plays made here or there, they could be 7-2. But the reality is they are a 3-7 team that hasn’t shown any reason to believe the future will be a whole lot better than the past.
Down -- Robert Griffin III. The quarterback held the ball too long in the pocket and was victimized by poor protection. He missed DeSean Jackson on two deep balls. This was not the sort of game Washington needed from Griffin. He threw two interceptions, but one was tipped and another was bobbled by his own man first.
Injuries: The left side of Washington’s offensive line exited with injuries, starting with left tackle Trent Williams in the first quarter. He hurt the ankle and knee on his right leg. Left guard Shawn Lauvao left the game with a concussion in the fourth quarter. Williams is one of the best tackles in the game and would be a major loss. Lauvao has not played that well after being signed as a free agent. Still, the Redskins might be forced to start Morgan Moses at left tackle and Josh LeRibeus at left guard next week.
Game ball: Running back Alfred Morris. You can really stop with Morris, who rushed for 96 yards on 20 carries and caught two passes for 36 yards. Morris had a couple plays in which he turned absolutely nothing into a positive gain. On a 24-yard catch-and-run before halftime, he gained 16 yards after first contact by running through two defenders.
What’s next: A trip to San Francisco to play the 49ers followed by a road trip to Indianapolis. In other words, a rough couple of weeks.
