LANDOVER, Md. -- A few thoughts on the Washington Redskins' 44-17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys:
What it means: The Redskins finished one game better than they did in 2013, but that’s not saying a whole lot. The last quarter against the Cowboys became a debacle and quite a capper to the season. A 4-12 record is still horrible, and now they have so many needs that this won’t be an easy fix. Since winning the NFC East in 2012, the Redskins are a combined 7-25. They haven’t done well in free agency and haven’t drafted well. It adds up to a roster in need of an overhaul. It also means we still don’t know whether Jay Gruden can be a good head coach, whether the Redskins have a quarterback and whether general manager Bruce Allen and his front office staff can put together a winning roster. And that’s the real problem: So many issues haven’t been resolved.
RG III report: It’s hard to blame Robert Griffin III for all that went wrong Sunday. He did not always get the ball out on time and he was off on some of his throws. But he also took a couple of sacks in which he did not have a lot of time to throw. The problem is, Griffin didn’t do a whole lot to suggest he should be anything other than a guy entering next season in a battle for a job. No matter what you think of Griffin, the Redskins are not a quarterback away from contention.
Stock report: CB David Amerson -- down. He had a tough season, then missed a tackle that led to Dez Bryant's 65-yard touchdown; he was beaten on another scoring pass and bit hard on a double move that led to a long reception by Terrance Williams. LT Trent Williams -- up. I know he exited the game with an ankle injury, but he threw a terrific block on DeSean Jackson's touchdown catch and run and did so again later on a Pierre Garcon screen. Williams also sprinted hard to make a tackle on an interception. He played hurt most of the second half of the season.
Game ball: Linebacker Ryan Kerrigan didn’t exactly finish with a great game. He was rather quiet as a pass-rusher, but for the season, he finished with 13.5 sacks and five forced fumbles. Kerrigan continued to improve as a pass-rusher because he never felt like he had arrived. He improved his paths to the quarterback, and it resulted in more pressure. He also had to do this without the benefit of a consistent rush on the other side or in the middle.
What’s next: A long offseason of rebuilding a roster, with questions about the future of defensive coordinator Jim Haslett and a major focus on Griffin’s development.
