Redskins vs. Vikings: The Good & The Not-So-Good

Being the experienced Redskins fan (and closet pessimist) that I am, when I heard the news that Minnesota had fired Brad Childress and replaced him with Leslie Frazier, I had one of those sinking feelings that told me the ‘Skins would lose this game. Oh, sinking feeling, why are you always right? Of course, it’s not like the team didn’t have chance to pull out a victory. But once again, the Redskins found ways to beat themselves. Here’s the good and the not-so-good from Sunday’s loss to the Vikings.

The Good

• Donovan McNabb: His final numbers (21/35 for 211 yards, a TD, and an INT) weren’t that great, but for the most part it wasn’t his fault. The main reason I’m listing him here is because of his performance on the team’s opening drive. He completed 8 passes for 84 yards and tossed a 10-yard TD to Fred Davis. If that’s what he could do in an offense with good blocking up front and inspired play-calling, the Redskins should definitely keep him for a couple more years.
• Pass rush: Though they didn’t quite get the sacks to prove it, I thought this unit did a fair job of keeping pressure on Brett Favre and disrupting the offense enough to keep the game close. They need some more pieces, but there’s definitely something good here.
• James Davis: 6 carries for 11 yards is terrible. What’s not terrible is this kid’s speed. If not for a lucky shoestring tackle, this kid would have broken out for a long run on at least one occasion. Just sayin’, he could be the speedy back that Washington has needed for a long time.
• Brandon Banks: I wasn’t planning on putting Banks on this list because for about three quarters on Sunday, he was terrible. It seemed that Banks was waiting until after he caught a kickoff or punt to decide which way to run, and even when he did decide, he hesitated noticeably before taking off. Very “Randle El” if you ask me. But then in the fourth quarter, Banks had two stellar returns—a 65-yarder that set up a field goal and a 77-yarder that scored the go-ahead TD. Unfortunately, that last one was negated by a block in the back, but still, he made plays that kept the Redskins competitive and gave the team a chance to win. He’s got a bright future in Washington.

The Not-So-Good

• Defensive tackling: What could have been one of the defense’s better performances of the season was marred by two egregious cases of poor tackling. The first came on Adrian Peterson’s rushing TD in the first quarter when the Minnesota tailback pushed through no less than three Redskins defenders and into the endzone; the second came in the third quarter when rookie running back Toby Gerhart did the exact same thing. At least show some effort, guys.
• Wide Receivers: I can only imagine what the Redskins could have done in this game had their wide receivers not dropped as many well-thrown balls as they did. The worst instances that I can remember were the two drops by Santana Moss (the second of which ricocheted up in the air and was easily intercepted) and the textbook checkdown to Armstrong in the flat that just bounced off his hands (this was after Armstrong made a great adjustment to haul in a 45-yard bomb from McNabb). Good work, boys.
• Stretching the field: The Redskins once again waited until later in the game to start taking shots down the field. They really need to set up these plays earlier. If they don’t, expect to see plenty of low-scoring games. And with a receiver like Anthony Armstrong, who has all but specialized in catching deep balls this year, it’s almost sinful that they don’t try it more often.
• Perry Riley: If I’m Danny Smith today, I’m thinking: “Perry, block in the back once, shame on me. Block in the back twice, and you get to sit next to Brandon Banks on the bus ride home.”

As you read this, you might notice that I’ve by and large avoided mentioning Brett Favre. Of course, that’s a much different angle than that taken by the sports media at large. They’d have you believe that since Brett Favre is now running plays that he likes, a Vikings win was written in the stars. Because that’s what Brett Favre does.

And with a whopping stat line of 15/23 passing for 172 yards, who wouldn’t believe that Brett Favre single-handedly led his team to victory? Forget the fact that at least five of McNabb’s passes were shamelessly dropped and the fact that Perry Riley negated a special teams TD all by himself; it was all Brett Favre. Whatever.

The point here is that the Redskins could have (and probably should have) won this game. They just need to figure out how to get out of their own way.