Self-Inflicted Wounds Continue to Sink Washington Redskins

The New England Patriots don't need much help. Yet, that didn't stop the Washington Redskins from offering plenty on Sunday in Week 9. Believe it or not, the Burgundy and Gold actually did some good things on the road against the Pats despite the 27-10 scoreline.

But for every turnover they forced, every strong tackle they made, every well-designed pass play they executed and every good gain they ran for, the Redskins left plenty of plays between the hash marks.

In fact, Washington's players gashed themselves with so many self-inflicted wounds it was like watching Edward Norton in Fight Club. If you want to win in the NFL, you can't squander opportunities and hand chances to the other team, especially if the other team is the undefeated defending Super Bowl champion.

Sadly, head coach Jay Gruden and his players clearly didn't get the memo. Actually, even if they had, they'd probably have dropped it.

Drops were just what wasted some creative concepts from Gruden and offensive coordinator Sean McVay. Those designs let often-much-maligned quarterback Kirk Cousins exploit the holes in New England's pass defense.

Cousins' decisions and delivery were up to scratch in the first half. Sadly, his receivers were not, as ex-Washington wide receiver Donte Stallworth noted:

Those drops not only wasted Washington's chances for big plays, but they presented big plays to the Pats. The best example occurred on Washington's first offensive play.

Cousins hit a usually sure-handed Pierre Garcon in his stride on a zipped-in slant pass. The whole thing screamed yards after the catch and lots of them. Except Garcon let the ball go through his hands and bounce off his facemask into the grateful hands of cornerback Logan Ryan.

It was an inexcusable blunder from a supposedly dependable veteran. CSNMid-Atlantic.com's Rich Tandler detailed how all the blame belonged to No. 88:

Garcon had wasted the chance for a big play. He'd also given New England's explosive offense another drive. Worse still, this was far from Washington's only missed opportunity.

The Redskins were guilty of three drops from their first four plays. Another culpable party was tight end Derek Carrier, who let a potential touchdown, at least a 50-yard-gain, simply slip through his fingers, per Liz Clarke of the Washington Post:

Just like Garcon's gaffe, Carrier's butterfingers ruined a superb play design that should have sparked a big-play-shy offense into life. He wasn't the only guy who squandered points.

Garcon struck again on 4th-and-11, when he dropped a ball that was placed right between the numbers. It was a sure first down in the red zone. At least it should've been. Instead, the Redskins punted.

There were four drops in the first half, seven for the game, and an interception that could easily have been avoided. That's not the formula for beating anyone—let alone the red-hot Patriots.

But the offense wasn't the only phase of the team guilty of helping the Patriots out. No defense should be flagged for 12 men at the goal line. But the Redskins were as LeGarrette Blount strolled through untouched for a first-quarter touchdown, per Michael Phillips of the Richmond Times-Dispatch:

Predictably, Blount ran wild, gaining 129 yards on 29 bruising carries behind the Pats' underrated power-based blocking schemes. But he was equally aided by consistently pitiful tackling from Washington's feeble run defense.

Once again, coordinator Joe Barry's unit wasted its own big plays thanks to an inability to play sound, fundamental defense. Give your opponent balance, and you'll lose every time.

It's the same story if you get generous on third downs. The Redskins certainly were as they allowed the Pats to convert nine of 16 plays on football's money down.

Two passes to tight end Rob Gronkowski in the third quarter summed up the issues. The first was a 12-yard connection on 3rd-and-10. Mike Jones of the Washington Post detailed the second:

This isn't an isolated trend. All season, Barry just hasn't been creative and aggressive enough on third downs. He's not dialling up sophisticated blitz schemes, while his coverage alignments are telegraphing favorable matchups to any barely savvy quarterback.

Tom Brady certainly qualifies as one of those. He saw a mismatch he simply couldn't resist in the fourth quarter, when inside linebacker Perry Riley Jr. covered running back Brandon Bolden out wide. Jones was quick to chide the suspect coaching and design behind this defense:

Give a team like the Patriots this kind of pre-snap advantage, and you'll lose every time.

Give a team like the Patriots a free possession, and you'll lose every time. That's just what Washington's special teams did on the game's second drive.

The Pats wisely tried an onside kick, hoping to add another quick score to put Cousins and a limited offense into an early hole and challenge them to keep pace. It was a nice idea but one New England head coach Bill Belichick should have been left to rue.

The Lord of the Hoodie should have been lamenting his decision because Washington's special teams were perfectly placed to recover the ball. Yet, wide receiver Ryan Grant somehow let the ball get away from him, as Phillips noted:

Rather than getting the ball in New England territory, the Redskins had to come out and face Brady and Co. again. Waste those kind of chances, and you'll lose every time.

Not only did Washington fail to capitalize on the opportunities the Patriots offered it, but it also squandered its own attempts to gain an edge.

How about the lengthy drive just before halftime? It was a superbly balanced mix of run and pass that exploited the susceptibility of New England's defense to long drives.

But having waltzed comfortably to inside the 10, dire management of the clock destroyed the march. On 1st-and-goal the wrong side of the two-minute warning, Cousins took too long in the huddle. He appeared unsure of whether his coaches wanted a timeout. He cast a pair of confused glances toward the sideline.

That confusion was evident in the awkward-looking handoff between Cousins and rookie running back Matt Jones. Rob Ninkovich felled the latter for a big loss. An incomplete pass after being moved back to the 13-yard line made the field goal almost inevitable.

Charles Krupa/Associated Press

Instead of a touchdown—what this otherwise superb drive merited—the Redskins settled for three and a 14-point deficit at the break. Mark it down as yet another self-inflicted wound.

So was the fumble from Jones that wrecked the opening drive of the third quarter. Gruden had deferred the kickoff specifically to get this drive. Jones wasted the chance it afforded, per Clarke:

Jones' blunder was part of another tepid performance from Washington's running game. Facing a run defense ranked 21st entering the game, the Redskins still couldn't get on track. Between Jones and Alfred Morris, the missed opportunities were ripe, according to Tandler:

The worst part about all these mistakes is how avoidable they are. Dropped passes, senseless penalties, poor tackling and turnovers can all be eliminated by greater efficiency and more emphasis on the fundamentals.

Those are two things these Redskins just don't have. Against the Patriots, not having them wasted some encouraging things from this rebuilding group.

The defense had its problems but still forced a pair of turnovers, a rarity from the Pats. Defensive coordinator Joe Barry's densely populated coverage shells even put some stress on New England's passing game.

Offensively, Cousins threw the ball well, and Gruden schemed ways to get his playmakers open. Generally, the protection in front of the QB was excellent, further proof of the progress a young O-line is making.

But all of those things will count for naught as long as the Redskins continue finding their own ways to lose games.

Even at 3-5, there are positive signs for Washington. The next step is for Gruden and his players to learn to keep their fingers off the self-destruct button.

All statistics and player information courtesy of NFL.com.

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