The Washington Redskins were riding high after the first two games this year, having beaten the Cardinals and the division rival, NY Giants. But a funny thing happened on the way to their Monday Night Football matchup.

The Redskins began trash talking toward the Dallas Cowboys and making arrogant statements about the strength of their team.

Rex Grossman came out and claimed his receiving corp was the best in the NFL.

I am sure that the Saints, Patriots, Packers, Lions, Chargers and Cowboys found that amusing.

Rather than staying entirely focused on improving their team one day at a time, the Redskins began acting like they had already arrived.

The Dallas Cowboys knew that they couldn't afford to get cocky. They were 1-1 with a 2-0 rival coming to town. The Cowboys had the 2nd worst rushing attack in the league and a young, inexperienced offensive line. They had too much work to do to get caught up in a battle of words.

So, the Cowboys stayed quiet and worked on their running game, while Redskins like DeAngelo Hall were popping off about taking shots at Romo's ribs.

The result: The Cowboys got their running game on track, to a tune of 125 yards, averaging 4.8 yards a carry. Not only that, but DeAngelo Hall was the one who got beat on the play of the game. Dez Bryant beat him on a 30-yard reception to set up the game winning field goal.

Several things about the Redskins have now come into focus:

125924730_crop_340x234 Rob Carr/Getty Images

 

First, they aren't so great at run defense.  Once a runner breaks into their secondary, there is usually plenty of green grass in front of him.

Second, thanks to "leaders"  like Grossman on offense and Hall on defense, the Redskins are developing a culture of unjustified cockiness.

Third, the Redskins don't fully believe in themselves. Your defensive line doesn't devise a scheme to cheat by mimicking the opposing teams cadences; if they honestly believe in their own ability to win.

Fourth, the Redskins are mediocre overall. They are ranked 15th on offense and 16th on defense. You can't really define a mediocre team more perfectly than these statistics indicate. To everyone except their most loyal, die-hard fan base, I'm afraid their team is destined to be boring for some time to come.

There are 15, 2-1 teams in the NFL right now. From the looks of things, I would say that the Cleveland Browns, who have given up more total points than they have scored, are the worst 2-1 team.

So congratulations to Washington on not being the worst 2-1 team. You are second worst. It appears a 7-9 record is the best you can hope for. Mediocre.

"All good is hard. All evil is easy. Dying, losing, cheating, and mediocrity is easy. Stay away from easy."
Scott Alexander