Redskins HC Jay Gruden on the Hot Seat: 'My Job's in Jeopardy Every Week'

A month ago, Washington looked like it was in the NFC East driver's seat. Four straight losses later, coach Jay Gruden said he's fighting for his job.

"My job's in jeopardy every week. So I've just got to go about and do the best I can, get these guys ready to go, and we'll continue to do that," Gruden said after Sunday's 40-16 loss to the New York Giants, per Howard Fendrich of the Associated Press.

Sunday's loss was the nadir of Washington's season. Mark Sanchez, the team's third starting quarterback of the year, threw for 38 yards and two interceptions on 6-of-14 passing before being pulled for Josh Johnson. It was the second-worst performance of the season, according to ESPN's QBR.

"It's tough to deal with. It really is. It's unfortunate," Gruden said. "That product we put on the field today is not a reflection of the guys' work during the week and in practice. However, it did look bad."

Washington lost starting quarterback Alex Smith on Nov. 18 and backup Colt McCoy on Dec. 3 for the season because of injuries. That resulted in what will likely be a one-and-done start for Sanchez, who only joined the roster when Smith suffered a broken leg.

Johnson, a street free agent who had less than a week with the team, came in and threw for 195 yards and a touchdown in garbage time, along with a pick.

"I had to play Madden to learn just the other day," Johnson told reporters. "You come in on a short week, you learn there's so many moving parts. For me, I played Madden. I was able to get on the Madden and learn my teammates."

Offense isn't the only issue in Washington.

The defense allowed Saquon Barkley to slash his way to 170 yards and a touchdown on just 14 carries, breaking off a series of big gains. Barkley sat most of the second half in the blowout but could have had the highest rushing performance of the season had he remained in the game.

Gruden is in his fifth season with Washington and has never posted a record better than 9-7, which he did in 2015.