Washington Redskins: Will History Repeat Itself on Sunday?

Philosopher George Santayana wrote, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” I tend to agree with him, and this week that sentiment is particularly apropos for the Washington Redskins, who travel to St. Louis on Sunday for a rematch of what was their worst game of the 2010 season.

After the Redskins lost to the Rams 30-16 in Week 3 of last season, optimism surrounding the team fell apart faster than Clinton Portis fell down for seemingly no apparent reason. They dropped to 1-2—the one win being an extremely lucky victory against arch rival Dallas—and it became apparent that coach Mike Shanahan’s first year in Washington would be a slow rebuilding process rather than a quick, one-season turnaround. Though the team would push its record above .500 two times later in the season, the loss to the Rams was a harbinger of the Redskins' inability to win games against inferior opponents. 

This year’s Redskins would be wise to remember that game and to focus their attention on the Rams rather than let other issues continue to distract them. If the Redskins win, they will hold a 3-1 record with a quarter of the season under their belts and continue to gain credibility in a pro football culture that is used to seeing them finish in the bottom half of the standings. If they lose in St. Louis for the second year in a row, the doubt and negativity that has surrounded the franchise in recent years could creep back into a locker room that has been markedly upbeat and optimistic so far. 

The 2011 Rams (0-3) are not a good team, meaning this is a winnable game. The St. Louis defense ranks last in the NFC in terms of yards allowed per game. Quarterback Sam Bradford continues to show promise but has yet to catalyze an offensive resurgence—it doesn’t help that he’s the fourth-most sacked quarterback in football. 

The 2011 Redskins have showed a lot of potential, but at this point in the season, the team needs to focus on avoiding two things: careless turnovers and self-immolating special teams play.  

The team has quietly built one of the most formidable defenses in the NFL. Strong safety LaRon Landry and outside linebackers Brian Orakpo and Ryan Kerrigan look like potential Pro Bowl selections. The unit ranks fifth in the league in terms of points-per-game, and on Monday night they held a potent Dallas offense out of end zone. 

With a reliable defense at their backs, the Redskins offense’s only job should be to manage the game. But so far the offense has suffered from a familiar Achilles heel: the tendency to turn the ball over at inopportune moments. 

Quarterback Rex Grossman has coughed the ball up five times in just three games. His fourth-quarter fumble against the Cowboys negated any chance of a come-from-behind victory, and his early interception put the Cowboys in field-goal range, allowing their offense to score three points without exerting much effort. Turnovers kill drives and put added pressure on the defense. They are one area in which Grossman has consistently struggled, and if he can stop giving the ball to the other team, the Redskins' chances of success will skyrocket. It’s better for Grossman to throw the ball out of bounds or take a sack so that punter Sav Rocca has opportunities to pin the opposition inside the red zone than to yield solid field position via a turnover and ask the defense to compensate. 

An inept placekicking unit is also somewhat troublesome. Graham Gano has missed one field goal less than 40 yards and had another blocked. On Monday night, placeholder Rocca bobbled a perfect snap, preventing Gano from even attempting another field goal, and the team ended up losing by two points. The Redskins do not have a high-octane offense à la the New England Patriots, so they need to capitalize on every scoring opportunity they get. 

If the team can improve in those two areas, they have a great shot at making the playoffs. The irony is that with the NFL morphing into an offensive oriented league that at times resembles arena league football on steroids, the Redskins' blueprint for success is classic NFC East football: tough defense and game-managing offense. 

On Sunday, expect Redskins defensive coordinator Jim Haslett to continue to blitz the quarterback with reckless abandon in an attempt to put added pressure on the Rams’ weak offensive line. Hope that offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan chooses to let running backs Tim Hightower and Roy Helu pound the Rams' defense into submission rather than rely on Grossman to move the team up and down the field. 

The bottom line is that all good NFL teams win the easy games on their schedules. Last season, the Redskins revealed that they were not a good team when they lost to the Rams. This year, they have the chance to show the league and their fans that they have indeed taken a step forward and that their 2-1 record is not an aberration. Let’s hope history doesn’t repeat itself.