Hard Truth Tuesday: Monday Night Football Redskins vs Eagles Thoughts
So.
Here we are.
The Tuesday after losing on Monday Night Football for the second time this season and the second time losing to the Philadelphia Eagles. I think it's time to face a few hard truths.
- The Redskins have got to learn how to turn on that killer instinct against top teams. They faced the Kansas City Chiefs under the prime time lights when the Chiefs had the best record in the league. The ability to turn that instinct on was there BUT what counts is getting the win and the Skins fell short. Last night, they had another opportunity to get it done on top of avenging their Week 1 loss against the Eagles. Now the Eagles are the team with the best record in the league so time to show and prove against them. To me, the stakes were even higher for this Monday Night showdown and again the Skins fell short. If anyone has been paying attention to the Eagles so far this season, they will see why they sit at 6-1 right now. Truthfully, 2 out of those 6 is because they were facing a Redskins team that were simply not ready for them. Carson Wentz is playing phenomenal football right now. His team is leveling up because he has elevated his game. Each week, right now, they seem to be progressing. Why weren't the Skins ready for that? This was not the game for last minute heroics. This was the game to take them out early. See these Eagles can bounce back play after play. That is what the Redskins have to learn to do consistently if they want to be respected and considered a top 10 power ranked team each week.
- Losing to Philly twice is not a good look. This certainly impacts the chances of the Skins making the playoffs.
-Play-calling and clock management are issues. The team was 4 of 12 on 3rd down conversions and decisions to not run the ball on 3rd and shorts definitely hurt. The Redskins have to convert those manageable 3rd downs and stay on the field.
- The Redskins defense got beat by the Eagles offense last night. Flat out. There's no other way for me to put it at the moment. There were times when the defense would make a big play but Carson Wentz would turn around and make a great play right afterward. It was almost as if Carson Wentz alone was going toe-to-toe with the Redskins defense and he won. To be fair, their were some players on defense that played decently but you have to up the ante when you're playing the team with the best record. Period.
- Offensively, we are just not as strong as we could be from the receiving perspective. The connection between Cousins and the receiving corp is not viewed as dangerous as it once was. The Eagles secondary is not all that good yet we couldn't make plays when absolutely necessary. It seems like it's still yet to be determined who are the "go to" folks in the Skins receiving corp. Ryan Grant and Vernon Davis continue to show consistency. There was finally a Jordan Reed sighting but those came a little too late in the game. Great to see him get in the end zone twice but still wasn't enough for the W.
- This next hard truth just hurts me. *deep sigh* Terrelle Pryor is not the #1 receiver; he's a work in progress. I just don't know if the Redskins have the time to continue to develop him the way he needs and more importantly the way the team needs. Anyone that knows me, knows I want more than anything for TP to excel on this team. Can he excel is the question.
- VERY HARD TRUTH. The Redskins are injured. All the injuries to the offensive line last night and the defense was already banged up. This is tough. Injuries don't excuse last night's loss but it is a harsh reality that the team needs to deal with and prepare for each week. It was evident the O line didn't have backups readily available to get on the field to take over when they were hurt. Again, that's tough and not sure what the contingency plan will be going forward for handling all these injuries during the game. Huge s/o to the guys that just kept plugging away out there through injuries. Prayers up and hope everyone gets well soon.
The Redskins do not have an easy schedule ahead. Gotta get this loss behind them. Learn from it but focus on what's ahead. This is the NFL and anything can happen.
Until next time...enjoy the rest of your day!