Redskins: RGIII shines in the 4th, but it’s not enough

I don’t even know where to start with this game, but Kyle Shanahan’s antics (and the replacement refs in general) certainly are not helping.

September 25, 2012; 7:11 AM • by Beth Petty

My dog isn’t a fan of watching Redskins games with me, and finally, after five years, I think I’ve figured out why. For one, I frequently make her wear this little Redskins sweatshirt. While I’m not normally a fan of clothing on animals, I made this one exception because she looks like ~~such an idiot~~ fantastic in it; she always glares at me with equal parts of hatred and humiliation. But I guess forcing anyone, even a dog, to wear Redskins apparel these days is akin to waterboarding. (OK, maybe that’s a little dramatic, but I’m sure it is embarrassing).

Secondly, Tess is a shelter dog, so she comes with her own unique insecurities. One of these issues is that she gets incredibly upset and needy whenever anyone 1) cries or 2) yells. That’s unfortunate for Tess because Redskins games result in a lot of crying and yelling. This includes Sunday’s game against the Bengals, where the Redskins fell short for the second week in a row, 38-31. I watched that last drive by RGIII with a 45-pound red-haired mutt in my lap, licking my face, as I screamed at the television. She really shouldn’t complain, though, because I demonstrated a great deal of restraint by not putting the sweatshirt on her. Fear not, girl, there’s always next week.

I don’t even know where to start with this game. Apart from a sweet pick-six in the 1st quarter, the Bengals really dominated the 1st half. But then we had 14 unanswered points in the 3rd quarter, followed by two impressive drives by RGIII in the 4th, almost bringing us back from the dead. Almost. Then that last set of downs. Griffin ran ten yards with a 1:10 left and then got an additional 15 for a late hit, setting up a Skins 1st and 10 on the Bengals’ 19. Awesome. Then we lost 15 yards on a sack, five on a false start, and 15 on the unsportsmanlike penalty against Offensive Coordinator Kyle Shanahan, setting up 3rd and…well a lot. Not so awesome.

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Pros

There wasn’t a heck of a lot for me to get super excited about but let’s give it a shot.

Comebacks. The second half was nothing if not entertaining.
The Redskins’ running game. I loved watching RB Alfred Morris yesterday plow through the Bengals’ defensive line. The man even lost his helmet during one play and kept going to pick up additional yards. While definitely not legal, it certainly was beastly. He also drives a 1991 Mazda 626, making him beastly and humble, a totally winning combo.
Banks! I love this little guy. He weighs 153 pounds and has the speed of lightening. I’m convinced he runs that fast because he knows that if they catch him, they will break him. He’s just so tiny!

Cons

Surprisingly, the negatives were easier to come up with.

Oh man, that was a lousy defensive secondary. The Redskins gave up 478 (385 through the air) yards on Sunday, and really allowed Bengals QB Andy Dalton to do whatever he wanted on the field. DeAngelo Hall, just cover someone, anyone, pu-lease.
WR Pierre Garçon—we miss you! DUDE, these injuries are plaguing us. On a selfish note, I’d really appreciate Garçon coming back so I can write articles with lots of cédillas in them. It makes me feel fancy. (ççççççççç!)
Hits on RGIII. Maybe this is why girls don’t play football, but I’m a little concerned about the number of hits that he’s taking. Griffin was sacked SIX times on Sunday. Our offensive line has been notoriously weak for years, but it also may be that RGIII is hanging on to the ball for too long? Whatever it is, he got pummeled and was definitely a little slower than normal popping up after some. But at least he didn’t lose a piece of his ear like poor Texans QB Matt Schaub after he was illegally hit (barf).

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Next week: Tampa Bay. Hopefully the Redskins’ offensive line can protect RGIII so we don’t see the kinds of hits that Romo took when Dallas beat the Bucs on Sunday. Also, the defensive line is going to have to step up the pass rush on Bucs QB Josh Freeman. We also have to keep our fingers crossed that some of these folks with injuries (I’m looking at you, Garçon, OT Trent Williams, and RB Roy Helu) will be cleared to play on Sunday.

Finally, I know these replacement refs are not, er, the best, but the Redskins can’t afford the type of behavior Kyle Shanahan demonstrated Sunday when he berated the refs. Even if it’s for the sole purpose of not having any Redskin coach lumped into the same category as Pats coach Bill Belichick (who grabbed an official on Sunday night). C’mon guys, if nothing more, we are better than Beli-cheat.

On a quick side note, I’m hearing reports that the replacement refs who made the controversial, riot-inducing call last night in the Seahawks-Packers game were the same as in the Redskins-Rams game last week. Sounds about right. And after the backlash from Tate’s touchdown last night (uh, did a Wisconsin State Senator really tweet Commissioner Goodell’s phone number? Well played, dude), maybe Kyle Shanahan’s antics were tame.

HAIL!