The Washington Redskins were one of the hottest teams in the National Football league going into their home Wild Card playoff match up against the Green Bay Packers. After their week eight bye, the Redskins went 6-3 in their final nine games of the season. Playing at FedEx Field was definitely a plus for the team as they won six of their eight home games. Unfortunately, the youth and inexperience on the team could not withstand the pressure of the situation, even with the heavy presence of seasoned vets supporting them.
Early in the game the Burgundy and Gold would show the world why playing in the nation’s capital should spell doom for any opponent. Defensive coordinator Joe Barry’s unit dominated the line of scrimmage and blanketed the Packers wide receivers. It applied good pressure on All Pro quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
In fact, it was the defense that was first to put points on the board with a safety. This set things into motion for quarterback Kirk Cousins & Co. to run out to an 11-point early lead. Early in the game, Washington’s offense was the only one producing any kind of success. Unfortunately, it would be short lived.
The Packers began to find their rhythm in the second quarter and mustered up 17 unanswered points going into the half. But Washington came out of the locker room and threw a hard-hitting blow, opening the third quarter with a nine-play, 73-yard drive that resulted in a three-yard touchdown run by Cousins on a quarterback draw.
The former Spartan passed for 329 yards, completing 29 of 46 passes and a touchdown in the game. All of it was for naught unfortunately because the Redskins defense began springing serious leaks in the second half. Green Bay got into a groove, dominating in all phases of the game and went on a 35-7 run. The final score was a convincing 35-18.
Many fans want to point fingers in various directions for the Redskins loss.
Was it the defense’s lack of a pass rush and poor gap responsibility in the run game? Was it wide out DeSean Jackson’s miscue when he didn’t put the ball over the goal line plane during his touchdown-called-back? Was it the missed extra point by kicker Dustin Hopkins? Was it the Cousins turnover that caused the downward spiral?
Many of the aforementioned game situations could be looked at as possible things that caused the Redskins to fall short but it’s actually pretty simple. It was the intense pressure of the situation that could not be overcome. Recall that this Washington ball club has 24 players on it with less than two years of experience in the NFL. It employs coaches who haven’t been in this situation before as well.
Green Bay’s veteran head coach, Mike McCarthy, has been in these high-pressure playoff situations with his veteran quarterback not less than six times. They have been working with each other long enough to know how to overcome adversity and get the win.
In his second season in Washington, Redskins Head coach Jay Gruden has some NFL playoff experience but it was as an offensive coordinator with the Cincinnati Bengals. It’s much different when you are the guy in charge.
With a young OC in Sean McVay and a young quarterback in Cousins, the lack of familiarity with the situation had an impact on Sunday’s playoff game. Even though the team went to the playoffs in 2012, there were enough different players in the game that only some of the lessons learned could be applied.
For pretty much the first time since early in the season, the Washington Redskins looked shaken and uncomfortable Sunday. Some questionable coaching calls on both sides of the ball put this team in tough situations on the field. It was clear that the pressure of the moment late in the game proved to be too much for the home team.
Youth and inexperience prove to be the difference but should not be a cause for anyone on the team to hang their heads.
It might feel impossible for Redskins fans to count their blessings on the heels of this playoff loss, but the Washington Redskins and their fans should feel nothing short of enthusiastic about the future after Sunday’s Wild Card playoff defeat to the Green Bay Packers.