GLENDALE, Ariz. — Misery dripped from Jay Gruden’s voice postgame. He was exasperated, standing in yet another press conference, searching for yet another explanation of why his team can’t win. The usually spry, self-deprecating Gruden exhaled, sighed, wondered out loud. Though he’s not trying to pound his head against a wall, he can’t seem to turn around without finding a new one to run into.
Done with his media obligations following the 30-20 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, Gruden took a clockwise lap around the locker room. He patted players on the shoulder to get their attention. A handshake followed, along with a quiet message to continue to push. The mutual conclusion was this: they have no other choice.
At 1-5, losers of 13 of their last 14 and anchored at the bottom of the NFC East, the Redskins locker room was quiet. There was no postgame controversy following this loss. The players were downtrodden. Few talked, and if they did, it was quietly. Jason Hatcher’s voice was clear at one point, only because he needed to borrow a pair of shower shoes.
Turnovers were again the Redskins’ undoing Sunday. They committed four in the fourth quarter of a one-score game. Quarterback Kirk Cousins threw three interceptions to square his career numbers at 18 touchdowns and 18 interceptions. Wide receiver Andre Roberts fumbled, though replays appeared to show his knee was down. Screen gazers at NFL replay headquarters in New York City did not agree. There have been no breaks, self-made or otherwise.
“I told our team after the game, this is not that hard to figure out,” Gruden said. “The team that makes plays usually wins. The team that doesn’t turn the ball over usually wins. The team that creates turnovers … we’re not doing anything. It’s a broken record every time I stand up here.”
There was promise early, when a few inches proved to be plenty of space for wide receiver DeSean Jackson.
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Just in front of Arizona cornerback Patrick Peterson, Jackson snagged a Cousins zipline-crisp pass in stride. He accelerated and left Peterson, one of the fastest cornerbacks in the league, disgruntled and dusted.
Jackson’s 64-yard first-yard touchdown pulled the Redskins even with the Cardinals at 7-7. Cousins had 208 yards passing at halftime. Arizona’s relentless blitzes brought sporadic irritation, but were countered. Jackson thought there was sufficient evidence a big day was pending.
“It always feels that way,” Jackson said.
Jackson had 106 receiving yards in the first quarter, giving him his second consecutive game with more than 100 receiving yards and third of the season to surpass that mark. Tight end Jordan Reed returned to play for the first time since injuring his hamstring in Week 1 against Houston. He was effective. His eight catches for 92 yards were his most since he caught nine passes for 134 yards Oct. 20, 2013.
Any first-half promise was undressed by Cousins’ late-game misfires.
His first interception of the fourth quarter came on the second drive, following Roberts’ fumble. It was high over the middle, which creates a perfect circumstance to be picked off.
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“I got off rhythm and just felt rushed,” Cousins said.
His second interception came because the pass was delivered late, according to Gruden.
“The play took way too long,” Gruden said. “That play was just supposed to be one step and the ball’s gone. For whatever reason it took way too long and the flat defender read his eyes, got underneath it and made a play. That was not how it was designed.”
The third was a misread.
“I was just trying to get the ball downfield and did not see the defender,” Cousins said.
Arizona free safety Rashad Johnson returned that for a touchdown and 10-point Arizona lead. That was the end.
Few times does a cliche become reality. Mark the final interception as one of the outliers. Left tackle Trent Williams irritated his already injured knee trying to make a tackle on the play. The pain produced another day of insult to injury, the ongoing story of the 2014 Washington Redskins.
Williams is wading through his fifth season with the organization. The team is 25-45 since he arrived. Delicately reminded he’s been through a significant amount of losing, and asked if there is something to draw from that experience to change course or keep morale from the ditch, Williams half-giggled.
“No,” Williams said. “Losing sucks. No one wants to lose. The only way to fix that is by winning. Until we win, the morale probably won’t be high.”
Gruden’s walk around the locker room ended at Cousins’ locker. The quarterback was pulling on his suit. Gruden’s right hand rested on a slate gray door. Their conversation was longer than the ones he had with Hatcher, Ryan Kerrigan or David Amerson. Cousins did quite a bit of the talking. They parted in silence.
• Todd Dybas can be reached at tdybas@washingtontimes.com.
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