EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Universal disgust followed any questions about the Washington Redskins and third quarters.
Sunday produced another post-halftime detonation, a putrid 15-minute run to undo all the grappling of the first half. Cornerback Bashaud Breeland took the ball away from the New York Jets three times in the first half. A replacement-filled offensive line was steady, if not potent. A 54-yard field goal by Dustin Hopkins was followed by a 30-yard field goal with two seconds to play in the half. The Redskins led by three points against the resurgent Jets.
Then, an unraveling anchored in repeated error and the unexplainable led to a 34-20 loss. Quarterback Kirk Cousins threw another head-scratching interception on the Redskins’ second play of the second half. It was a precursor to a quarter which turned the team to mush. The Redskins were outscored, 17-0, in the third quarter in sunlit but cool MetLife Stadium on Sunday afternoon. It spoiled the game. Their inability to manage the quarter is a hefty reason they are 2-4, yet feeling so much more lost.
“That third quarter’s been hell for us the last couple weeks,” defensive end Jason Hatcher said.
The Redskins have been outscored, 46-3, in the third quarter this season. In the other three quarters, they have outscored opponents, 114-92.
Sunday’s hell, as Hatcher called it, was filled with problems. Cousins’ interception started the downfall. He was 2-for-7 in the quarter with two interceptions, the turnovers ending two of the Redskins’ three possessions. Washington had one first down in the quarter. The Jets held the ball for 10:21. By the end of it, a 13-10 lead had flipped to a 27-13 deficit.
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The search for a cause of third-quarter meltdowns was met with shoulder-shrug answers.
“I wish I knew,” coach Jay Gruden said.
“I don’t know what it is we’ve got to do, but we’ve got to find it, and we’ve got to find it fast,” Hatcher said.
“I can’t really even tell you,” cornerback Bashaud Breeland said.
“We have been terrible in the third quarter,” outside linebacker Ryan Kerrigan said.
Last week, the Redskins were almost level in the third quarter, when they were outscored, 3-0, by the Atlanta Falcons. Otherwise, the best the Redskins have done in that quarter is to be even.
In the opener against the Miami Dolphins, neither team scored in the third quarter. In Week 2, the problems began. The St. Louis Rams outscored Washington, 10-0, in the third on the way to a 24-10 win. The last time the Redskins were in MetLife Stadium, the Giants outscored them, 3-0, in the third quarter. Washington emerged from halftime leading, 13-0, against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 4. Aided by a field goal, their only points in the quarter this season, their lead was just 16-13 by the end of the third quarter.
The merit of halftime adjustments, or lack thereof, isn’t typically quantified with such ease. But, the unpleasant point totals are indicative that what they are doing now in between halves is not effective. If Gruden is screaming at the half, perhaps he should be calm. If the players sit, they should stand. Do the Hokey Pokey and turn themselves around. Who knows? What’s happening now is not working.
Hatcher, the oldest player on the team, feels the coaches are on the hook for delivering a solution.
“That’s what coaches do,” Hatcher said. “Players have to buy in, too. Coaches do a great job of looking at film and finding what’s going on, and we’ve just got to respond to it and make it come alive on Sundays.”
At one point, Gruden was even offered an out. A bevy of the Redskins’ best players did not play on Sunday. Pro Bowl left tackle Trent Williams watched from the sidelines. Wide receiver DeSean Jackson did not play. Running back Matt Jones was a late add to the injury list. The offensive line was a green group. Both starting cornerbacks from the season opener were unavailable. Asked about the pile of maladies, Gruden entered into a typical response, eschewing excuses. He eventually boiled down his answer.
“Second half, we just laid an egg,” Gruden said. “A big egg. So, without the players, if we don’t change the way we come out at halftime, it doesn’t matter who’s in there. We’ve just got to do a better job of getting more out of our guys in the third and fourth quarter.”
The Redskins are experiencing what feels like their annual slippage. Suggestions that this year is different have been swapped for the standard “here we go again.” The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-3), on a bye, will be guests next Sunday. The game precedes Washington’s bye week. It has been saddled with weight by Gruden.
“It’s critical,” Gruden said. “It’s code red for us.”
That extends beyond the third quarter.
• Todd Dybas can be reached at tdybas@washingtontimes.com.
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