LANDOVER — Moments after the Washington Redskins’ season came to an end, the sting still so fresh from a 35-18 loss to the Green Bay Packers in the wild-card round on Sunday at FedEx Field, Ricky Jean Francois made his way around the locker room.
He stopped just a little bit longer to chat with players such as inside linebackers Will Compton and Mason Foster and thanked them for stepping up and contributing in key roles this season when injuries and inefficient play hampered the position.
RJean Francois also reminded Compton, Foster and others that there was plenty for this team to be proud of, even if it seemed impossible to see the positive in Sunday’s outcome.
First-year general manager Scot McCloughan signed Jean Francois this season partly because the defensive end, who joined this team with the experience of 10 playoff games and a Super Bowl under his belt, knew how to win.
Most importantly, though, Jean Francois also knows how to deal with a crushing loss and help an improving organization refocus to take the next step forward in its development. That’s what Jean Francois did after the San Francisco 49ers lost the NFC Championship in 2012, only to return to the Super Bowl the next season.
That’s what Jean Francois tried to do on Sunday, too. Some players lingered in front of their lockers with blank stares, their equipment strewn about at their feet.
As Jean Francois made his rounds, he reminded players of the Redskins’ comeback win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — the largest in franchise history — or the four-game winning streak they ended the regular season with.
“Man, we accomplished a lot this season,” Jean Francois said. “A lot of people doubted us, said what we couldn’t do. We did a lot of good things. All we’ve got to do is just remember how this feels. Once before when I went to the playoffs, I took this loss before, but the next year I was sitting at the Super Bowl. We’ve just got to keep working.
“There’s a lot of good in this. It hurts when you hear someone say, ’Try again next year,’ but it just hurts to remember this feeling. In the offseason, the days you get tired, the days you feel like not working out, or taking care of your body, all you’ve got to do is remind yourself how this day felt to you. We’re going to come back with a good team. We can be a lot more better than what we are.”
The Redskins got off to a promising start, taking an 11-0 lead over the Packers. The defense pressured Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers, limiting the Packers to 11 yards of offense in the first quarter.
Rodgers and the Packers, looking for a boost, switched to a no-huddle approach, which took its toll on the Redskins’ defense. On their first possession of the second quarter, the Packers went 80 yards in nine plays, twice getting the Redskins caught with too many men on the field. Rodgers connected with wide receiver Randall Cobb for a 12-yard touchdown. The Packers scored 17 consecutive points, taking advantage of a gassed defensive front.
The biggest issue was getting the right personnel on the field, which allowed Green Bay to run the ball effectively as well.
Rodgers started the game 1-for-8, but finished 21-for-36 with 210 yards and two touchdowns. The Redskins allowed Green Bay to rush for 141 yards — the balanced up-tempo approach too much to keep up with.
“He was just moving the ball up and down,” defensive end Chris Baker said, “but he’s a great quarterback, that’s what you expect. They know what it takes to win these types of games and they made the plays and we didn’t. Aaron Rodgers found our weakness and attacked.
“We knew if we stopped the run we’d have a better chance of getting after Rodgers. We weren’t able to get our base packages on the field and sub into our nickel packages on passing downs, so they did a great job of getting us to not substitute when we wanted to.”
Baker, still dressed in his uniform, was asked if he could reflect on the season and peg his happiest moment.
“I don’t know, I guess it would be making the playoffs when nobody gave us a chance,” Baker said, a tinge of dejection in his voice.
After the game, McCloughan stood in the end zone and greeted his players like he does after every game. While it may have been difficult to face the reality of a season-ending loss, it was important for the Redskins to hear what McCloughan had to offer.
“We’re just scratching the surface,” Compton said. “We had a lot of new faces working together for the first time putting together a hell of a year. Nothing to hang our heads about, it just sucks we’re not continuing to play. We were confident and thought we could’ve won this game.”
• Anthony Gulizia can be reached at agulizia@washingtontimes.com.
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