LANDOVER — Jay Gruden tried to subdue the sinking feeling in his gut following the Washington Redskins’ 35-18 loss to the Green Bay Packers, but it was hard to see the positive in Sunday’s outcome.
A few days from now, it will be easier to reflect on this season and all that the Redskins accomplished a year after going 4-12, but it wasn’t so easy for the head coach to do that on Sunday.
“I’m very proud of these guys,” Gruden said. “I mean, it’s a little sick feeling any time you lose a game at the end of the year, no matter when it is. The opportunities that we had out there today, it makes you ill. But for these guys to battle the way they did, I’m very, very proud of the guys and I really like the future of this football team.”
The opportunities were certainly there for the Redskins, but they failed to capitalize. The Packers, on the other hand, did.
Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers looked like his usual self, despite a slow start. Green Bay’s no-huddle offense gashed the Washington defense, while their running game kept the Redskins off balance.
By halftime, the Packers had sapped the energy from FedEx Field as they took a 17-11 lead. Quarterback Kirk Cousins’ three-yard rush in third quarter gave the Redskins the lead, but Green Bay pulled away with 18 unanswered points.
With that, here’s three takeaways from the Redskins’ loss.
** The biggest missed opportunity occurred on the Redskins’ second drive of the game when wide receiver DeSean Jackson’s touchdown was overturned. Jackson caught a short pass from Cousins and slowed down as he approach the end zone. It appeared he had crossed the goal line, but replay confirmed that Jackson stepped out a half-yard early. After two unsuccessful rushing attempts, the Redskins were called for a delay of game on third-and-goal. They had to settle for a field goal instead.
“The third play, we got the play in and Kirk just didn’t get it off and we had to kick a field goal,” Gruden said. “That was unfortunate. There were some other plays throughout the game that I thought we had a chance for, but we had to get it done.”
** The Redskins’ run defense showed improvement against the rush in the final stretch of the season, but on Sunday they looked much like the team that struggled against opposing running backs most of the season. Green Bay rushed for 141 yards on 31 carries and two touchdowns. The Packers relied on a steady balance of Eddie Lacy and James Starks, who each carried the ball 12 times for a combined 116 yards. The duo of Lacy and Starks provided good balance for the Packers offense. Combined with the Packers’ no-huddle approach, it was a difficult day for the Redskins’ defense.
“Offensively I think we were able to play run and pass,” Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. “To simplify, that’s what you have to do. It starts with the quarterback; he has to be able to manage the whole thing and he [Aaron Rodgers] is exceptional at that. The guys up front did a good job of reacting to some of the things they started gaining. They went heavy base defense against us and tried to keep us out of running the ball when we had our fullback on the field. There were good adjustments on the sideline, good adjustments with the players and coaches and obviously we were very productive.”
** The Redskins sacked opposing quarterbacks 14 times in the last three games, but only dropped Rodgers once on Sunday, albeit for a safety. The Packers’ offensive line was hurting, particularly without left tackle David Bakhtiari, but the Redskins could not generate sufficient pressure throughout the game. The Packers allowed 13 sacks in the previous two games and Rodgers was sacked the second-most in the league this season. Meanwhile, the Redskins’ offensive line, which has been sharp in pass protection this season, allowed Cousins to get sacked six times.
“We’re not happy,” center Kory Lichtensteiger said. “I think it could’ve been better, but that’s the way it goes. I think we’re just thinking of reminiscing. I’ve seen a lot of guys grow. I’ve seen a lot of guys come into their own as players. It’s not the way we wanted it to end, but over time I think we’ll at least be pleased with the development in guys and the chemistry we kind of had as an O-Line. We’re kind of bummed, but at the same time I think we can appreciate the things we did.”
• Anthony Gulizia can be reached at agulizia@washingtontimes.com.
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