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The Washington Redskins met up with the Minnesota Vikings in their last home game of the 2011 season. The contest ended badly with that all-too familiar feeling fans get when their team has missed opportunities. Washington lost to the Vikings 33-26.
Because the Redskins’ offense had come out of hiding in the second half of the season, the Vikings had only won two games; and it was the last home game, losing to them felt especially bad. Like so many other games, Washington should have won this one. But they didn’t because the Vikings run game inexplicably caught on fire after their star running back got hurt; and the penalties and turnovers for the Redskins continued.
In the first half of the game, the Redskins defense held fast against Pro Bowl running back Adrian Peterson, holding him to 23 yards on 10 carries. It was the Vikings’ Toby Gerhart – who got the job after a helmet-to-knee hit from Redskins safety DeJon Gomes knocked AP out of the game – who logged 109 yards on 11 carries in the second half.
What happened to Washington’s run defense?
Bright spots in the season and this game were the Redskins’ rookie running backs and Evan Royster managed 132 yards on 19 carries (Roy Helu was out with an injury). Jabar Gaffney had a good game with 77 yards receiving on only six receptions and a touchdown. But it was fullback Darrel Young who showed once again how valuable he is. Besides his blocking, the former linebacker made two consecutive catches of 16 and 17 yards that were instrumental in setting up quarterback Rex Grossman’s five-yard touchdown pass to wide out Donté Stallworth in the second quarter.
A really memorable play was a reverse that had return specialist Brandon Banks running 59 yards for a touchdown having gotten a great block from receiver Anthony Armstrong. The problem is that the play was called back due to an offensive holding penalty called on Young. The Redskins were only a touchdown behind the Vikings at that point with 10:06 left in the game so that touchdown would have been key. Young – being who he is – feels he lost the game for the team. He didn’t.
The fact is that the Redskins had eight penalties in that game for 64 yards plus two turnovers. Those are huge reasons why Washington lost this game. Three of the more costly penalties were in the fourth quarter and so was the interception that set up the Vikings for another field goal. This put the Vikings two scores ahead of the Redskins with just over seven minutes left to play.
In the ensuing Redskins possession, they moved the ball with Grossman hitting three different receivers (Moss, Armstrong and wide out Terrence Austin). Royster had a nine-yard gain as well. But once again, a penalty cost them yards, they could not get into the end zone and they had to kick a field goal which just was not enough points.
The defense held the Vikings to a three-and-out in the next possession. Linebacker Perry Riley got a nice sack on Vikings back-up quarterback Joe Webb (in after Vikings QB Christian Ponder was injured) for a loss of three yards. But when the Redskins’ offense got the ball back, they just were not consistent. Stallworth nailed a 16-yard reception with 55 seconds to go but the next play was an illegal motion penalty followed by an incomplete pass. Next came an 11-yard catch by Stallworth and another incomplete pass. The clock ran out then with the Redskins one touchdown behind.
Games like the one against the Vikings were all too common in Washington in 2011 with a major frustration being that they were so close. I will get razzed for writing this but the Washington Redskins have a lot more talent on their roster than they get credit for. With the injuries they have sustained in their starting corps, they just could not recover from so many turnovers on offense. Combine that with not enough takeaways from the defense and you have a season-long story of missed opportunities.
Welcome 2012!
Hail.
