December 25, 2011
By Ceci Ferarra
Sports Writer
Sports Insider
With just two games left in the season, Christmas Eve’s match-up against the visiting Minnesota Vikings was a must win for the Skins if they wanted to end the season with a better record than last year (6-10). Coming off an impressive victory against the New York Giants, the Skins seemed poised to take home win number six against the 2-12 Vikings.
But the Vikings had other plans. Despite injuries to their starting QB Christian Ponder and star running back Adrian Peterson, they were still able to top the Skins 33-26, due to sloppy play that have plagued Washington all season (and most seasons in recent memory).
Tony Gerhart replaced Peterson and rushed for 109 yards, while backup quarterback Joe Webb was also able to take advantage of Washington’s messy defense and passed for 84 yards, two touchdown passes and one rushing TD. Webb proved to be more effective than Ponder with the Vikings putting up 23 points in the second half. While Rex Grossman passed for 284 yards and two touchdowns, he also made mistakes — one interception and a fumble.
It’s mistakes like those that have cost the Redskins close games all season and left them at 5-10 going into the final game of the year. As the second year of Redskins football under Mike Shanahan comes to a close, it’s safe to say there hasn’t been significant improvement in the organization since he and his son, Kyle Shanahan, took charge as head coach and offensive coordinator, respectively.
Without a playoff berth to look forward to, the Redskins will have a long off-season in which to plan, plot, and prepare for next season. Dan Snyder, along with GM Bruce Allen, will have ample time to decide who will be back and who won’t.
Nets Top Wizards in Season Opener
The Wizards kicked off the shortened 2011-2012 season Monday night with a home game against the New Jersey Nets. Despite putting up 84 points, the Wizards were unable to pull together a successful fourth period rally and fell to the Nets, 90-84.
After winning just 23 games last season, the Wizards aren’t expected to make the playoffs, but winning 23 games in the abbreviated season would be a large improvement. With young talent like JaVale McGee and Jon Wall, they have the tools to win games, they just need to work on playing as a cohesive unit. This is especially true after Ted Leonsis’ statement on his blog. “There will be lots and lots of back-to-back games,” he said, with little time for formal practices.
After tonight, the Wizards are on the road until the new year, traveling to Atlanta and Milwaukee before hosting the Boston Celtics on New Year’s Day.
