Here we are, another defeat Monday that features a bunch of shoulda, coulda, wouldas.

The Washington Redskins, after giving up 21 fourth-quarter points, fall to 4-8 on the season. In addition to the defeat, they are poised to lose both tight end Fred Davis and left tackle Trent Williams to drug suspensions..

At this point, the season can’t end fast enough for this team, which already was shorthanded with seven players on injured reserve. It has struggled to find playmakers as it is.

Up next come the New England Patriots, who likely will hand Washington an ugly defeat. But first, here are some observations from the Redskins’ 34-19 loss to the New York Jets.

1.) Over-thinking things -- Graham Gano is a strong-legged kicker who can boom the ball beyond the end zone on kickoffs. But the Redskins - up by three with eight minutes left - tried to catch the Jets off guard by having Gano hit a short, high-arcing kickoff to one of the Jets’ upbacks. Danny Smith’s strategy was to capitalize on some hang time and an upback’s inexperience, and hope that he’d fumble or just fall to the ground with the ball at the 20.

Neither happened. Josh Baker fielded the poorly-blooped, poorly-covered kick cleanly and returned it to midfield, giving the Jets great field position and life. Yes, Antonio Cromartie was back there in the end zone, and he’s a speedy threat for a long return. But the call should’ve been to try to kick the ball out of the end zone to keep Cromartie from torching the Redskins. By over-thinking things, the Redskins gambled the game away. New York capitalized on the short field, took the lead and never looked back.

2.) No sacks -- The Redskins talked all week about the need to harass Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez and force him to make mistakes. But they only managed to pressure the young quarterback a handful of times, and for the first time all year, Washington’s defense didn’t register a sack. Until the middle of the fourth quarter, Sanchez wasn’t playing well and the Redskins narrowly missed some chances to take him down. Late in the game was when they needed to pin their ears back and go after the QB. Instead Sanchez had time, particularly on a third-and-4 play where he completed a 10-yard pass to Shonn Greene to set up the game-winning touchdown.

3.) Balance abandoned - The Redskins opened the game with a great gameplan that kept the Jets off-balance,using a good blend of the run and the pass. On Washington’s first two drives, Kyle Shanahan dialed up 10 runs and seven passes and his unit generated 133 yards and 10 points. The second quarter saw Washington get away from that, and on its next two possessions, Washington threw 13 times and ran twice while generating just three points and 46 yards. Said Mike Shanahan: “They picked up their run defense a little bit and we went in the other direction.” The direction Washington went after abandoning the balance was south. Grossman said the Redskins saw things they thought they could exploit in the passing game, but that obviously didn’t happen.

4.) Turnover battle lost . . . again – The Redskins continue to fail when it comes to taking care of the ball. With Roy Helu’s third-quarter fumble, Rex Grossman’s fumble and Grossman’s interception (even though the game was over at that point), the Redskins now have turned the ball over in 26 consecutive games, which isn’t the mark of a winning team. Some turnovers are difficult to avoid, but he Redskins can’t expect to win games when they can’t hang onto the ball. Washington dodged a bullet on Helu’s fumble when Nick Folk missed the field goal try that followed, but those situations are rare. And even though New York didn’t score any points, momentum was lost on that play. Grossman’s fumble, which stemmed from poor protection by Jammal Brown and Grossman probably holding onto the ball a bit too long, definitely did in the Redskins.

5.) Terrible judgment - Kiss hopes for a competitive end to the season goodbye. The Redskins will have to play the final four games without left tackle Trent Williams and tight end/leading receiver Fred Davis because the two stars face suspension for failing multiple drug tests. How many failed tests does it take to receive a wakeup call? Davis and Williams both failed a test right after the lockout ended but got a pass as part of a settlement between the league and players association. But both then failed a test later this season. Selfish, foolish judgment.

Williams talks about how he’s become a stronger leader and is so passionate about this game. What kind of leadership is this? Davis was having a career season in the final year of his contract and was auditioning for a big payday. He had a shot at record-setting numbers. Now he hurts himself and more importantly, the Redskins will struggle to move the ball without their best offensive lineman and most explosive playmaker.

Bonus) Missed game-changing opportunity - After the game, cornerback DeAngelo Hall beat himself up for failing to come through on what could’ve been a defining play of the game. With the score knotted at 13 with 2:59 left in the third quarter, the Jets had the ball at their own 23. Hall had a golden opportunity to intercept Sanchez and set up Washington’s offense with a very short field. He had the ball in his hands but dropped it. “Dropped it. I don’t know if he [Jets receiver Plaxico Burress] got his hand on it or what, but just dropped it,” Hall said shaking his hand. “That would’ve changed the complexion of the game.”

Would it have? Possibly. Energized by the turnover, the Redskins could have scored a touchdown, or at least a field goal. Washington eventually did take the lead midway through the fourth quarter, but that interception certainly could’ve helped a squad desperately in need of a spark at that point.