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For Redskins, a Dead Giveaway
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"The season's over as far as the playoffs, but I think our team has a lot of character as far as going out here and playing tough the last two games," defensive tackle Lorenzo Alexander said. "Cincinnati is in the same predicament we're in now, they were out of it, and they came out there and they played ball. We've got to show what type of guys we have now and play ball. Is this where we wanted to be at this point in the season? No. But this is just where it is for us."
The loss capped a difficult week for Zorn. On Tuesday, Portis lashed out at Zorn, criticizing him for his communication and decision-making during his weekly radio appearance on ESPN 980's "The John Thompson Show."
Zorn and Portis said they resolved their differences in a meeting Wednesday, and Washington maintained its focus on the field in an effort to revert to form, team leaders said. The Redskins expressed confidence their 6-2 start was not a fluke, and they expected to have a breakout performance on offense against Cincinnati. Privately, some players suggested Washington could score at least 30 points for the first time despite playing without injured starting tackles Chris Samuels and Jon Jansen.
With Stephon Heyer starting at left tackle and Jason Fabini at right tackle, the Redskins had only 280 total net yards. Portis's late drop in production continued as well. Portis was heavily involved in Zorn's game plan, but he had only 77 yards on 25 rushes for a 3.1-yard average. Portis had 2.0- and 2.9-yard averages in the Redskins' previous two losses.
"It's pretty tough," said Portis, who did not question Zorn's play-calling against Cincinnati. "We had opportunities to come in here and keep our season alive, and we let it slip away. We've got to find a way to finish."
Quarterback Jason Campbell completed 17 of 28 passes for 167 yards, including a 10-yard pass to top wide receiver Santana Moss in the second quarter for Washington's only touchdown. Campbell has relied on Moss more than he would prefer throughout the season, in large part, because rookie wide receivers Devin Thomas and Malcolm Kelly have not developed as management envisioned.
Thomas dropped a pass against Cincinnati and had no receptions. Kelly was inactive. "It's just a matter of us continuing to try to work and get some guys more experienced," Campbell said. "Just try to keep progressing and keep improving."
Washington will face Philadelphia at FedEx Field on Sunday and will complete its schedule at San Francisco on Dec. 28. With two games remaining, the Redskins must use their time to continue to build for the future, Zorn said.
"We do have a long way to go, and I'm confident enough in my abilities to stand strong and stand firm," he said. "That's what I'm going to do."
