Redskins and Texans fans alike were treated to an aerial display by quarterbacks Donovan McNabb and Matt Schaub as they combined for 923 yards through the air last Sunday, the second most combined yardage by opposing gunslingers in a single game in NFL History. <\/p>\n
Heading into their second home game as the underdog, the Redskins built a 17-point lead into the third quarter. The defense was getting to Schuab and did not allow him to make as many plays as he was accustomed to until the end of the third quarter when Houston began its comeback. <\/p>\n
The final quarter showed Redskins fans what the Colts found out the hard way in Week 1: these aren\u2019t your older brother\u2019s Texans. <\/p>\n
Following the 17-point lead, the Redskins defense gave up shocking 20 unanswered points, including Neil Rackers\u2019 game-winning kick in overtime, which was the first in Texans history. <\/p>\n
Considering the familiarity that the Redskins coaching staff (mainly offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan) has with how the Texans operate, shouldn\u2019t the Redskins defense have been more prepared for the late game heroics that were about to come? <\/p>\n
\u201cThey didn’t panic during the game,\u201d Redskins linebacker Andre Carter said about the Texans. \u201cThey slowly started coming back by eliminating mistakes and benefiting from ours.\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cBig plays killed us,\u201d he added. \u201cThat’s all I can say. When you eliminate the big plays our world is a much better place,\u201d Carter said. <\/p>\n
Those mistakes and big plays included an unfathomable 34-yard touchdown pass from Schaub to his favorite target, wide receiver Andre Johnson, on 4th and 10 with just over two minutes left in the game to push the contest into overtime. <\/p>\n
The Redskins defense was well aware of Johnson\u2019s capabilities beforehand but he was somehow able to get open in space and eventually lifted the Texans with his first score in the fourth quarter. <\/p>\n
With so much attention on Johnson, how was he still able to continue to accumulate 12 catches for 158 yards? <\/p>\n
\u201cI really can’t answer that. It’s so tough to say. What I do know is that he’s a playmaker and created the change of the game in the forth quarter,\u201d Carter said. <\/p>\n
The loss puts the Redskins at 1-1 heading into what many are calling a \u201cmust-win\u201d Week 3 game against a very young and rebuilding franchise. <\/p>\n
Luckily for the Redskins, much like after the season opening victory against the Dallas Cowboys, the loss to Houston was quickly forgotten and the team immediately turned its attention towards the St. Louis Rams going into this Sunday. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe have grown so much during this year alone,\u201d Carter said. \u201cThe past is the past. We are not down about it after we watched the film of the Texans game Monday morning. It was over with by Monday morning then [by] Tuesday we were ready to prepare for the Rams.\u201d <\/p>\n
That mindset is a change from the 2009 Redskins that seemed to linger off of each painful loss to much lesser opponents. If Redskins fans thought 4-12 was bad for one season, they should take a look at the record that loyal Rams fans have had to suffer through recently. The present-day Rams, a far cry from \u201cThe Greatest Show on Turf\u201d that everyone grew accustomed to a decade ago, have won only six games since 2006 and are 3-35 in the last 38 games. <\/p>\n
Despite those staggering stats, the Redskins know better than to take the Rams for granted. <\/p>\n
\u201cEvery game is a big challenge. Despite the scoring ratio of the St. Louis Rams we need to be on top of our game,\u201d Carter said. <\/p>\n
Carter says that stopping the Rams will involve containing bruising running back Steven Jackson and constantly pressuring quarterback Sam Bradford, this year\u2019s first overall pick in the draft. <\/p>\n
\u201cSo many thoughts run through my head,\u201d Carter said in regards to what concerns him about the Rams offense. \u201cThey have [Steven] Jackson, who is running at a high level, a great receiving corps and a QB that likes to take chances. Those are the areas we need to focus on.\u201d <\/p>\n
Another reason to not take St. Louis lightly is the amount of parity in the first two weeks of this young NFL season. Who would have guessed that teams like Tampa Bay and Kansas City would be leading their divisions with a 2-0 record and teams like the Cowboys and Vikings would be starting their seasons winless after two weeks? <\/p>\n
That could be a symptom of the amount of talent spreading throughout the league a little more evenly, with better players leaving better teams for worse teams and vice versa, as well as lesser players overachieving and understanding how to attack their opponents better. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think teams who were at the bottom of the barrel are improving in so many areas, which is good because it makes the game more interesting,\u201d Carter said. <\/p>\n
On a more somber note, TheHogs.net would like to send its condolences to the Denver Broncos and the family and friends of wide receiver Kenny McKinley, who tragically passed away on Monday from what is being reported in Denver as an apparent suicide. <\/p>\n
Carter, also affected by this news, says that this type of situation reinforces player\u2019s perceptions of life. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt’s unfortunate to have a young man die before his time. How he passed away is unfortunate. I\u2019m not sure how this news affects the rest of the league but I’m sure it gives us an overall perspective that life can’t be taken for granted. <\/p>\n
Reportedly, McKinley was suffering from depression and part of the depression resulted from him being placed on Injured Reserve before the season after he spent the offseason hoping to have a breakthrough sophomore season and get more playing time. <\/p>\n
If McKinley\u2019s death was in fact a suicide, it proves that the pressures and the ups and downs of the NFL can drastically affect players mentally and emotionally, much like what any real life experience can do to an everyday person who isn\u2019t a celebrity athlete. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt can be an emotional roller coaster as players, especially if you are a promising player. The level of expectations of performance and being a [high] caliber player is always big. However, when an injury occurs, there is nothing that can fill that void of competing each Sunday and having those weeks of constant grind preparing for an opponent. It’s unfortunate this incident happened,\u201d Carter said. <\/p>\n
Fan Questions:<\/b> <\/p>\n
broomboy:<\/b> How does the team\/you recover and get focused on St. Louis after such a tough loss? <\/p>\n
AC:<\/b> Look towards the future and let go of the past. <\/p>\n
cowboykillerzRED:<\/b> Can we look forward to a stronger secondary with Kareem Moore’s return? <\/p>\n
AC:<\/b> Kareem’s return will be a great benefit to our team. I don’t know how much he will play but we are happy to have him back.<\/p>\n
Edit: This blog was archived in May of 2016 from our original articles database.It was originally posted by Jake Russell<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"