Redskins Fall to Seattle 27-17 on Monday Night Football

The Washington Redskins came out flat on national television yet again. With over a week to prepare for the defending super bowl champions, I have no idea how the Redskins defense managed to come out looking as if they had no idea Russell Wilson was a dual threat quarterback.

The third year Wisconsin product gashed the Redskins defense for 80 yards in the first quarter. Multiple Redskins were guilty of being sucked inside and not maintaining contain including Ryan Kerrigan and rookie Trent Murphy resulting in Wilson boot leg runs for large gains.

The Redskins were lucky to be in this game at half. The Seahawks consistently had good field position while the Redskins offense stalled often before they made it into Seattle territory. Luckily for the Redskins, the Seahawks have not fixed their penalty woes, and have shot themselves in the foot often in the first half, keeping the Redskins in the game.

The Redskins took advantage of the Seattle mishaps and cashed in on a 60 yard touchdown grab from DeSean Jackson. Jackson ran a great route, and Cousins showed good pocket presence sliding away from pressure before hitting Jackson on a perfect bomb.

With that being said the Redskins need to do a few things better in the second half. First of all, they have to stick with the running game. It hasn't been extremely effective but Alfred Morris has had his moments and grinding down this Seattle defense will be key to victory.

The Redskins offensive line has done a relatively good job today, and there were a few instances where Cousins was presented with time and should have made better throws, he has to make those throws if the Redskins hope to pull of the improbable victory.

Around midway through the second quarter, the Washington Redskins finally started playing the way they should, desperate. The Redskins are tied for the worst record in the NFL since the magical 2012 playoff run, and it's about time the Redskins played with some passion and a sense of urgency, with some pride on the national stage.

One player who has been impressive throughout the first half was Frank Kearse. Kearse fought his way onto the roster, and has been playing like an absolute animal. I've always been a fan of high motor players over ones with all the talent in the world but don't have that fire burning inside them. With the defensive line depth as thin as it is, Kearse will only help that rotation.

What a way to start the second half, talk about making a statement. The first play of the game, the Redskins attack the famed "Legion of Boom" with a deep route to DeSean Jackson. The Redskins lacked big play threat before this year, and this is Jackson's third catch of over 50 yards in under 5 games, and that's why they brought the speedy receiver to Washington. Dare I say that the Redskins are gaining momentum?

I actually really liked the onside kick call. When you're a team that has won four games since 2012 and you're trying to beat the defending super bowl champs those are the types of plays you need to go your way if you want to win. It's also a play that gets criticized when it doesn't work, and the coach gets praised as a genius when it does. I like the gutsy play call to try and get momentum, regardless of the fact that it didn't work.

Huge play by David Amerson on 3^rd and 4. Tackling Percy Harvin in the open field is NOT easy, and Amerson did a great job of taking him down before the marker to keep momentum on Washington's side. Only to have the Redskins special teams do what it usually does, put the Redskins in a bad spot let the punt that followed the big third down stop at the one yard line. However, the Redskins are still 99 yards away from tying the Seahawks, a position not many people thought they would be in.

In the second gutsy special teams call of the game, the Seahawks successfully faked a field goal to pick up a fourth and inches. A play that ultimately swung momentum back in Seattle's direction for the first time since arguably the first half.

When you're 1-4 you don't want to hear about moral victories. However, that's exactly what the Redskins have to take from this Monday night loss. They showed fight, and gave the defending super bowl champs a better game than anyone expected them to. The defense played phenomenally, but the offense couldn't take advantage on multiple occasions and ultimately there was only so much the defense could do. Seattle is a good offense, and with all the injuries the Redskins have on defense holding them to 24 points was very impressive.

With a healthy RG3 or DeAngelo Hall, could this game have turned out differently? It's hard to say, but the Redskins came out and competed against one of the best teams in the league when no one expected them to. Seattle obviously helped the Redskins cause with penalties and giving up the big play, but overall the Redskins played a solid game against Seattle, and if the Redskins can continue to play as they did tonight, they can be competitive week in and week out.