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Everything was fine in Washington just a week ago.
Before quarterback Alex Smith suffered a leg injury at the end of the season and prior to consecutive losses in Houston and Dallas, coach Jay Gruden's team was 6-3 and controlled the NFC East.
How long have things collapsed? In the space of five days, Washington has gone from planning the qualifications to question the commitment of its players.
Shortly after his 31-23 loss to the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving, D.J. Swearinger expressed some frustration about how his defense is prepared to face his opponents.
"We can go and do anything with teams that are not good," Swearinger told the media. "But when we have teams that can play with you, you have to prepare. You must attack. You have to do well simple things. If you do not do things as simple as you should, you will be embarrassed on national television. That's why we do not respect the Redskins. We do not do things simply. We do things simply. I guarantee you that we get respect. So we do not [get] no fucking respect. I see why we are disrespectful because we are not winning the big game. We have to win the big game. "
Washington has been outclassed 54-44 in the last two games. Both would be winners, if not essential, for a team seeking to separate in a surprisingly weak division. Smith's injury will certainly change the team's game, but Colt McCoy's replacement has done enough to give Washington a chance in both games he has played.
Passing 40- and 90-yard passes off Dallas, Amari Cooper, virtually ruined any chance of victory. And it was enough for Swearinger to further deepen his position.
"The only way for you to play the big game is to get ready for the big game, and that's every day," Swearinger said. "And that must be in your heart. Like I said, they're laughing, man, it's for the birds when we lose. If you lose, if you are not a championship team, dude, there is no reason to come into the building and laugh, unless it means nothing to you. Unless you only do it for money.
"But if you do it with all your heart, it will make sense for you when you enter this building after losing two games in a row, but my mentality is different, so I can only talk about how I feel about this subject and what we have to do, but it's disappointing.
The good news for Washington is that the calendar is in a good light. Starting on Friday, they will only meet one opponent with a .500 or more record (Tennessee Titans) in the last five weeks. The bad news is that every game from now on will always be difficult. Two clashes against the division's rival, the Philadelphia Eagles, one against the New York Giants and one against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Which means that Washington will have to really get involved to qualify for the playoffs. Swearinger's words must also be taken seriously. He repeated the same message Thursday night hoping that he will register with his teammates.
<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = ""Frustrating like hell, dude. We lost two straight games because of this defense, "said Swearinger. "We lost the defensive game two weeks in a row. Defense.""data-reactid =" 35 ">"Frustrating like hell, dude. We lost two straight games because of this defense, "said Swearinger. "We lost the defensive game two weeks in a row. Defense."
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<p class = "canvas-atom canvas-text Mb (1.0em) Mb (0) – sm Mt (0.8em) – sm" type = "text" content = "Blake Schuster is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Send him an email at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Schustee"data-reactid =" 37 ">Blake Schuster is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Send him an email at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Schustee
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