A Huge Opportunity Missed!
Opportunities are like sunrises; if you wait too long you miss them.
Too often as fans and spectators we only remember a missed play at the end of the game, blaming the entire loss on that one player’s failure to make the field goal or defend the pass in the last minute.
On the contrary, did you notice the HUGE missed opportunity the Redskins squandered in the last minute of the first half Sunday against the Eagles?
I groaned and made a note of the play, and this morning I went back to watch that play again and watching the play, I groaned even more the second time.
The Missed Opportunity
In the second quarter the Redskins were leading the Eagles 14-10 and had a 3rd & 5 at the Washington 49 with 54 seconds remaining in the first half.
On the previous play, the Redskins had thrown a quick screen to Steven Sims.
Sims gained five yards to the 49-yard line and the Redskins called their second timeout, stopping the clock to discuss the third-down circumstances.
Breaking the huddle, the Redskins align three receivers together wide left: Steven Sims, Terry McLaurin and Kelvin Harmon.
Chris Thompson is in the backfield to the right of Haskins and tight end Hale Hentges is on the right side of the offensive line.
At the snap Hentges first blocks to slow down the rush of Eagle defensive end Daeshon Hall before releasing up the field in a vertical route.
Haskins drops back to pass, and the Eagles rush four, dropping seven into their defensive coverage.
Thompson jogs out to the right in what is surely a last resort check-down option, as the intention all along is for Haskins to be looking left at his three grouped-together wide receivers.
Eagles’ right-side defensive tackle Brandon Graham moves forward, getting his hands into Redskins left guard Ereck Flowers.
Suddenly Graham then loops around to his right and starts to get by left offensive tackle Donald Penn, who has been moved slightly inside due to the defensive end taking an inside rush.
The route design works wonderfully as Harmon breaks off his route at the first down stick at the Eagle 46.
McLaurin clears out vertically, occupying the safety, and Steven Sims breaking to the left sideline is WIDE OPEN at the Eagles 25-yard line.
Yet, Graham gets into the face of Haskins who is then unable to step forward and shift his weight to his front foot on the pass.
Haskins’ pass therefore, is a bit short around the Eagles 28-yard line missing Sims for what would have been a first down at the 25-yard line, running out of bounds to stop the clock at 49 seconds.
Why was this play so significant?
Because with the first down at the 25-yard line and the clock stopped, the Redskins would have enjoyed plenty of time to huddle for their upcoming first-down play, and in addition knowing they were easily inside of Dustin Hopkins field goal range to extend their lead to 17-10 at the half.
Even more, having still the one timeout remaining, the Redskins would not have been limited to throw to the sidelines needing to quickly stop the clock.
You see, the Redskins could have instead enjoyed the luxury of spreading the Eagles defense, forcing them to defend the entire field laterally, with the possibility of a pass attacking the middle of the field as well.
Having the opportunity to throw in the middle of the field, they would have then used their final timeout, providing them further opportunities to throw into the end zone at least a couple of plays, perhaps even scoring a touchdown, which would have provided them a wonderful 21-10 halftime lead.
One missed opportunity on this crucial third-and-five play, restricted the Redskins from enjoying even greater opportunities at the close of the half, resulting in a much different set of second-half circumstances.
Ivan Lambert is a lifelong die-hard Washington Redskins fan, raised in Berryville, Virginia. He is married and the father of two fine young men. He is currently a sports correspondent for The Ledger in Lakeland, Florida and can be found on Twitter @IvanLambert18
