DALLAS -- Washington Redskins receiver Jamison Crowder enjoyed the best stretch of his career for more than a month. Thursday, he endured one of his worst over a period of two minutes. And it cost the Redskins dearly.
There wasn’t much for him to explain about what happened. He missed a pass. He dropped a punt. He cost the Redskins points, momentum and field position.
“It was tough, but you’ve got to play,” Crowder said. “Things don’t always go the way you want them to go.”
Crowder entered Thursday's game against the Cowboys having caught 27 passes for 412 yards in his past four games combined. He finished Thursday with five catches for 67 yards.
But with the Redskins facing second-and-11 from the Dallas 16-yard line, quarterback Kirk Cousins delivered a ball that would have led Crowder into a possible first down. The ball skimmed off Crowder’s hands and was intercepted.
“It just went through my hands,” Crowder said.
After the Redskins’ defense forced a punt, Crowder fumbled at the end of a punt return. He’s lost three fumbles on punt returns this season.
“The defensive player just knocked it out of my hand,” Crowder said. “He made a good play.”
Afterward, coach Jay Gruden was exasperated by the turnovers. All season he’s maintained faith in Crowder returning punts. The simple fact: Gruden doesn’t have any alternatives. Maurice Harris would be Crowder’s backup, but he’s never done it in an NFL game -- and he’s also now in the concussion protocol.
“We don’t have anyone to put back there right now,” Gruden said. “We just don’t.”
Crowder didn’t duck from what happened after the game; he answered every question. That’s being a professional, and Crowder answered them the same way he does when he gets asked easy questions. He sounded the same whether he was answering a question about his 33-yard gain or his fumble. That's how he's always been, even-keeled. It's why he can endure stretches in which he's not targeted as much, nor as productive. He knows it will turn.
On that big play, Crowder benefited from Cousins buying time by scrambling to his left, then throwing a catchable ball under heavy duress. Crowder cut in front of teammate Josh Doctson, snagged the ball and sprinted upfield.
“I was just looking for an open jersey and Crowder came back to me,” Cousins said.
“I just kept working and kept working and was just there to make a play,” Crowder said.
Crowder has been one of the Redskins’ best receivers in the past three years. His recent hot stretch stems from a healthy hamstring, the loss of another proven target in tight end Jordan Reed and using more three-receiver sets, allowing him to run more routes out of the slot.
But his early miscues helped set a bad tone for the game. Neither one of them led directly to Dallas points. And make no mistake: The Redskins had plenty of other issues aside from Crowder.
However, the Redskins needed to take an early lead to dent Dallas’ confidence. They couldn’t afford to start drives deep in their own territory, as they were eventually forced to do following the fumbled punt. It's not as if Cousins got down on Crowder; he threw to him six more times after his miss. (Earlier in that drive, Doctson dropped a ball, too.)
“It’s human nature to get down on yourself,” Crowder said. “I just tell myself, 'You’ve got to keep playing.' Things are going to happen good. Things are going to happen bad. You’ve got to ride the wave and keep going.”