CARSON, Calif. -- The questions during the week bothered him, so D.J. Swearinger wasn’t surprised by more on Sunday. It was another poor defensive outing in a season in which, at one point, the Washington Redskins appeared to be building momentum.
Swearinger's concern was unnamed teammates asking him, even in pregame about “how we play certain stuff, what position we should be in.” Questions a player should know the answers to long before they take the field.
Practices were “blah,” Swearinger said. The results have been lately, too. Ever since holding the Seattle Seahawks to 14 points in a Week 9 victory, the Redskins’ defense has allowed 30 or more points four times. The only game in which they didn’t? Against the New York Giants, who don’t score on anyone.
Injuries have been an issue, but the defense has failed to help. In the past five weeks, the Redskins’ defense ranks 27th in total yards and last in points per game allowed. The injuries can’t be blamed for everything. Redskins head coach Jay Gruden said the coaches didn’t do a good job getting the team ready for Sunday’s 30-13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. But Swearinger said it goes deeper.
“I’m a player, I can only get myself ready,” Swearinger said. “I try to get the defense ready as much as I can, but you’ve got to prepare yourself. We’re all pros. Jay can say what he wants to say, but we’re pros and we have to prepare ourselves the way we know how to play. Older guys should know. They should know how to prepare. We should trickle it down to the guys who don’t know how to prepare. We need to do something to figure this out to get better.”
The Redskins’ defense offered little resistance. On one deep ball, Josh Norman played outside leverage, almost as if expecting help to the inside. But there was no help anywhere to be found when receiver Tyrell Williams juked outside and cut back inside for a wide-open, 75-yard touchdown catch -- one play after Washington had cut the lead to 13-6.
“I’m not going to throw anyone under the bus,” Norman said. “Put it all on me. We’ve got to do better as a whole. Right now, we’re not. That’s something I put on myself. I can carry that weight.”
There was also a 51-yard gain on a flea-flicker in which Norman was lulled by receiver Keenan Allen jogging as if giving a half-hearted block attempt. Swearinger also was caught looking in the backfield.
“On the first one, we didn’t communicate ... supposed to roll back,” Swearinger said. “The flea-flicker was a good play. Corner got to stay on his man, and I have to help him out a little more. Two plays that we’ve got to execute better.”
The Redskins’ defense started strong versus Dallas last week but wilted in part because the offense -- as on Sunday -- did little. The defense didn’t start strong versus the Chargers.
“Definitely take a step back,” Swearinger said of the defense. “We had 30 points on us today. Dallas put up [31] on us last week. We take major steps back. It’s on coaches and players together to try and find a way to fix it. That’s the only way you can fix something.”
Swearinger did not name anyone he felt had been unprepared. Whether coincidence or not, corner Bashaud Breeland, who has started for most of the past four years, was replaced by Quinton Dunbar for most of the game opposite Norman. Gruden called it a “coach's decision.”
“We have not gotten better on defense, special teams or offense right now,” Gruden said.
Every week before the Redskins break after stretching for their first practice, Swearinger speaks to the team. His message last week was about finishing strong and continuing to prepare -- or they could get embarrassed.
Once upon a time, the defense looked to be building a group that could enter next season feeling better than in recent years.
“We have to finish these last three weeks like our life depends on it,” Swearinger said. “If you’re a competitor ... if you’re not a competitor, if you don’t have the heart into it, you’re not going to prepare and look at this game like, ‘OK.’ You want to prepare as if it’s a playoff game.
“It’ll definitely be tough to fix, but it’s fixable if all 53 [players] have faith to fix it. If all 53 don’t have faith in it, you leave a little room for cancer, you leave room for error. If two people aren’t on the same page, it’s not good.”
Lately, there has been little good for the Redskins.