ASHBURN, Va. -- Washington Redskins coach Jay Gruden pointed the blame at himself after Sunday's second consecutive lopsided loss. His mind didn't change a day later, saying if players don't feel prepared it's up to the coaches to get it done.

That doesn't absolve players from blame. But Gruden is the head coach; the wins and losses go on his record and so does the responsibility for getting the players ready. He also said Monday that the team must continue working as they have since the season began.

They might have to prepare another inside linebacker, depending on how Zach Brown's MRI comes back. He's been playing with a sore Achilles. They also lost linebacker/special teamer Chris Carter to a broken fibula Sunday.

It just means the coaches have to keep working.

"We have to study the film after practice like we do," Gruden said. "We're putting the plans in, we're studying, we're practicing, we're watching the tape and they should be prepared, but for whatever reason, it doesn't look that way."

It became a central topic after Sunday's 30-13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, which followed a 28-point defeat at Dallas. Gruden said he would talk to safety D.J. Swearinger, who was upset after Sunday's game because of how he felt some players had prepared -- or, rather, not prepared. Swearinger said some were asking questions before the game about areas that should have been discussed a few days earlier -- about various coverages, etc.

"If he felt that way, then it's on us as coaches to make sure these guys are fully ready to play," Gruden said, "and it's on the players also to make sure they study the plays and make sure they're well-prepared when they walk into the game, they know exactly what's coming and make the necessary adjustments. It goes hand in hand. We've got to do a better job as a staff to make sure these guys are on top of dotting the I's and crossing the T's, without a doubt. For some reason, it didn't seem that way at certain critical times [against the Chargers] and that's something we have to fix as a staff."

Not every mistake was the result of a lack of preparation. On the 75-yard touchdown pass to Chargers receiver Tyrell Williams against corner Josh Norman, there was supposed to be a safety aligned deep middle. Before the play, Swearinger was cheating to the other side against Keenan Allen. The thought process, one former player said, could have been along these lines: Swearinger anticipated Norman winning his battle against the Chargers' No. 2 receiver so he was going to help the side against their No. 1 target, Allen. But Norman's leverage suggested he anticipated help.

"He was supposed to have a safety deep middle," Gruden said.

But, in general, the prep work was the talk. It's not the lack of preparation as much as the fact that it either hasn't sunk in for some players -- or they need to do a better job studying outside the facility.

"If I felt like we were lacking preparation, I'd fix it before the game," Gruden said. "I don't think we're lacking preparation, I just think, for whatever reason, we're not taking our preparation to the game-day field. ... There's not much more we can do from a preparation standpoint."

He stressed one word: execution. That's for players and coaches.

"We've got to do a better job of executing and making sure people realize where they're supposed to be and how they're supposed to be there," he said. "And the most important thing, also, is making sure we continue to stay fundamentally sound. And we haven't been fundamentally sound in a couple different areas. Just something we're going to continue to preach and continue to coach."