Redskins fans have seen better days. There is growing evidence that their should-be star quarterback is made from peanut brittle, and the national clamor for a franchise mascot name-change is as loud as it has ever been.
Then, of course, there is Monday Night Football. We could speak of MNF as a singular event that took place last night, where the host Redskins lost to Seattle 27-17 thanks to quarterback Russell Wilson's MNF-record 122 rushing yards.
But that loss is really only the continuation of an ugly trend that's been in effect for the better part of two decades. As ForTheWin details, the Redskins' home loss last night was its 13th on Monday Night Football since 1997, when the team moved in to FedEx Field.
Washington should count itself lucky that it's hosted 15 Monday Night Football games in that span of time. Only one NFL franchise has more home games to its credit. Fans, unfortunately, have not been so fortunate: they were subjected to 10 straight Washington losses from 1998 to 2011.
Washington's two MNF home wins rank 26th in the NFL since 1997, despite having the second-most opportunities. Traditional embarrassments Detroit and Cincinnati, meanwhile, both went an impressive 5-for-5 during that span of time.
Washington's woes may have something to do with not just Monday night, but any night. In primetime since 2007, the team is 3-17.
It may have a large market and draw decent ratings, but one thing Washington doesn't have is a good football team. That begs the question: Why does the NFL gift-wrap home games for such an underwhelming franchise?
