Injuries obviously played a role in the offense’s demise; by Week 17, the Washington Redskins had gone through Colt McCoy, Mark Sanchez, and Josh Johnson at quarterback, and they’d gone through dozens of player combinations on the offensive line, with many midseason signings dotting the ranks.
But even before the Redskins lost so many players to injury, their offense was uninspiring at best, and anemic at worst. Some of that was still personnel; Alex Smith, for all his sturdiness and stability, didn’t often generate big plays, and Adrian Peterson, the team’s odds-defying, yet limited running back, needed a high volume of carries to make an impact, negating big play opportunities.