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The Washington Redskins are 0-3 on the season and after Monday night’s embarrassing primetime loss to the Chicago Bears appear to be headed towards a long season.
The Redskins have been a major disappointment to start the season and have put up little to no resistance against opposing teams.
Despite the tumultuous start, Washington may have found a reason to be excited about the future.
Rookie wideout Terry McLaurin has been a pleasant surprise for the Redskins. The third-round pick from this past April’s NFL Draft has superseded expectations and is playing himself into the long-sought No. 1 receiver position the Redskins have lacked.
On the season, McLaurin has 16 receptions for 257 and three touchdowns.
Last night against a tough Bears defense, the former Ohio State product pulled in six catches for 70 yards and a touchdown. It was the third straight game in which McLaurin has caught a minimum of five receptions with a touchdown. The feat makes him the first WR in NFL history to have such a start to their career.
.@Redskins rookie WR Terry McLaurin has scored a TD in three straight games to start his career! @TheTerry_25 #HTTR
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What’s equally impressive about McLaurin’s exploits on the field is his maturity off of it. Since he was first introduced as a member of the Redskins, McLaurin has carried himself more like a chiseled veteran than an aspiring rookie.
After last night’s tough defeat, McLaurin answered questions from the media with class and tried to stay positive when asked about the frustration of losing.
“It’s frustrating when you lose,” McLaurin said. “We just got to play two full halves of football. It felt like in the 3rd quarter we had a lot of momentum. It doesn’t matter because we lost. We have no time to sulk, it’s a short week. We got to go back to get one in the division this week. We’re going to look at the film over these next two days, get our bodies right and go back at it on Wednesday.”
McLaurin understands he had a solid outing but that didn’t produce a win for the Redskins and that’s all he wants.
“I’m a win-loss kind of guy,” McLaurin said. “So when I scored, we lost. At the end of the day, what I want to do is come out here and be productive for my team. I’m trying to do that to the best of my ability. At the end of the day, I want to win and we all want to win. In the box score, it doesn’t say Terry had a great game, it says ‘the Redskins lost.’ I feel like that. Our team feels like that. That’s how I feel.”
The rookie said the Redskins have to stay focused during their three-game losing streak. Washington will have another tough matchup this weekend when they travel to New York to take on the Giants who picked up their first win over the weekend against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“Well, I just worry about the people in our building, to be honest,” McLaurin said. “Everybody has a job to do in the building. As media people, you guys have jobs to do. But for me personally, I don’t point the finger. I’ve never been raised that way. When things get hard, you turn on your teammates, you turn on your family? I’ve come from cultures where we’ve had ups and downs. Adversity hits, but it’s how you come back. I’m not pointing the blame on anybody. I’m not jumping ship on anybody. I’m going look at myself in the mirror and see what I can do better and come back stronger on Wednesday. I feel like we’re all going to take that approach and try to get a win in the division next week.”
Washington will need a win to get back in the good graces of their disgruntled fans. Regardless of a win or loss, those same fans have a new favorite player who gives the Redskins reasons to be optimistic.