Panthers vs. Redskins 2012: Washington 'lays an egg' against Carolina

The Washington Redskins delivered a sloppy, uninspired performance in a 21-13 loss to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, in a game the Redskins pretty much needed to win to keep their fading playoff hopes alive.

Washington committed 13 penalties for 97 yards and was never able to get much going on offense in the loss. Defensively, the Redskins did not record a sack and did not force a single turnover.

The lethargic effort in such a crucial game was certainly a disappointment to Kevin Ewoldt of SB Nation's Redskins blog Hogs Haven, as he described the performance as "laying an egg." And now with the Redskins at 3-6, Ewoldt delivered this sad statement:

So, for the fourth straight year, the Redskins are irrelevant before Thanksgiving.

Making things even worse is the fact that star rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III was a little banged up following the loss. Griffin's rib injury is not all that serious and there is a bye week to heal up, but it's something that should be monitored going forward.

Washington is obviously not mathematically eliminated from playoff contention yet, and they will try to right the ship in Week 11 when they take on the Philadelphia Eagles.