After avoiding an upset loss to the winless Detroit Lions the final Sunday in October, the Washington Redskins were 6-2, their best start since opening the 1996 season with a 7-1 mark.

The Skins’ season has unraveled, however, as they’ve lost five of their last six games to fall to 7-7. Just three weeks ago, Washington was 7-4 and a front-runner for an NFC wild-card berth. Since then, the Skins have never led and have been outscored 38-0 in the first quarter.

The first quarter has been rough going all season long for Washington. Only four NFL clubs have allowed more first-quarter points.

First-Quarter Points Allowed, 2008
(minimum 80)
. . . . . . . . . . . . . Pts. . . . . . . Tm Rec
Washington. . . . . 82. . . . . . . . . .7-7
Buffalo. . . . . . . . 95. . . . . . . . . .6-8
Jacksonville. . . . .98. . . . . . . . . .5-9
Detroit. . . . . . . . 98. . . . . . . . . 0-14
St. Louis. . . . . . 124. . . . . . . . . 2-12

The Skins may be the only .500 team among those which have allowed at least 80 first-quarter points, but their recent inability to shut down opponents early in games has ruined a season that started promisingly.

The three-game skid began with Eli Manning hitting Amani Toomer with a 40-yard touchdown pass in the opening minutes of a key home matchup with the NFC East-leading Giants on Nov. 30. Washington fell behind 10-0 in the opening 15 minutes and lost 23-7.

The following week, the Baltimore Ravens scored two touchdowns in the first six minutes and claimed a 24-10 victory. Last Sunday, the Cincinnati Bengals also tallied two first-quarter scores -- and for a third straight week, the Skins finished a loss with fewer points than they had allowed in the opening quarter. The 2-11-1 Bengals prevailed, 20-13, for just their second win of the season.