PHILADELPHIA – With the clock winding down in the first half, the Washington Redskins’ field-goal unit hurried onto the field only to watch time run out before attempting a short kick.

That about sums up the season for the Redskins.

Michael Vick threw three touchdown passes, including a 62-yarder to DeSean Jackson, and the Eagles beat Washington 34-10 Sunday for their fourth straight win.

While the Eagles (8-8) go home feeling positive about a strong finish, the Redskins (5-11) have fewer bright spots. They finished last in the NFC East for a franchise-worst fourth straight year. It was Mike Shanahan’s worst full season in 18 years as a coach.

“I think the last five, six games we’ve done some good things, run the football against some good teams, not as good as we need, though,” Shanahan said. “We talked about adding a few pieces on offense, we need a few pieces on defense, a good draft, but we made some strides. Our football team is a lot different than a year ago, and that’s a positive.”

The Redskins had one more win last year, but feel they made strides this season.

“Oh yeah, tremendously,” linebacker Brian Orakpo said. “Even though our record’s worse, I feel like our defense is tops in the league. Statistically, we kind of fell off toward the end, but I really feel like we got the core guys we can build off of and really look for a bright future for this team, especially with all the young guys you see this year.”

It’s the first time since 2007 that Philadelphia didn’t qualify for postseason play and just the fourth time in coach Andy Reid’s 13 seasons.

“We have to get better all the way around, starting with me,” Reid said. “This wasn’t good enough.”

One of four NFL games on the final day that had no playoff ramifications, this had the feel of a preseason game. There were thousands of empty seats at the always sold-out Linc, and there was far more interest in the Mummer’s Parade on Broad Street.

The Winter Classic alumni game between the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers across the street at Citizens Bank Park on Saturday generated more excitement.

Playing without NFC leading rusher LeSean McCoy, the Eagles relied mainly on their passing attack. Vick threw for 335 yards, becoming the second player to have consecutive seasons with 3,000 yards passing and 500 yards rushing.

Rex Grossman had 256 yards passing, one TD and one interception, and Evan Royster had 113 yards rushing for Washington.

“I’m not sure what my opportunities are going to be,” said Grossman, who will be a free agent. “I hope this is the best opportunity. It’s a very good team. I’m proud of every single teammate that I played with. Everybody worked hard, nobody gave up. We have great character in that locker room. Even though we finished where we finished, I was proud to be a part of this team.”

The Redskins were 3-1 and leading the NFC East when the teams met on Oct. 16. A 20-13 loss to Philadelphia started their six-game losing streak and knocked them out of the playoff picture.

“I think it was encouraging to see how we played in the first half of games this season, but was disappointed that we did not finish some games,” linebacker Ryan Kerrigan said. “We did not always play up to par this season.”

Vick’s 7-yard TD pass to Chad Hall in the second quarter gave Philadelphia a 10-0 lead after Derek Landri blocked Graham Gano’s 36-yard field-goal attempt.

Vick connected with Jackson to make it 20-10 in the fourth quarter. It could’ve been Jackson’s last game with the Eagles. The two-time Pro Bowl wide receiver played the final year of his rookie contract and never got the extension he wanted after holding out in training camp.

A 4-yard TD toss from Vick to Brent Celek made it 27-10.

Roy Helu turned a screen pass into a 47-yard TD to get Washington to 10-7 on the opening drive of the second half.

The Redskins turned the ball over on downs at the Eagles 35 in the final minute of the second quarter. They got the ball back when Brian Orakpo sacked Vick and forced a fumble. Perry Riley recovered at the 17, but the Redskins wasted the field position.

An unsportsmanlike penalty on Santana Moss for taking off his helmet and arguing a non-call for pass interference pushed the ball back, and the clock expired before Gano could attempt a field goal after Jabar Gaffney was tackled at the Eagles 7. Long snapper Nick Sundberg wasn’t on the field as players scurried to the line of scrimmage.

“A little mix-up there relative to communication, coupled with not getting the play,” Shanahan said, explaining that the headsets weren’t working at the time.

NOTES: Grossman finished with 20 interceptions despite not starting three games. … Shanahan’s previous worst season was 6-10 last year and with Denver in 1999. … Orakpo left with a left shoulder injury. He’ll have an MRI on Monday.

On Thursday, NFL.com reported that Buffalo Bills wide receiver Stevie Johnson is confident of remaining with the AFC East outfit for 2012.

But the Washington Redskins should give the pending free agent something else to think about. The 25-year-old pass-catcher has proved himself to be one of the most dynamic young wideouts in the game.

Johnson has broken the 2,000-yard mark in receiving in the past two seasons combined and is clearly a player on the rise. He has the kind of playmaking skills that would make him the focal point of the Redskins pass offense.

The 6’2″, 210-pounder possesses the kind of physical intangibles Mike Shanahan likes in a receiver. He is also an intelligent route runner with a knack for getting open.

Drops have blighted Johnson’s game at times. These struggles have hurt the Bills at critical moments in more than one game during the last two seasons.

He has also courted controversy thanks to his elaborate and flamboyant end zone celebrations. But at 25, Johnson is young enough to eradicate such bad habits from his game.

Johnson’s costly drops and the backlash to some of his on the field antics could make the Bills shy away from offering him premium terms. This would open the door for Bruce Allen to tempt Johnson to D.C.

The Redskins desperately need a legitimate big-play weapon at wide receiver. Given the number of pass plays Kyle Shanahan likes to call, his offense must have a clear, No. 1 flanker to target.

Johnson has the skill set to be that player. He is a younger alternative to the likes of Vincent Jackson and would benefit from the influence of veterans Santana Moss and Jabar Gaffney.

If the Redskins do opt to select a quarterback with their first pick in the draft, giving him a target like Johnson to throw to, would only make the rookie’s job easier.

Pairing a more accurate passer with a weapon as prolific as Johnson, could see the Redskins offense light up some scoreboards in 2012.

Read More: Santana Moss (WR – WAS), Jabar Gaffney (WR – WAS), Rex Grossman (QB – WAS), Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots, New York Giants, Washington Redskins

The Washington Redskins were unable to defeat the Minnesota Vikings in Week 16, despite Minnesota boasting a porous pass defense that ranked 30th in the NFL entering the game. Fantasy owners who started Rex Grossman and Jabar Gaffney were still rewarded despite the loss, but unfortunately veteran Santana Moss had a quiet afternoon against a Vikings defense that had surrendered 31 touchdown passes entering the Week 16 matchup.

Despite being targeted ten times by Grossman, Moss caught only four passes for 46 yards and no touchdowns. His inability to get in the end zone stopped a modest two-game touchdown streak, as Moss had a receiving touchdown in both Week 14 against the New England Patriots and Week 15 against the New York Giants.

For the season, the Washington wide receiver has caught 43 balls for 539 yards and four touchdowns.

For more Redskins coverage, please visit Hogs Haven, SB Nation’s Redskins blog. For the perspective from the other side, please check out SB Nation Minnesota and Daily Norseman, SB Nation’s Vikings blog.

For more fantasy football coverage, advice, and analysis, please visit SB Nation Fantasy, also found on Twitter @SBNationFantasy.

LANDOVER, Md. (AP) — Washington Redskins coach Mike Shanahan was asked about his team’s miscues Saturday.

“Which plays are you referring to?” Shanahan asked.

The inquiring reporter named a few plays, and Shanahan added a couple more.

It was that type of day for the Redskins, who lost to the Minnesota Vikings, 33-26. Washington committed eight penalties for 64 yards, lost a fumble and threw an interception – the mistakes often coming at the most inopportune times.

Washington (5-10) has lost six straight at home, its longest such skid since 1994.

Tied at 10 at halftime, the Redskins appeared to catch a break on the first two plays of the third quarter, when running back Adrian Peterson and quarterback Christian Ponder suffered game-ending injuries for the Vikings (3-12).

Peterson tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee after taking a direct hit from Redskins safety DeJon Gomes on a 3-yard gain. An MRI showed the ACL tear after the team returned to Minnesota.

On the next play, Ponder was sacked by Adam Carriker and London Fletcher. Ponder remained in the game for one more play – a third-down incomplete pass – before heading to the locker room.

The Redskins allowed Minnesota’s backup backfield of running back Toby Gerhart and quarterback Joe Webb to lead the Vikings to 23 second-half points.

Washington struggled to slow Webb, who completed 4 of 5 passes for 84 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 34 yards and a touchdown on five carries.

“When they bring in a weapon like that – not a secret weapon, we’d seen him on tape and we had a feeling – but it’s hard to prepare fully on a short week for two quarterbacks,” linebacker Perry Riley said.

Could the Redskins change their defense against the dual-threat quarterback?

“You can’t change it,” Riley said. “It’s hard to change it midstream like that.”

Gerhart had 109 yards on 11 carries, but his Redskins counterpart, Evan Royster, outran him. Royster had 132 yards on 19 carries after running for just 83 yards on 17 carries entering the game.

The sixth-round pick from Penn State joined injured Roy Helu to give the Redskins two rookies who have rushed for 100 yards in a game in a season – a first in franchise history.

Royster, who began the season on the practice squad, was asked whether he ever was discouraged.

“Absolutely,” Royster said. “I never thought that I’d start a game this year, to be honest. But that’s not to say I wasn’t prepared to.”

Rex Grossman completed 26 of 41 passes for 284 yards and two touchdowns, and the Redskins gained 397 yards offense. But either their drives stalled – Graham Gano made four field goals – or Grossman turned the ball over. Grossman, who entered the day tied with San Diego’s Philip Rivers with 22 turnovers, lost a fumble and threw an interception.

Grossman was asked to explain his interception, a fourth-quarter pass that sailed over Santana Moss’ head and into the hands of Vikings safety Mistral Raymond.

“It was high,” Grossman said. Then, he paused at the podium.

“I can elaborate, but it’s pretty simple.”

The Vikings kept alive their hopes to not finish with the worst record in team history. A win next week against Chicago would put them ahead of the dubious 1984 Minnesota team that went 3-13.

The Vikings hadn’t lost seven in a row in the same season since their expansion year of 1961.

Webb’s 8-yard pass to Percy Harvin broke a 23-23 tie early in the fourth quarter, and rookie Mistral Raymond’s first career interception set up Ryan Longwell’s 23-yard field goal. That gave the Vikings a 10-point lead with 4:05 to play. Minnesota had gone nine games without a pick before Raymond’s big play.

The Redskins pulled within a touchdown on Graham Gano’s 47-yard field goal with 1:25 remaining. They got the ball back after a punt, but Grossman’s final long fling to the end zone fell incomplete.

Grossman completed 26 of 41 passes for 284 yards with two touchdowns. He also had two more giveaways – a lost fumble and the interception – to put his total at 24 for the season. He was already tied for the most in the NFL entering the game.

Peterson had 12 carries for 38 yards when he left. He also had a 1-yard touchdown run in the second quarter. Ponder was 8 for 13 for 68 yards.

The Vikings were also short-handed along the offensive line, with guard Steve Hutchinson inactive with a concussion, and guard Anthony Herrera sidelined in the first half with a lower back injury. Rookie Brandon Fusco, playing his second NFL game, entered at right guard and committed a personal foul with a late shove in the final minute of the first half.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

The Washington Redskins found themselves with a prime opportunity to close out the season on a strong note and give their faithful fans a Christmas Eve treat, but instead, they fell short once again, falling 33-26 to the Minnesota Vikings, who had only two wins and had lost six straight prior to Saturday.

Everybody talks about “Good Rex, bad Rex,” but all season long, we’ve seen “Good Redskins, bad Redskins,” and Saturday was no different.

I know this is supposed to be a great day full of Christmas spirit, but the Redskins didn’t hold up their end of the bargain, and so here we go diving into five observations from another lowly loss:

1.) Momentum lost:
The Redskins entered yesterday’s game aiming to build on their strong showing against the Giants, but instead they failed yet again to string together victories. The team hasn’t won consecutive games since Week 2. Good teams find ways to pull out wins. The Redskins continue to hurt themselves with the same problems and that indicates that they haven’t really gotten better. As Lorenzo Alexander said, good teams play with consistency. But the only constant with the Redskins has been penalties, turnovers and collapses.

2.) Ball security: It’s no painfully obvious that until the Redskins find a way to take care of the ball, they’re not going to get better. It really doesn’t matter how bad an opponent is, if you give them the ball and short fields, they will manage to capitalize if they have fewer turnovers themselves. Rex Grossman again committed two turnovers. The first was Mike Sellers’s fault for missing a block but the second seemed to fall on the quarterback. The Vikings hadn’t picked off a pass in nine straight games, but Grossman still managed to give them the ball as he overthrew Santana Moss. As great as it is that Grossman can sling the ball all over and shrug off misfortunes, he simply can’t take the Redskins to another level with all the turnovers.

3.) Promise in the backfield: Okay, here’s some positivity. Mike Shanahan appears to have hit on his two rookie running backs. First, Roy Helu rushed for three straight 100-yard games as Evan Royster gradually learned the ropes, and then with Helu hurt, Royster topped the century mark in his first start. This tandem could serve the Redskins well for some time. Both backs have different styles but find ways to run effectively in the system, and both have improved in pass protection will help make them interchangeable. Give a lot of credit as well to offensive line coach Chris Foerster, who has gotten this patchwork line to do a rather solid job in run blocking.

4.) Standup guy: Second-year fullback Darrel Young didn’t have his finest game on Saturday. His neutral zone infraction on fourth and four gave the Vikings a first down on a drive that ended with Minnesota finding the end zone. Then late in the game, Young was called for holding on Brandon Banks’s 59-yard touchdown run, and that wiped out a much-needed touchdown. After the game, Young initially didn’t want to talk about it. Teammate Mike Sellers urged him not to talk, but Young later reconsidered and blamed himself for the loss. Accountability is something that Mike Shanahan preaches, but we’ve seen players (defensive captain DeAngelo Hall a couple of times) duck questions after poor performances rather than be accountable. Young is a guy who always obliges any interview request, and if anybody had the opportunity to give a “no comment,” it was him yesterday. But he proved himself to be a standup guy, taking responsibility for his mistakes. His two gaffes proved costly, but they didn’t lose the game for the Redskins. They were just two of many miscues that combined to cost Washington.

5.) Go-to Gaffney: With six catches for 77 yards and a touchdown, Jabar Gaffney recorded a career-high mark for receiving yards in a season (919), and he tied his career best for touchdowns in one season (five). Gaffney has a knack for getting open. He runs routes to precision, gets open because of a good feel for coverages, and is sure-handed (of eight targets, he caught all but two balls). Gaffney has been a bright spot and a steal of a deal as Washington gave up Jeremy Jarmon, whom they likely would have cut, to acquire the veteran receiver. Where would Grossman be without his former college teammate?

Full coverage of Redskins vs. Vikings:

The Post’s Redskins home page