Washington Redskins coach Mike Shanahan said he has no doubt he will return to the team next season despite a lack of progress in the won-lost column.

Shanahan is nearing the end of the second season of the five-year, $35 million contract that he signed in January of 2010. He was expected to return the Redskins to the ranks of NFL contenders, but Washington went 6-10 in Shanahan’s first season and the team owns a 5-10 mark entering the season finale at Philadelphia Sunday.

Still, Shanahan — who this week admitted it has taken longer to rebuild the Redskins than he initially imagined – said he fully expects owner Daniel Snyder to allow him to continue his reclamation project next season.

“No, there’s no doubt in my mind,” he said without hesitation.

“Hopefully there’s no doubt in Dan’s mind, too,” Shanahan added with a chuckle. “That would be the bigger guy to ask.”

Shanahan said the Redskins had less depth and less talent than he believed when he accepted the job. After keeping a rather veteran roster and adding several pieces, but failing at that attempt in 2010, Shanahan and general manager Bruce Allen shifted their focus in 2011 to fielding a younger team built primarily through the draft.

Shanahan said he made it clear to Snyder that patience would be required for him and Allen to transform the Redskins into a franchise that will enjoy long-term success. The coach expects to receive that time.

“Like I talked to him about when I first got here, I said, ‘Dan, if you don’t plan on me coaching here five years and doing it the right way, you’re hiring the wrong guy.’” Shanahan said. “It’s going to take some time to do it right.”

LANDOVER, Md. – 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 took a direct hit to the left knee from Redskins safety DeJon Gomes on a 3-yard gain and was scheduled to have an MRI exam when the team returned to Minnesota on Saturday night.

Despite the good vibes at Redskins Park after the surprising Week 15 road victory over the New York Giants, the Redskins are 5-10 with one game remaining. Washington is ensured of finishing last or tied for last for the fifth time in the past six seasons, under three head coaches.

Those are just facts. And they’re difficult to accept for players eager to believe the Redskins are finally sprinting, not crawling, toward a revival.

“We definitely took a step back,” inside linebacker and team leader London Fletcher said. “Just very disappointing to come out and play like we played in our final game in front of our home crowd.

“Just extremely disappointed in our defense and extremely disappointed in our team. With everything that happened and what we were trying to do . . . that’s just the way it is. You have to look at it honestly.”

The defense, by far the strength of the team, gave up 241 yards rushing. The Vikings averaged an eye-opening 6.3 yards per attempt. They amassed most of their total after star running back Adrian Peterson was knocked out of the game by a knee injury on the first possession of the third quarter.

Minnesota produced 23 points in the third and fourth quarters combined, after losing starting quarterback Christian Ponder, who departed two plays after Peterson because of a concussion suffered when he absorbed a jarring — but legal — hit from Fletcher.

The Redskins reverted to sloppiness, committing costly penalties that helped the Vikings on one of their touchdown drives and nullified a potential big Washington scoring play.

“I was disappointed we had as many penalties as we did,” Coach Mike Shanahan said, “in some crucial situations.”

And, as usual, with a Rex Grossman-led team, there were turnovers.

Of course, that much wasn’t a shock. I mean, committing turnovers and producing intermittent big plays is what Grossman does. It’s just how the lovable lug rolls. He gets out of bed in the morning with two turnovers.

In the Redskins’ previous game, though, Grossman’s turnovers didn’t derail the team. It went the other way against the Vikings.

The Vikings’ first points came on a field goal shortly after they recovered a Grossman fumble that came when he was stripped of the ball on a sack.

With Washington trailing by seven points midway through the fourth, a high pass by Grossman was intercepted — the Vikings’ first interception in 10 games — and Minnesota kicked a field goal.

You can set your watch to Grossman throwing interceptions, and he’s not a viable option at the game’s most important position, at least not for a team that aspires to win Super Bowls. The Redskins haven’t won one in a long, long time, but that’s what owner Daniel Snyder wants.

Read More: Sav Rocca (P – WAS), Mike Sellers (FB – WAS), London Fletcher (LB – WAS), Jammal Brown (OT – WAS), Stephen Bowen (DE – WAS), Josh Wilson (DB – WAS), Roy Helu (RB – WAS), Minnesota Vikings, Washington Redskins

The Washington Redskins did not hold a regular practice Friday in advance of Saturday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings, but instead held a walkthrough. After the walkthrough, the team elected to list starting running back Roy Helu (toe/knee) and offensive tackle Jammal Brown (groin) as questionable for the Vikings game. Washington estimates Helu and Brown would have been limited had the team held a conventional practice.

The Redskins list their other wounded players as probable for Saturday, including linebacker London Fletcher (ankle) and fullback Mike Sellers (elbow). Fletcher and Sellers had only practiced on a limited basis Wednesday and Thursday. Washington also lists defensive end Stephen Bowen (knee), punter Sav Rocca (ankle), and cornerback Josh Wilson (head/chest) as probable.

Kickoff for Saturday’s Redskins/Vikings matchup is set for 1 PM on FOX.

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.

The Washington Redskins face the Minnesota Vikings Saturday in the 16th regular season meeting of the franchises. Washington aims to improve to 9-7 all-time against the Vikings.

At 5-9, Washington owns the better record, and Vegas has picked the Redskins as seven-point favorites over the 2-12 Vikings. Washington has lost five straight at home, but Minnesota is just 1-6 on the road this season.

Here are some of the key matchups for this game:

WSH LT Willie Smith vs. MIN DE Jared Allen

Smith will make only the second start of his NFL career Saturday and he draws the task of trying to slow Allen, who ranks among the best pass-rushers in the league. Allen, who has 17.5 sacks, is relentless and boasts great size, speed and athleticism. Smith must use strong fundamentals and be prepared for Allen to go at him with second and third efforts.

WSH secondary, linebackers vs. MIN WR/RB Percy Harvin

The Vikings like to use Harvin in a variety of ways, and Washington’s defensive backs and linebackers must be fully aware of where he lines up. The speedster leads the team in receiving and is great in the open field, so the Redskins can’t afford to let him get loose. Josh Wilson, who is coming off two solid games, likely will find himself matched up with Harvin a good bit.

WSH RB Roy Helu vs. MIN front seven

Helu looks to get back on track after he was hobbled last week against the Giants. The rookie says he feels a lot better and aims to put together his fourth 100-yard rushing game in the last five outings. But he’ll be going against a Minnesota defense that ranks sixth in the league, allowing only 3.8 yards a carry. Leading the way for the Vikings are outside linebacker Chad Greenway (128 tackles), middle linebacker/former Maryland standout E.J. Henderson (87) and defensive tackle Kevin Williams (31 tackles).

WSH LBs London Fletcher, Perry Riley vs. MIN RB Adrian Peterson

Fletcher (league leader in tackles with 146) and Riley (averaging 9.8 tackles a game as a starter) have their work cut out for them as they look to lead a Washington defense against Peterson, who averages 4.8 yards a carry. An ankle injury forced him to miss three games, and he hasn’t been as dominant this season as in years past, but Peterson remains a tough assignment. Fletcher calls him one of the most explosive backs in the game. Peterson returned to action last week and coaches limited him to just 10 carries, but he gained 60 yards on them. Peterson was perturbed afterward that he didn’t receive a heavier workload. Look for him to do more this week. The Vikings would like to get Peterson going to ease pressure on rookie quarterback Christian Ponder. But the Redskins will try to take away the run and force Ponder to throw often.

WSH QB Rex Grossman vs. MIN secondary

Grossman has thrown at least one interception in 10 consecutive games. The Vikings have nine straight games without an interception. Is this the prime opportunity for Grossman to end his streak, or the golden ticket for Minnesota’s defensive backs to end theirs? Minnesota’s defense ranks 30th against the pass, yielding 260.4 yards per game, so opportunities should present themselves for Washington to produce some big plays. But, Grossman can do his team in with poor decision-making. Grossman could find himself under pressure a fair amount of the time Sunday with Allen going against Smith. Those are the situations in which Grossman must get the ball out of his hands quickly and be content to throw the ball out of bounds, rather than to the other team.