Washington Redskins coach Mike Shanahan called Sunday's game against the one-win Carolina Panthers a "must win." They lost, 21-13.
After being manhandled by the Panthers, Shanahan essentially has thrown in the towel on 2012.
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Shanahan said the rest of the season will become an evaluation for next year, according to Rich Campbell of The Washington Times.
It's a little alarming to hear this when the Redskins have seven games left in this season. Then again, they probably would need to run the table to have a legitimate chance to make the playoffs.
"We put ourselves in a tough position being 3-6," Redskins linebacker London Fletcher said, via WJFK-FM. "You see who really wants to play football."
Shanahan is in Year 3 of his rebuilding project. He has done a nice coaching job with Robert Griffin III this year, but the Redskins aren't winning any more this season than they did with Donovan McNabb or Rex Grossman.
Changes could be coming to Shanahan's defensive coaching staff. There will be questions in Washington during the team's bye if Shanahan is on the hot seat as well.
"I've got to do a better job," said Shanahan, who's 14-27 in his Redskins tenure. "I take full responsibility."
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.