ASHBURN, Va. — The Washington Redskins have ruled out three starters, including tight end Jordan Reed, and declared two others as doubtful for Sunday’s game at Seattle, further depleting a team that has dealt with a number of injuries in recent weeks.

In addition to Reed, who is battling a hamstring injury, left guard Shawn Lauvao (stinger) and defensive lineman Matt Ioannidis (hand) won’t play. Reserve tight end Niles Paul (concussion) also was ruled out.

Left tackle Trent Williams (knee) and center Spencer Long (knees) are doubtful, along with backup offensive tackle Ty Nsekhe (core muscle).

Meanwhile, six players were listed as questionable, including five starters: wide receiver Jamison Crowder (hamstring), guard Brandon Scherff (knee), running back Rob Kelley (ankle), cornerback Bashaud Breeland (groin) and safety Montae Nicholson (shoulder).

In all, three-fifths of the Redskins’ starting offensive line won’t play, and a fourth, Scherff, is questionable. But Scherff at least participated in practice the past two days, though in limited fashion. Coach Jay Gruden had said Thursday that “things are looking up” in regard to Scherff, and Friday did nothing to alter that outlook.

Crowder could be the biggest question mark. Gruden expressed concern Thursday, and Crowder said his focus remains on the long term. He was hampered by a sore hamstring early in the season but said in recent weeks that it had felt good.

“I don’t want to make it worse and have it lingering for the rest of the season,” Crowder said. “It’s kind of tricky. It feels good at times, and then I go out and work, and it doesn’t feel like bad, but it doesn’t feel I can be as explosive to [where] I feel I can go out and compete at a high level.”

If Crowder can’t play, Ryan Grant could replace him in the slot. Washington also could keep Brian Quick active and use him at the Z receiver position. The Redskins have wanted to avoid using Terrelle Pryor and Josh Doctson together, with Gruden saying they have primarily worked at the X position. But losing Reed and possibly Crowder could force them to look more for Doctson and Pryor, who had a combined four targets Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys.

Cristiano Ronaldo avoided criticising the crop of new players that have recently arrived at Real Madrid after Wednesday’s loss to Tottenham, but conceded that the defending European champion is suffering from a lack of experience.

On the heels of a decisive 3-1 loss to Spurs – Real Madrid’s first group stage defeat since 2012 – and a disappointing defeat to Girona in La Liga last weekend, Ronaldo reflected on the aspects that helped fuel Los Blancos to back-to-back Champions League titles, and identified the losses of Pepe, Alvaro Morata, and James Rodriguez as major factors behind the team’s recent struggles.

“The players who have arrived have a lot of potential but Pepe, Morata, and James made us stronger and the players are younger now,” Ronaldo told reporters, according to Richard Martin of Reuters.

“Our squad isn’t worse, but it’s less experienced and experience is very important. But it’s no excuse and we shouldn’t be alarmed.”

All three players were offloaded this past summer. Pepe joined Turkish side Besiktas, while Morata was sold to Chelsea for £60 million. Rodriguez was shipped off to Germany, where he has begun to feature more frequently for Bayern Munich since joining the defending Bundesliga champion on a two-year loan deal.

(Photo courtesy: Getty)

Real Madrid’s starting team Wednesday was comprised mainly of the stars that have helped add silver to Real Madrid’s trophy case. But the inclusion of 18-year-old defender Achraf Hakimi and second-choice goalkeeper Kiko Casilla in the starting XI, as well as a bench with an average age of 20, backs Ronaldo’s claim that Real Madrid lacks experience.

Despite the consecutive losses, Ronaldo would not get caught up in talk of a crisis and cited the tremendous success since manager Zinedine Zidane took charge of Real Madrid.

“People forget about the good times very quickly. I never talk of a crisis, you can lose three or four games but there’s never a crisis. We can’t forget what we’ve achieved,” he said.

“This is a bad run but we want to turn things around and I’m sure we will. This is only the start of the season, we still have a lot of time to improve and I‘m convinced we will.”

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The DeMarco Murray to Dallas rumors picked up before this year’s trade deadline, primarily due to Ezekiel Elliott’s suspension. Murray heard them, and understood them, but he’s still the Titans’ starting running back and he plans it to remain that way for the rest of his career.

“That was all speculation by social media fans and obviously, people talking about the whole Dallas deal,” said Murray, who was acquired by the Titans in a March 2016 trade with the Philadelphia Eagles “I’m happy here. They’re happy to have me here. I’ve been fortunate to be a part of the Titans organizations for the last two years and I see myself retiring here and being an asset here moving forward.”

“The chances of me going back there is probably closer to Roger Staubach coming back and playing for them.”

DeMarco Murray on chances of a return to Dallas

Fans began speculating about a Murray to Dallas trade after Ed Werder tweeted that Murray “heard rumblings” that he could be traded and noted his connection to Dallas.

“That’s been circulating every year since I left there,” Murray said to the ‘rumblings’ report. “The chances of me going back there is probably closer to Roger Staubach coming back and playing for them.”

Murray said it wouldn’t have been bad to take a handoff from Staubach, who retired from the NFL in 1980, eight years before Murray was born, but he enjoys taking handoffs from Marcus Mariota a little more.

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  The NFLPA filed a motion on behalf of Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott with the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday, seeking an emergency injunction to prevent the NFL from enforcing Elliott’s six-game suspension.

“Crisis” is likely the most common term that greeted Real Madrid supporters on the back pages Thursday morning in the wake of yet another defeat.

Finding a major outlet in Spain that’s putting a positive spin on the club’s 3-1 loss to Tottenham at Wembley Stadium will be about as difficult as convincing a Lionel Messi supporter to agree with FIFA naming Cristiano Ronaldo World Player of the Year. The country’s biggest press agencies lambasted the shortcomings of Zinedine Zidane’s squad – and with good reason.

Europe’s once indomitable force is off to a worryingly slow start in a season many expected would reach the familiar heights of the last two campaigns. Just six months after ending a five-year wait to win the league title, and a second straight Champions League triumph that increased the club’s record haul to 12, Real Madrid’s hopes of lifting silverware this season are beginning to fade.

The goal of defending its La Liga crown is already close to slipping away. Sunday’s loss to Girona leaves Real Madrid eight points off Barcelona’s pace. But domestic frustrations were, until Wednesday at least, masked by the expectation that Zidane’s stars would return to form under the bright lights of the Champions League.

Now that Real has shown cracks on the European stage as well, there’s plenty of finger-pointing at the Santiago Bernabeu as one of the world’s most successful clubs attempts to identify why a relatively unchanged team comprised of the world’s best talent isn’t meeting expectations just six months after winning the double.

The most blatant issue is perhaps the most unavoidable. Injuries have been an unwelcome theme throughout the season thus far, sidelining several significant first-team regulars.

At Wembley, Real Madrid revealed it doesn’t have the depth required to negate the losses of Raphael Varane and Dani Carvajal as Tottenham’s potent attack bombarded a shaky backline that featured 18-year-old Achraf Hakimi. Gareth Bale has been another glaring absence. His side has struggled to find the back of the net without the Welsh international since he went down with a knock Sept. 26.

Injuries are, of course, impossible to predict, which is why Real Madrid will regret its relatively quiet summer on the transfer market.

Real Madrid’s idle approach has now been criticised by Cristiano Ronaldo, who complained the team lacks experience after Pepe, Alvaro Morata, and James Rodriguez departed and were supplanted with young players such as Theo Hernandez and Dani Ceballos.

Related: Ronaldo: Real Madrid was stronger with Pepe, Morata, Rodriguez

Ronaldo needs to shoulder some of the blame too. The Portuguese superstar has been Real Madrid’s only reliable scorer in the Champions League – notching six of the team’s eight goals – but, regardless of his five-match suspension to begin the season, his domestic form has left a lot to be desired.

Adding to the team’s frustrations up top is Karim Benzema’s inability to rediscover his scoring touch. The Frenchman has produced just one goal over eight domestic and continental appearances.

Similar to Benzema, Luka Modric and Casemiro are experiencing a significant dip in form, leaving the midfield reliant on the supremely talented Toni Kroos to deputise. Even the German, though, has been incapable of steering the ship over this prolonged period that’s seen teams run riot up the middle of the park.

At this point, it seems daft to suggest that the season is lost and it’s time for a major overhaul on the touchline. Yet Zidane will surely start to feel the heat if he’s unable to find a solution and return Real Madrid to the awe-inspiring form that fans around the world have come to expect.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)