Unless they upset the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, the Washington Redskins will face some difficult decisions. Losing to the undefeated Colts would drop the Redskins to 2–5 and sink them deeper into last place in the NFC East, a prospect that would force them to examine the role of quarterback Mark Brunell and head coach Joe Gibbs in the future of the franchise.

Brunell had a bad game last weekend in the Redskins loss to the previously winless Tennessee Titans, throwing an interception and fumbling twice. By the fourth quarter, fans in Washington were chanting the name of Brunell’s backup, Jason Campbell. It would be wrong to suggest that Brunell is the sole reason the Redskins are a last-place team, but quarterbacks always get a disproportionate share of the blame when a team’s fortunes fall. And that blame is amplified when the backup quarterback is a firstround draft pick 11 years the starter’s junior, as is the case with the Redskins, who drafted Campbell last year.

Brunell is a 14-year veteran who spent two years in Green Bay as a backup to Brett Favre and nine years as a starter in Jacksonville, before joining the Redskins in 2004. At 36 he’s a very different quarterback than he was in his early years, having evolved from a mobile scrambler in Jacksonville (he ran for 480 yards and a Michael Vick-like 7.2 yards a carry in 1995) to a pocket passer in Washington. Brunell still makes smart decisions when he has time to read opposing defenses, but when he feels pressure he forces the ball into coverage rather than using his legs to avoid the pass rush. Brunell also relies too much on his favorite receiver, Santana Moss: On Sunday he threw 15 passes to the heavily covered Moss, completing only five and threw an ill-advised pass for a game-ending interception when Tennessee’s secondary had Moss surrounded.

When asked about it this week, Gibbs didn’t completely rule out a switch at quarterback, but he did say he has confidence in Brunell. Gibbs has always liked Brunell personally, and some see their friendship as the reason Gibbs doesn’t want to change quarterbacks. Still, if he has any intention of benching Brunell, Monday would be the time to do it. The Redskins have their bye next week, which means that if Campbell became the starter, he would have two weeks to practice with the first-string offense. In college at Auburn, the 6-foot-4, 230-pound Campbell looked like a bigger version of Brunell, which is why Washington traded up in the draft to take him in last year’s first round. But Campbell still hasn’t stepped on the field in a regular-season game, and any young quarterback would struggle to learn the 700-page playbook assistant coach Al Saunders brought to Washington this year. If Campbell’s career follows the trajectory of most quarterbacks, he’ll need a few years before he can develop into an elite player.

Gibbs might not have that kind of time. But his reluctance to replace Brunell with Campbell is understandable because such a decision would alter the entire outlook of the franchise. When Gibbs — who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1996 — came out of retirement two years ago, he didn’t have a long rebuilding project in his plans. The Redskins’ owner, Daniel Snyder, made his top priority acquiring specific players who would fit well in Gibbs’ offense (like Moss and running back Clinton Portis). Just 10 months ago it appeared to be working, and Washington was in the playoffs.

A return to the playoffs doesn’t seem likely this year. And teams don’t draft first-round quarterbacks to have them watch from the bench while the 36-year-old starter leads them into last place. That means the franchise should set its sights on winning with Campbell down the road. If he has a rebuilding project ahead of him, the 65-year-old Gibbs might decide not to fulfill the two remaining seasons on the five-year contract he signed when he returned in 2004. With his three Super Bowl rings from his first experience as coach of the Redskins, Gibbs’ legacy is secure, but his second stint in Washington isn’t going according to plan.