Intro
The first week of the NFL has been completed and the Washington Football Team is undefeated. YES, undefeated! For a team that has been shadowed with sexual misconduct scandals, name changing and star QB rumors, the Washington fan base has been looking for a reason to smile. That smile came on this past Sunday, with an epic comeback by the Washington Football Team in the season opener. And you know what? The Washington fan base deserves it. The game started off rocky, with Wentz moving the ball at a considerable pace and our offense consistently failing on 3rd downs. At a point, Tress Way was our guiding light with two impressive punts within the 20-yard line. Tress Way had seven punts with a 47-yard average meaning the Eagles had no return opportunities to build momentum off of. He also had zero touchbacks and his name deserves more recognition. In football, three and outs are going to happen but Tress Way puts fans at ease with stellar play.
First Week Analysis
For those who are under a rock, the Washington Football team rallied back from 17 points down to score 27 unanswered points for a win against the Philadelphia Eagles. This is the first win in a season opener at home for the Washington Football Team since 2015. In week 1 of 2019, Washington took a 17-0 lead but failed to capitalize and the Eagles won 32-27. While this game had its highs, there were many lows. Washington struggled to find its offensive presence with three straight three and outs. At times look as if there was no chemistry or flow within the players. The real reason Washington was able to secure this win was because of their defensive line. The defensive line was responsible for 8 sacks that resulted in 62 yards lost. Let’s not forget Chase Young showing that he is worth the hype and an absolute star who finished his first career game with two tackles and 1.5 sacks. Carson Wentz, who started off as an elite performer eventually couldn’t handle the pressure and started making uncharacteristic plays. In the first quarter, Wentz completed 9 for 11 passes for 123 yards and a touchdown. For the rest of the game, he completed 15 of 31 passes for 147 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. Two interceptions that would fuel the Washington offense to take care of business.
Business that was lead by leader Dwayne “Young Simba” Haskins. Haskins finished the game completing 17 out of 31 passes for 178 yards and 1 touchdown. Although these stats aren’t necessarily eye-opening, Haskins did exactly what he needed to do and didn’t lose us the game. The biggest headline to take note of was the incredible halftime speech led by Haskins used a catalyst to strike an epic comeback. Rivera, who revealed his cancer diagnosis in August had to receive an IV at halftime leaving him unavailable to speak during the break. Haskins took it upon himself to be charismatic and speak to his team as the leader we all know he is. Though his speech was not written word for word, I like to imagine his speech was similar to movie scenes such as Al Pacino in Any Given Sunday or Coach Yoast in Remember the Titans. For a Quarterback who was thrown into the fire and barely practiced with the starting lineup his rookie season, Haskins has taken hardship and met it with prosperity.
First Game Takeaways
With the first game being in the books, I have three takeaways from the first game. For starters, Washington will be in trouble if this offense cannot take advantage early. In the season opener, Washington showed that they are able to build off momentum but that is built from the defense. What happens when the defense is not performing well? That is a question we will soon see the answer for. Secondly, Washington has proven that they will be able to compete because of their pass rush even though their secondary is suspect. The defensive line completely changed Wentz’s style of play. He was holding the ball longer than usual and eventually led to his two interceptions. Thirdly, Chase Young is a star and proven that he is not a bust. While his performance was not only beneficial to our win it was productive to the veterans on our team. For example, Ryan Kerrigan, also named Defensive Player of the Week, was able to excel as usual but something was different. Kerrigan was involved in fewer snaps than his previous years with the Washington Football Team. This defensive presence gives Washington fans something to look toward to in the upcoming weeks.
Week 2 Prediction
On this upcoming Sunday, the Washington Football Team will put their undefeated record up against the Arizona Cardinals. A healthy Arizona Cardinals at that. With an offense led by the number one pick in 2019, Washington has their work truly cut out for them. Murray in his season opener threw for 230 yards, rushed for 91 yards with two touchdowns in an upsetting win against the 49ers. The Cardinals were able to complete short and quick passes. Short and quick passes is detrimental to a defense who prioritizes off of pass rush. This week, the defensive line must keep Murray in the pocket and the pass coverage must pull their own against the elite receivers of the Cardinals. I project Washington pulling another upset but we will see. 24-17 Washington. Spice out!!
