The Good
The Washington Football Team’s season may have been saved after a hard-fought and sloppy win against the Atlanta Falcons, 34-30 pushing Washington to 2-2.
A rollercoaster of a win led by no other than Old Dominion’s own Taylor Heinicke. Excuse my French but this guy has a huge set of cajones. In his 5th start, Heinicke completed just under 70 percent of his passes for 290 yards and 3 TDs.
Washington was down 30-22 in the 4th and the team needed Heinicke to show up BIG TIME! Taylor made two huge plays with an incredible 50/50 heave TD pass to Terry McLaurin as well as a roll to the left across field throw to McKissic for the game-winning TD.
Now, let’s talk about these plays. Heinicke on a first and 10 from Atlanta’s 17-yard line avoided a blitz and threw up a prayer to Terry McLaurin in the end zone. Kudos to Scary Terry’s awareness because he was able to shake off the defender to catch his second TD of the game. (Fantasy went crazy hehe)
McLaurin had his best outing of the season with 6 caught receptions for 123 yards and 2 TDs. Fall is Scary Terry season.
The game-winning TD pass to McKissic was something I am sure fans did not expect. Washington faced a third and 7 from the Falcons 30-yard line. Heinicke snaps the ball, rolls left, and does not see any receivers open. Taylor then proceeds to turn his body and throw to the right side of the field to McKissic. McKissic breaks a tackle and is for the races on the sideline. Two defenders close in near and McKissic “Space Jam” jumps from the 4-yard line into the end zone for the TD and win.
McKissic is proving that he can be an all downs running back.
Oh oh oh, it’s magic!
A huge improvement from last week for Heinicke, whereas it looked as if a different QB was in uniform. In last week’s brutal loss against the Bills, 43-21, Taylor starred down defenders, showed a lack of judgment, and threw two interceptions.
In 4 games played and 3 games started this season, Heinicke has completed 69.5% of his passes with a 105.9 QB rating, throwing for 960 yards with 8 TDs and 3 interceptions. Let’s not forget in his 5 starts with Washington, Taylor has 2 game-winning drives as well as snapped a 6-game losing streak to the ATL Falcons.
“I thought he managed it well, obviously,” Rivera said, via NBCSportsWashington.com. “The big thing is, and we’ve talked about it, make a play when you have to. He made several. . . . Taylor is just one of those dynamic players who knows how to make plays. As I said, nothing is ever done with him. He’s just going to continue to work.”
The Bad- Injuries
Injuries, injuries, injuries. While Washington caught a break with the debut of Curtis Samuel, the injuries that occurred during the game just seemed unprecedented.
Logan Thomas went down in the first quarter with a hamstring injury and there is not much known outside of the fact.
“The only thing I really know about Logan is it’s a hamstring,” Rivera said about Thomas.
To add fuel to the fire, All-Pro guard Brandon Scherff went down as well. We are expecting more information on the severity of the injury later today.
Rookie Dyami Brown, Cam Sims, Jon Bostic, and Antonio Gibson left Sunday’s game as well for injuries.
Fingers crossed that all these injuries are minor and that these players will see the field real soon.
The Ugly-Defense
There is something that smells like garbage water in 100-degree weather and that is the Washington Football Defense. This top 3 season 2020 defense has fallen to a sunken place and currently ranks 29th in the 2021 season.
Besides the horrendous tackling, Washington’s 3rd defensive efficiency should be considered offensive. In 4 games played this season, opponents have converted on 27 of 46 third downs.
In Week 1 vs the Chargers, Washington allowed their offense to convert on 14 of 19 third downs as well as get torched for 334 yards passing. Last week, the Bills absolutely made a mockery of Washington’s defense with 359 yards passing and 122 yards rushing.
At this point, there has to be questioning about the coaching. This approach of a front rush with zone coverage is just not cutting it. When the QB feels no pressure, receivers just have the ability to maneuver and get open which is Kyrponite for a defense.
Landon collins cannot cover and Kendall Fuller is getting targeted on a consistent basis. Take Landon collins off the field, nothing else needs to be said.
The defensive line played better vs the Atlanta Falcons but the secondary is beyond terrible. Week after week, there are blown coverages and wide-open players. There is absolutely no excuse for Cordarrelle Patterson to be that wide open from blown coverages.
GET RIGHT!
Upcoming Schedule
The upcoming schedule for Washington is going to be rough. Washington will face the Saints, Chiefs, Packers, Broncos, and Buccaneers in the upcoming weeks. Going up against big names such as Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers.
With the way Washington is playing, the only winnable game looks to be the Saints who just suffered an OT loss to the NY Giants Sunday afternoon.
With that said, all of these opposing teams have respectable QBs who can put up points and torture a defense with failed communication and exposed coverages.
A win against ATL was great to see but the true test will be coming in the next few weeks.
Final Thoughts
Deandre Carter is explosive and exciting to watch. Carter broke for his first career TD with a 101-yard kickoff return to the house to start the second half against the Atlanta Falcons. DeAndre is proving to be a great offseason pickup.
Dustin Hopkins missed 2 extra point field goals during the course of the 2020 season and missed two consecutive extra point field goals vs Atlanta yesterday. Hopkins has consistently put Washington in unfavorable circumstances and continues to suit up weekly. Make it make sense. Hopkins needs to be unemployed by Week 7.
Thanks for reading!
