Five ways the Washington football team can make the playoffs
By Ian Cummings
No. 3 – The second and third levels of the defense mesh, creating a top 15 unit
If the pass rush plays up to its potential, then that will naturally elevate the second and third levels of the Washington football team’s defense. But as we’ve seen in past years, Washington’s defense can still produce sacks and leave something to be desired in the competence department.
Too often, miscommunication and a lack of role resonance in the secondary has rendered the team’s pass coverage unit as one of the league’s worst, and too often, the linebacker grouping has struggled to carry its weight in the box. There’s reason to believe things will improve a measured amount in 2020, but again, we can’t count on it before it happens.
This pre-requisite for playoff success is broad, in part because it demands a number of things. It demands that the new defensive coaching staff uses its players the right way. It demands that this same coaching staff has the situational awareness that the previous staff(s) lacked. And it demands that the players are a good match for one another, and develop chemistry quickly.
It’s a lot to ask for, especially from Washington. But that’s what a playoff bid demands.