Five ways the Washington football team can make the playoffs

No. 2 – Scott Turner’s offense is all that it’s hyped up to be

Truth be told, anything would be better than Bill Callahan’s telegram offense in 2020, but in the modern NFL, teams can’t be complacent when it comes to offensive innovation. Teams like the Eagles and Chiefs have won Super Bowls in recent years, due in part to their ability to scheme their players to best attain success. Yeah, talent had a lot to do with it as well, but the teams that have talent, and use it wisely, are the ones that benefit the most.

Now, I know what you’re thinking: The Washington football team doesn’t have the most talented offense in the league, and that will undoubtedly hurt them against superior rosters. But as we’ve also seen in recent years, teams with marginal offensive talent can still compete if they have an offense that elevates their players and positions them to succeed.

Offenses like these naturally produce mismatches and create space for their players. Offenses like these are multifaceted, and keep defenses on their toes. And offenses like these resemble the one that Scott Turner tried to implement down the stretch with the Carolina Panthers in 2019.

Turner has made clear the value he gives versatility, and he likes to move guys around and actively create opportunities for his players. With versatile young guns like Terry McLaurin, Steven Sims, and Antonio Gibson, as well as J.D. McKissic waiting in the wings, Turner has some of the pieces he needs to put together an offense that exceeds expectations, and perhaps contributes to accelerated player growth. But he needs to be all that. He has to be as good as he’s hyped up to be.