Five positives and negatives for Washington Football Team in loss to Cardinals

GLENDALE, ARIZONA - SEPTEMBER 20: DeAndre Hopkins #10 of the Arizona Cardinals runs up field while being defended by Fabian Moreau #25 of the Washington Football Team at State Farm Stadium on September 20, 2020 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, ARIZONA - SEPTEMBER 20: DeAndre Hopkins #10 of the Arizona Cardinals runs up field while being defended by Fabian Moreau #25 of the Washington Football Team at State Farm Stadium on September 20, 2020 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) /
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GLENDALE, ARIZONA – SEPTEMBER 20: Running back J.D. McKissic #41 of the Washington Football Team rushes the football during the NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium on September 20, 2020 in Glendale, Arizona. The Cardinals defeated the Washington Football Team 30-15. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, ARIZONA – SEPTEMBER 20: Running back J.D. McKissic #41 of the Washington Football Team rushes the football during the NFL game against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium on September 20, 2020 in Glendale, Arizona. The Cardinals defeated the Washington Football Team 30-15. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

Positive 2

Washington played better in the second half after an abysmal first half.  It was almost a mirror image of the Eagles game until the team ran out of energy halfway through the fourth quarter.

The WFT players could’ve given up, but they decided to fight and give it 100 percent to the end.  Don’t misunderstand.  There is no praiseworthiness for their performance in the first half, but the team didn’t give up after halftime.  That is to their credit and it will be a character-building tool for the future.

Negative 2

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For the second week in a row, the offense was horrible on third-down conversions and it contributed directly to the 20-point deficit in the first half. The WFT was 4-12 on converting third downs on Sunday and the second half actually made the stat line look just a bit better.

The offense needs to have sustained drives in the first half of games or they will suffer the same fate as we saw in the Eagles and Cardinals games. If the third-down conversion problems continue this season, the offense will suffer greatly and Washington could find themselves picking very early in the 2021 NFL Draft, just as they did last year.

So what is the solution?  There are no realistic options in the free-agent market and trades are not a viable answer as well.  Washington needs to hope that younger players on offense are gaining valuable experience for the future and should be willing to take their bad medicine now.