Washington Football Team shows little life in 30-10 loss to Rams

In what’s been a disappointing year so far, the Washington Football Team posted perhaps its most complete loss yet against the Rams.

In most of the Washington Football Team‘s other losses this year, there have been silver linings hidden in the team’s overall performance, often focused on the defensive side of the ball. Kendall Fuller notched two interceptions in Week 4. Montez Sweat terrorized Baker Mayfield the week before.

But against the Los Angeles Rams, the offense continued its inept streak with two more quarterbacks, and the defense, for once, didn’t compensate with a respectable performance.

The Washington Football Team’s defense was chewed up for most of the afternoon, against a Rams offense headed by two former Washington offensive coordinators: Sean McVay and Kevin O’Connell.

The Rams scored 20 in the first half, and although they stalled a bit in the second, Washington’s offense did little to apply pressure on their lead. Despite the inspiring theme of Alex Smith’s return to the field, he was largely ineffective, averaging less than three yards per attempt, and he had almost no help from his offensive line or his pass catchers. The result was an anemic display, one in which Washington never even played the Rams at all.

Washington’s lone touchdown was scored by third-year signal caller Kyle Allen, who performed admirably before leaving the game with an arm injury in the second quarter. Allen showcased some of the pocket manipulation skills and the off-script ability that Washington has been craving on offense, but at the end of the day, they were still left longing for much, much more.

Washington’s loss against Los Angeles is a game that many names should feel accountable for, and not only the players; Ron Rivera made a few questionable decisions, and Scott Turner’s offensive scheme remains underwhelming, too often putting the offense in situations it simply doesn’t have the firepower to recover from.

Washington will, at least on paper, have a bit of a respite next week against the winless New York Giants, but if they want to avoid going 1-5 through six weeks, they have to figure out how to improve the offense, and the defense has to get back to its previous form. Otherwise, Washington could quickly sink below even the bottom of the standings.