Washington Football Team: Five players to watch in rematch with Giants

No. 1 – QB Kyle Allen

It’s time to give Kyle Allen some legitimate respect. No, he hasn’t been a world-beater, and no, he’s likely not the Washington Football Team’s franchise quarterback. But in his stint as starter, he has brought back a sort of respectability to the position under center, and he’s proven himself as a capable conductor of Scott Turner’s offense, in a spot-starter capacity.

In three starts, Allen has completed 55 of 80 passes (68.4%) for 548 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception. He’s noticeably improved the overall execution at the quarterback position, and he’s been efficient, but at the same time, he’s also the difference between 1-2 and 2-1 over his time as starter.

Last time Washington played the Giants, Allen was partly responsible for a fumble return for a touchdown by the Giants defense, and although he managed to drive Washington down the field and give them a chance to win in the final stages, his indecision and poor situational awareness during the team’s final two-point conversion attempt cost them the victory.

Had Washington given themselves a chance to sweep the Giants, they could have wound up 4-4 after after eight games. But instead, because of Allen’s miscues in a winnable game, they’re three games below .500, and even if they beat the Giants in Week 9, they’ll need more consistency to truly vault back into the NFC East race.

Allen has at least given some legitimacy to Rivera’s quarterback change, and his teammates clearly value his energy and work ethic. But Allen has also made costly mistakes, and they’ve felt that in the win column. With that being said, Allen has an opportunity to directly compensate for his role in the team’s Week 6 loss this coming weekend, and if he pulls through, the Washington Football Team could get that much closer to stunning the division, and the league.