Washington Football Team: Studs and duds from Week 9 loss to Giants

Washington Football Team Stud: S Kam Curl

Kam Curl made his first start in place of Landon Collins on Sunday afternoon. The seventh-round rookie forced into action by an injury to the defense’s highest-paid player looked good out there.

Curl wasn’t perfect in this game by any stretch. He was beaten by Evan Engram for a touchdown at one point that allowed the Giants to extend their lead to 20-3. It was a costly mistake for Washington and one that showcases that the rookie still has to learn the ins and outs of playing the position at the NFL level.

That said, Curl made up for his TD allowed later in the game. With Washington trailing 23-20 and needing a big play, Curl came in on blitz and got a massive hit on Daniel Jones. He brought him down for the sack and forced the Giants to punt back to Washington. That at least gave the team a chance to mount one more drive to try to win the game.

The main thing to note was that Curl played aggressively at the safety spot. He made some plays for the Washington defense. Sure, not all of them worked out, but the fact that he’s willing to take chances shows that he’s confident and that is a good sign moving forward.

If Curl can grow and learn with more playing time, that could turn into a big positive for Washington despite the team playing in what is looking like another losing season.

Curl finished the game with a team-high 11 tackles, a sack, and two pass defenses. He played quick, was decisive, and while there is room for improvement, he should have a chance to be a solid starter moving forward.