Final thoughts on Washington Football Team’s 23-20 loss to New York

First, the one positive (Because Dustin Hopkins making all his field goals is simply too low a bar to be called a positive).

This was the best game a tandem of Washington Football Team wide receivers has played in several years. We all expect Terry McLaurin to play well. He is far and away the Washington Football Team’s best, most consistent player. But Cam Sims had his best game as a pro, and showed that perhaps he can carve out a decent role as a second, or more likely third receiver.

I have never been impressed with Sims’ ability to get free on routine pass patterns, and have assumed his role would be limited to special teamer and occasional red zone target. I am still not ready to anoint him the answer to the team’s Z-receiver position, but I am willing to say I may have been wrong.

And speaking of wrong, let’s get to the negatives.

Can you believe there was some idiot last week who wrote that Washington might have the best offensive line in the division? He had PFF numbers and league-stats to back it all up. God – what a moron.

Against the  Giants, the Washington Football Team’s offensive line was nothing short of offensive. Both quarterbacks were under constant pressure, and there were precious few holes for the running game. Wes Schweitzer is reverting back to his journeyman roots and Morgan Moses’ tirade on the bench was the most life the line showed all day.

The Giants have a very good defensive line – it is the best part of their defense. But there is no way they should have dominated the way they did.

Speaking of dominant defensive lines, what happened to Washington’s? There were a few decent plays here and there, but overall, the Washington Football Team’s bedrock was overmatched by a mediocre Giants offensive line. Wayne Gallman gashed Washington – often running right through the supposedly stout middle of the line.

You can point to a lot of moments in which this game was lost – any game which features five turnovers and the loss of your starting QB will offer many such options. But to me, this game was lost midway through the third quarter.

Washington had come out of halftime with some fire and immediately took the ball down the field for a TD, making it 20-10. This is when a quality defense steps up and gets the ball back for their offense. Washington was unable to do that. They were manhandled by the Giants’ line and Gallman. They were physically dominated. Washington still could have won this game, but for all intents and purposes, the game was over at this point.

Like most fans, I was disappointed with how the team played in the first half. I don’t know how much of that is the fault of the coaching staff and failure to prepare. I think that is often hard to decipher from afar. But I feel far more comfortable criticizing two game plan decisions that seemed to backfire. On offense, the abandonment of the run seemed like a panic move. When you are behind by 17 late, you have to throw. When you are behind by 17 early, you should be sticking to what you thought would work coming into the game.

The running game wasn’t working early, but running the ball can wear down the opposing defense and slow down a pass rush. Even on the second to last drive, with plenty of time left and the game well in reach, the Washington Football Team continued to throw on every down, and the results were disastrous.

On the defensive side of things, apparently, the Washington Football Team felt it could generate sufficient pass pressure using its front four. Daniel Jones’ ability to run may have caused the defense to be less aggressive, keeping a spy back to check on Jones.

Whatever the rationale, it failed. There were several pressures, but not nearly enough. Washington allowed Jones to play a game unlike any he has played this season. He did not run, and he did not turn the ball over. The Giants’ entire season has been characterized by Jones being under pressure. Either he makes a good play with his legs, or he makes a bad decision with his arm. None of that happened. You’d like to believe that Sweat, Payne, Allen, and Young could disrupt the offense by themselves. They could not, and the game plan never adjusted.

And then, a few individual player notes. You have to feel bad for Kyle Allen. I know a lot of people thought about Alex Smith, given the bizarre points of connection involved in Allen’s injury. I thought about Trent Green, the former Washington quarterback who seemed on the verge of something big when a Rodney Harrison hit ended his season before it ever got started.

Green had played well when given the chance in Washington in 1998. So well that the St Louis Rams snapped him up to be their starter the following year. The very early preseason results were impressive. Green looked great. The offense looked unstoppable. His injury opened the door for an unknown backup named Kurt Warner to step into the starting role, and eventually into the Hall of Fame.

There’s no telling if Green would have been capable of similar success. And we can be pretty sure that Kyle Allen was not on the verge of leading another “greatest show on turf” offense here in Washington. But it does remind us all of how fragile an NFL career really is, and how everything can change in an instant, both for a team, and for a player.

Finally, on a more mundane level, I think we got more realistic impressions of a several Washington Football Team players against the Giants. On defense, Kamren Curl was exposed. This does not mean Curl is a bad player. It just means that he is a very young seventh-round draft pick and to expect that he would step into a starting safety spot and be really good is unrealistic.

Curl has talent and he makes plays. He also can be beaten by the likes of Evan Engram and Austin Mack, and can miss tackles on the likes of Kaden Smith. I believe that Kamren Curl has a good future in Washington, but we may want to temper expectations right now.

I am not convinced that Logan Thomas has a future here. Thomas may generate the widest range of opinion amongst Washington Football Team fans. Some see his big frame and athletic ability, and believe he just needs time to develop into a very good tight end. I will readily admit that he has made some nice catches and some big plays for Washington.

With that said, his limitations are obvious. I am not sold on the “give him time” idea. He has been playing tight end for four years now. I don’t doubt there is still more for him to learn, but let’s be honest. The bulk of that learning has already happened. There may be room for marginal improvement. That’s it. Thomas’ glaring limitation is that he simply cannot achieve separation from defenders. The only times he has been open this season are when the defense has blown a coverage or fallen down. Otherwise, he is always blanketed.

To be fair, he has made some tough catches in those conditions, but this is not a recipe for long term success. Thomas simply has not shown the physical ability or route-running talent to get open. His crucial early drop on Washington’s second drive was a case in point. Allen made a very nice throw to a tightly covered Thomas that should have resulted in a first down. Whether the defender got in his way or he simply dropped the ball, he did not make the catch and Washington had to punt.

Thomas’ inability to corral Antonio Gibson’s first-quarter fumble and his holding penalty right after Allen’s injury were negative plays. The only way Thomas carves out an important role on this team is if he makes lots of smart plays to supplement the few positive plays he will make in a game. He is a good target and could be a serviceable blocker, but it is very hard to see him as anything more than a second TE at this point.

Good teams play consistently. Washington has not been consistent this season. Let’s hope they can begin to turn that around in a winnable game against Detroit this week.