Here it is again. There are no game balls to award after a major debacle from the Washington Football Team after a home loss to the New York Giants, but there are four new clunkers to talk about this week.
The four game balls have been returned to the Riggo’s Rag vault and they are locked away for now. No one knows when it will be time to open the vault again, but those four Washington Football Team clunkers are sadly lurking nearby and we must reveal this dubious distinction once again.
Losing to a division rival at home is tough, but losing to a 1-7 team after a bye week stings even worse. However, a loss is a loss and we have come to another week when four more clunkers etch their names to this lowly benchmark of recognition. Let’s hope we can award them some game balls sometime soon.
The Giants came out of the gates quickly and established a torrid pace for the entire first half. Washington closed the gap with a better second half, but turnovers and a deficit too much to overcome doomed the Burgundy and Gold once again. Let’s head back once again to our old friend, the doldrums. The doldrums are ready to take a look at the clunkers for this week.
Antonio Gibson
Antonio Gibson came crashing down this week after success in Week 7. On the first offensive play from scrimmage, Gibson was looking as if he would have a major gain downfield. However, he fumbled and that turnover set a huge negative tone for the rest of the game.
Gibson finished with 20 yards rushing for the game and was basically a non-factor on Sunday. He did contribute a one-yard touchdown run and actually had more yards receiving than rushing. His impact on the game was mostly one of inefficiency and he was definitely a clunker against the Giants.
Kamren Curl
Kam Curl is a rookie strong safety. Let’s clarify that a bit. Curl is a seventh-round rookie who is being pressed into service out of necessity. There were some good things to like about his performance on Sunday, but there were some moments when Curl definitely played like a late-round selection. Here are the stats from Sunday’s game: 11 tackles and one sack. Yes, those are good numbers, but let’s dig a little deeper.
Curl was targeted on several occasions during the game and he was exposed somewhat. Curl seems to be a quick study and while he was inefficient on some shorter routes last Sunday, this unheralded rookie should improve. The former Arkansas standout was burned on one touchdown and an experienced, franchise-level quarterback would’ve feasted on his shortcomings this week. Curl is a clunker for now, but he is a clunker that will learn and grow.
Isaiah Wright
Sadly, a third rookie is our focus for this week. Isaiah Wright is having a good rookie season, but he committed an egregious error against the Giants. Wright fielded a punt with a few minutes remaining in the first quarter and fumbled it back to the Giants. He badly misjudged the angle of the kick and tried to catch the football near his shoestrings. The turnover gave the Giants great field position – in the red zone. Four plays later, the Giants scored a touchdown.
Wright is a rookie and coaches understand that young players will make mistakes, but this was basic fundamentals and it cost the Washington Football Team dearly. Wright was a steal as an undrafted free agent and he truly has a chance to become a reliable player for Washington. Like any rookie, he will learn. For now, he is a clunker and we hope for better days to come.
Alex Smith
The Alex Smith story is nothing short of amazing and inspirational. He was pressed into service on Sunday when Kyle Allen went down with a likely season-ending injury. Smith entered the game and he was on fire. Smith’s stats – 325 yards passing and a touchdown. His efforts were close to creating a comeback victory.
Smith’s grit and determination against the Giants were phenomenal, but two interceptions late in the game cost the Washington Football Team an almost certain victory. Both tosses were not the fault of receivers nor were they a product of poor protection. That’s being brutally honest, but Smith did have Washington in a position to win. He simply couldn’t close the deal and this is the only reason why he was a clunker on Sunday.
Here is a list of players who struggled on Sunday, but barely miss out on this dubious distinction for Week 9: Ryan Anderson, Cole Holcomb, J.D. McKissic, and Logan Thomas.
You could call this list of clunkers, “clunker light”. There were plenty of mistakes in the game, but fans should be encouraged with Smith and the three aforementioned rookies.
Washington travels to Detroit on Sunday. Let’s get back to awarding game balls, but the clunker recognitions are lurking. We’ll see you next week with game balls or – well, let’s not talk about it for the rest of this week.