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Washington Football Team: Five observations at the halfway point

By Jacob Troutman

LANDOVER, MD - NOVEMBER 08: Chase Young #99 of the Washington Football Team plays against the New York Giants at FedExField on November 8, 2020 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD - NOVEMBER 08: Chase Young #99 of the Washington Football Team plays against the New York Giants at FedExField on November 8, 2020 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images) /
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LANDOVER, MD – SEPTEMBER 13: Daron Payne #94 and Chase Young #99 of the Washington Football Team tackle Carson Wentz #11 of the Philadelphia Eagles in the second half at FedExField on September 13, 2020 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD – SEPTEMBER 13: Daron Payne #94 and Chase Young #99 of the Washington Football Team tackle Carson Wentz #11 of the Philadelphia Eagles in the second half at FedExField on September 13, 2020 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Greg Fiume/Getty Images) /

3. The defensive line is really good

Unlike other areas of the Washington Football Team, the defensive line had high expectations entering the season. To some, it has underperformed based on its stats. However, the defensive line has been very impressive. It just has received so much more added attention, so the numbers seem less impressive.

Chase Young is the headline name. He has lived up to the hype so far. He only has 3.5 sacks but they can be explained due to being double and sometimes triple-teamed. Also when Young gets in the backfield, quarterbacks get the ball released like it is a hot potato. Young is already feared and is performing well against the run. His size, speed, and quick change of direction help him make tackles against backs in space. Young is a complete player.

Montez Sweat, Young’s running mate, should not go overlooked either. He has improved significantly from his rookie year. He leads the team with five sacks and has beaten one-on-one matchups constantly. Like Young, Sweat’s incredible athleticism and cerebral football awareness benefit him in the run game. Like Young, Sweat is growing into a complete player.

Ryan Kerrigan has been his usual productive self. He is not what he used to be, but despite his decreased snap count, he has 4.5 sacks on the season. As his career gets to its latter stages, Kerrigan is becoming an efficient pass-rush specialist.

The interior cannot go unnoticed either. Daron Payne may be one of the best run defenders in the NFL. He also still is so young, with the potential to become a more complete player. Jonathan Allen provides a little bit of both run defense and pass rush. He isn’t nearly as dominant as the rest but he is still very solid. Even Tim Settle has totaled a few sacks showing he could start for most teams.

Their best interior pass rusher, Matt Ioannidis was lost earlier in the season to a torn bicep, but despite that, the interior is still really solid.

Do not let the numbers fool you. This defensive line is really good and it is only getting better.

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