Washington Football Team: Three takeaways from Week 10 loss to Lions

1. Alex Smith put Washington in position to win

In his first start since a brutal leg injury nearly two years ago that almost cost him his career, leg, and life, Alex Smith was very good. He wasn’t perfect, but at the end of the day, he put Washington in position to win the game late.

Smith threw for 390 yards while completing 39-of-55 passes against the Lions. He checked down a lot as he usually does, but he did two key things. First, he did look to make throws downfield and took chances when they were there.

Second, he completely avoided turnovers and mostly avoided negative plays. He was sacked just twice on the day and while one of them cost the team points, it was about the only poor play he had on the day.

Smith was as steady as ever. He’s not the above-average passer he once was, but he’s a serviceable spot starter and against weaker competition like the Lions, he should find success. It will be interesting to see what he can do moving forward, but the fact of the matter is that by avoiding turnovers and trying to make plays downfield, he helped Washington orchestrate a 21-point comeback to nearly win on the road.

Smith’s first start of 2020 was a lot like Kyle Allen’s. There were some mistakes (albeit less critical than those of Allen) and ultimately, the quarterback gave his offense a chance to win. That’s good news for Washington and he should be able to set up his receiving weapons to make plays.

We’ll see how Smith does against in the future higher-level competition, but in the coming weeks against the Bengals and Cowboys, two of the lower-level teams in the league, Washington should at least stand a chance of winning.