Washington Football Team limits Bengals offense in second half to earn victory
The Washington Football Team earned a win over the Bengals on Sunday.
The Washington Football Team was facing a tough opponent in Week 11. The Cincinnati Bengals were only sitting on a 2-6-1 record, but their offense, led by No. 1 pick Joe Burrow, had been looking good of late. They figured to test Washington’s defense, which had been struggling as well.
Instead, Washington’s defense helped to earn the team a 20-9 victory. However, it’s important to note that this came with a couple of caveats. First of all, miscues in the first half limited the Bengals to just nine total points. This included two missed field goals, an extra point, and a failed fourth-down conversion from the 2-yard line. In truth, the Bengals should have been up more than 9-7 at the half.
The bigger impact came in the second half when Joe Burrow went down with a serious-looking leg injury. Burrow exited when the Bengals were still in the game and once he went out, the Bengals couldn’t do anything.
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Ryan Finley was terrible in relief of Burrow. He completed just 3-of-10 passes and was sacked four times. The Washington defense did a great job of pressuring Finley relentlessly — Ryan Kerrigan and Tim Settle notably had timely sacks — and the team did a great job of holding up in coverage in the second half.
That said, but they did allow Burrow to throw for 203 yards and a TD without a lot of resistance in the first half-plus of play. All in all, it was a mixed bag for the defense, but the positive is, of course, that the team was able to adjust at the half, shut down the Bengals, and come back to win the game.
On offense, the team’s biggest positive was their running game. Antonio Gibson and J.D. McKissic combined for 137 yards and a TD and helped to spark the team in the second half. That duo helped to run down the clock and wear on the Cincinnati defense. The two should continue to be a solid rotation for Washington this season and into the future.
Elsewhere on offense, Terry McLaurin racked up 84 receiving yards, good for half of the team’s passing production. He was his dynamic self and helped the passing game do enough to keep the offense balanced and beat the Bengals.
A recent WFT mock draft with a QB going first. dark. Next
The victory wasn’t always pretty, but the key for Washington is that they continued to do well in the second half. If they can keep being a second-half team, they will have a chance to fight for the NFC East crown in what is an awful year for the division.