Washington Football Team: Studs and duds from Week 11 win over Bengals

Washington Football Team Stud: Second-half defense

Washington held the Bengals scoreless in the second half. That was massive given that their offense was only able to put up 20 points during the game.

Granted, the Bengals were without Joe Burrow for a good chunk of the second half, but it wasn’t the whole second half.

For the first two drives, the Bengals had Burrow at their disposal. They were able to total eight yards on six plays combined. Washington forced two three-and-outs, helped to flip the field, and set their offense up to score as a result of that.

Even when Ryan Finley entered the game, the team didn’t let up on the second-year quarterback. They sacked him four times, forced him into a pick, and generally played strong in all facets of the dfeense. It was easier to slow Finley down, but it still deserves praise given the eggs we’ve seen this defense lay on occasion this year and how poor they were at winning late last in previous years before Ron Rivera came to town.

Washington continues to be a better second-half team than a first-half team. That’s a good thing, as it shows that they can adjust on the fly and improve their chances of winning even in games that they seem like they’re out of. They almost did it against the Lions in their 21-point comeback last week but they actually finished the job and earned the win this week by holding the Bengals scoreless.

If the defense can keep doing that in the second half of games, they’ll have a chance to continue winning as the season goes along.