The Washington Football Team won for the third time this season and put themselves back into the NFC East divisional championship race.
Guess what? Washington didn’t play well in the first half, but they made a solid comeback in the second half. Just be sure to carry this script in your pocket each week and you will know how the plot unfolds before your friends can figure it out.
The good news is that the WFT won on Sunday and they are now a half-game out of first place. That’s true. Can you believe it? If Washington wins on Thanksgiving Day, they will be in first place at 4-7, even if it’s just for a few days; 2020 sure is a crazy place to be, isn’t it?
On Sunday against the Bengals, Washington found themselves in familiar territory in the first half. Poor execution on offense at times. The defense giving up major chunks of yardage to running backs and watching the opposing quarterback shred the Burgundy and Gold play after play. Special teams not being so special. Coaches scratching their heads.
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However, there was a silver lining. Cincinnati was unable to take advantage of their good fortunes and had to settle for nothing more than a two-point halftime lead. Washington had Cincinnati right where they wanted them. Washington played far better in the second half and there are plenty of positives to talk about from Sunday’s game and a few negatives as well.
We return to the weekly five positives and negatives and there is plenty to talk about, but the biggest news coming from this game is the season-ending injury to Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow. It was difficult to watch, but we wish him well in his recovery and look forward to Burrow’s return in 2021.
There are six games remaining in the season and Washington is in the thick of a divisional championship battle unlike any the NFL has ever seen. It defies all basic levels of logic, but here we are in late November and the talk centers on a possible playoff game at home in January.
The positives and negatives will be a bit smaller this week due to the holiday and the quick turnaround to Thursday’s game. Let’s get right to the positives and negatives for this week and see if we can make any sense of what is going on.
Positive 1
The first positive this week is the secondary duo of Ronald Darby and Kendall Fuller. They combined for eight tackles on Sunday, but one statistic was nothing short of a masterpiece.
Darby and Fuller were able to deflect a total of six passes on Sunday. Six! Great coverage usually bodes well for a defense and the Bengals generated just nine points, including none in the second half. Darby and Fuller set a good tone in the secondary on Sunday.
Negative 1
The first negative is an obvious gripe. Yes, the WFT endured another poor start and trailed at halftime once again. You can’t make this stuff up – even in our dreams (or nightmares). It’s one of 2020’s greatest mysteries. Why does Washington always fall behind in the first half and try to rally in the second half?
The good news this week is that Cincinnati built a small cushion at halftime (just two points) and not a double-digit lead as we have seen so often against the WFT this season. Washington really needs to solve this issue before the 2020 season ends. Carrying this baggage into the 2021 season should not be an option.
Positive 2
Terry McLaurin will be a permanent resident on this weekly list until further notice. All humor aside, you knew he would make another appearance here and all of the accolades McLaurin has earned this season is definitely deserved.
Three of his five receptions on Sunday led to 17 Washington points and that is the difference between winning and losing. How good is McLaurin? We’ll leave this right here.
Through 24-Career Games:
— Charlie Mule (@CharlieMule_PR) November 23, 2020
Terry McLaurin: 1,790 yards
Jerry Rice: 1,757 yards
McLaurin has the 12th most receiving yards all-time through 24 career games.
Negative 2
It’s not what occurred on the football field on Sunday, but what was decided before the game. Ryan Anderson was a scratch and it’s possible that he will not see the field again in 2020. He was dealing with a knee injury, but this certainly doesn’t bode well for his future either way given his inability to carve out a consistent role with the team.
Washington had a chance to trade Anderson a few weeks ago for a lower-round (presumably a sixth-rounder) selection in the 2021 draft. Honestly, the team should’ve taken the low round offer and move on from Anderson. Alfred Morris was chosen in the sixth round of the 2012 draft and getting a sixth for Anderson wouldn’t be the worst thing to happen to this franchise.
Positive 3
We have a huge surprise for you today. In the spirit of fairness and being thankful at this time of the year, we are happy to include running back Peyton Barber as a positive this week. He produced 28 yards on eight carries against the Bengals, including an 11-yard gem for a key first down.
These numbers are not earth-shattering, but he did contribute some clutch rushing attempts and kept the chains moving downfield.
Barber may not return next season, but when you look at his struggles in 2020, he chose not to complain. He is a true professional and his efforts in Sunday’s game proves it.
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Negative 3
When a player has a gift all but given to him in a game, they should take advantage of it. Troy Apke had an interception firmly in his grasp on Sunday and he simply dropped it. He mistimed his jump on the ball and made the play much more difficult than it should’ve been.
Players make mistakes. That’s a given. Good players learn from those mistakes and make improvements.
Troy Apke is not a good player and he needs every advantage that is gifted to him. Dropping an easy interception on Sunday is not a good look for the speedster from Penn State. Don’t look for any improvements in the final six games of 2020.
Positive 4
Steven Sims has been dealing with the injury bug this season and it has limited his effects on the offense and special teams. He is starting to return punts a bit more and Sims has seen additional snaps on offense since Washington came out of the bye.
Sims caught three passes on Sunday, but one of them was crucial to the victory. Nearly halfway through the third quarter, quarterback Alex Smith was running out of options on a pass play deep in Bengals territory.
Sims kept his legs churning and found a gap in the defense. Smith exploited that extra room and drilled a perfect pass to Sims for the touchdown. Washington took the lead and never relinquished it again. Welcome back, Steven Sims.
Negative 4
Thomas Davis has been a superb linebacker in the NFL for many seasons. His leadership in the locker room has helped Washington in 2020, but Davis’s time as a player is over. There is no need to sugar-coat it. Fully abstracted, it is literally that simple.
Davis had all of one tackle on Sunday and he has rarely seen the field this season. It’s always painful to see a talented veteran hanging on to a dream a bit longer than is needed.
Positive 5
Chase Young was a monster on Sunday. An absolute monster. A bad monster for the Bengals. A good monster for Washington. He prevented a touchdown and created a turnover on the same play. Young batted down a pass just beyond the pocket and it was a near interception. He tackled a ball carrier near the goal line for a one-yard loss. He harassed the opposing quarterbacks for the entirety of the game.
Young redeemed himself after a poor rookie mistake last week. He is a positive most of the time and Sunday was a vivid example of his many talents.
Negative 5
This is more of a nitpicking moment and not that much of a negative. Dustin Hopkins had a good game against the Bengals and two of his field goals late in the game sealed the victory. His miss inside of 40 yards late in the game was inconsequential, but these easy chances that become misses need attention.
It is unknown if the troubles that Hopkins experiences nearly every week is mechanical or psychological. If the WFT does make a run at the playoffs, the team will need to have a reliable Dustin Hopkins.
Final Thoughts
A victory is a victory and the fans will gladly take it. As recently as last week, the “Five and Five” told everyone to forget the playoffs and embrace the rebuild. Honestly, the rebuild should be the main focus, but the experience of a playoff game is valuable as well. Let’s see what happens in the coming weeks.
Washington has enjoyed two straight drafts with major hits in the third round. Antonio Gibson and Terry McLaurin were taken in respectively in the 2020 and 2019 third rounds. Washington has two third-round selections in 2021 and it sure would be nice to see that magic continue. Just imagine adding two more special players next spring in that round.
During this season of being thankful, let’s remember that this rebuild will yield good results in the future. It’s easy to be negative during a 3-7 season, but this is when the character of a team and its fans are challenged the most. We’ll get through it and better days are ahead.
We’ll return following the Cowboys game for five more positives and negatives. We could be talking about the first place Washington Football Team later this week. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.