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Washington Football Team: Three takeaways from Week 11 win vs. Cowboys

By Jacob Camenker

Nov 26, 2020; Arlington, Texas, USA; Washington Football Team running back Antonio Gibson (24) warms up before the game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 26, 2020; Arlington, Texas, USA; Washington Football Team running back Antonio Gibson (24) warms up before the game against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /
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Aug 20, 2020; Ashburn, Virginia, USA; (L-R) Washington Football Team offensive coordinator Scott Turner and head coach Ron Rivera look on during drills on day twenty-three of training camp at Inova Sports Performance Center in Ashburn, Virginia. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 20, 2020; Ashburn, Virginia, USA; (L-R) Washington Football Team offensive coordinator Scott Turner and head coach Ron Rivera look on during drills on day twenty-three of training camp at Inova Sports Performance Center in Ashburn, Virginia. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /

1. Scott Turner is starting to execute his offense very well

There had been signs of Washington’s offense coming together in previous weeks, but against the Cowboys, it really started to click.

Antonio Gibson took on a workhorse role out of the backfield for Washington. The team took some shots to Terry McLaurin. Alex Smith managed the offense effectively and while he checked down often, it still allowed the team to move the chains. Logan Thomas was a big part of the game plan.

Overall, Scott Turner brought his full bag of tricks against Dallas. He did a great job of keeping them off balance by calling some trick plays against them. This included a Thomas pass to McLaurin and a classic fumblerooski play where Smith placed the ball on the ground before McKissic picked it up and turned it into a first down. Thomas later got a chance to run a wildcat snap as well and picked up a first down.

Turner called the game confidently and didn’t hold anything back against the Cowboys. It’s a great sign that the young coordinator is finally comfortable with the personnel that he has on offense. He is familiar with them and he was able to adjust accordingly to help fix issues throughout the game.

Notably, Turner continuously gave right tackle David Sharpe help in passing situations by flanking him with Logan Thomas or Jeremy Sprinkle to give him some blocking help. That kept Alex Smith cleaner and kept him from getting pressured relentlessly. It also allowed Smith to sit back in the pocket and find the open man.

Next. What WFT should be thankful for in 2020. dark

There’s no question that this was one of Turner’s best games of the season. He showed off why Ron Rivera was so confident in him as a play-caller and what could be ahead in Washington. If Turner keeps developing and riding his backs Gibson and McKissic in particular, he should be set up to succeed in this role moving forward.

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