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Washington Football Team vs. Seahawks Week 15 preview, score prediction

By Jacob Camenker

Dec 7, 2020; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Washington Football Team inside linebacker Jon Bostic (53) listens to defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the third quarter at Heinz Field. Washington won 23-17. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 7, 2020; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Washington Football Team inside linebacker Jon Bostic (53) listens to defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the third quarter at Heinz Field. Washington won 23-17. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 13, 2020; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Washington Football Team quarterback Alex Smith (11) throws a pass against the San Francisco 49ers during the first half at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 13, 2020; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Washington Football Team quarterback Alex Smith (11) throws a pass against the San Francisco 49ers during the first half at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports /

Washington Football Team offense vs. Seattle defense

Put plainly, it’s not going to be easy for the Washington Football Team to move the ball against the Seahawks defense. Seattle has had their share of issues this season but in recent weeks, they have started to come together on that side of the ball.

Meanwhile, Washington has had a lot of trouble on offense. They have been scoring points lately, but that has been more due to the defense’s ability to either score themselves or set up the offense with good field position. Plus, a couple of key injuries will hurt Washington in this game.

Notably, Antonio Gibson is still dealing with a toe injury that could keep him out of this contest. Gibson was a non-participant at Wednesday’s practice and Washington’s signing of Lamar Miller from the Bears’ practice squad is an indication that Gibson may be out at least another week or so.

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Miller can’t play against the Seahawks as he has to clear COVID protocol before being active, so J.D. McKissic and Peyton Barber will have to carry the load again for Washington. McKissic was effective as a pass-catcher against the 49ers and he ripped off some nice runs while Barber continued to do well in short-yardage situations. However, Seattle’s front seven, led by Jarran Reed, Bobby Wagner, and KJ Wright, will have a chance to limit their impact.

Unless McKissic can prove elusive enough to evade these sure tacklers, Washington may be rendered one-dimensional. If they have to rely on their passing attack, that may be a problem.

Right now, Alex Smith is dealing with a calf injury and didn’t participate in practice on Wednesday for Washington. His strain is considered to be minor, but given that the injury is in his surgically repaired leg, Washington will be extremely cautious with how they handle him.

If Smith plays, he won’t have much mobility and will have to do most of his work from inside the pocket. If he can’t put his full body weight into throws, that could make it hard for him to do anything other than toss checkdowns that Seattle can contain.

If Smith doesn’t play, then Dwayne Haskins will start. Haskins had one good drive against the 49ers before completely plateauing and nearly tossing a key pick late. He may do better with a full week of reps at his disposal, but his performance this year doesn’t inspire much confidence that he will do well. And if the offensive line lets Carlos Dunlap get pressure on him (or Smith, for that matter), Washington could have some negative plays and turnovers.

The hope for Washington will be that their receivers can get open for Smith in this contest and the Terry McLaurin can generate some yards after the catch. McLaurin hasn’t done a lot the last couple of weeks while facing a lot of double teams, but if he can beat Shaquil Griffin and Quinton Dunbar (if he plays), that will go a long way toward allowing the offense to move.

Aside from that, another playmaker will need to step up. Logan Thomas is the best bet to do that, but the Seahawks have been good against TEs this year, so there’s no guarantee that he will.

All told, this matchup looks like a tough one for Washington. Unless they can get the run game going early or unless they can get the ball in McLaurin’s hands frequently, it seems likely that they’ll struggle to score in this game.

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