Washington Football Team: Studs and duds from Week 15 loss vs. Seahawks
Washington Football Team Stud: The Montez Sweat/Daron Payne tandem
Montez Sweat and Daron Payne both have done an excellent job creating pressure for Washington. While they may not always show up in the box score, their impact is immeasurable.
And that was on full display against the Seahawks.
Both Sweat and Payne played a huge part in pressuring Russell Wilson, and they were responsible for one of the most important, momentum-changing plays of the game.
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In the early stages of the fourth quarter, the Seahawks were in the middle of a drive that looked like it was going to have a chance to put some points on the board. Then, one play changed the game and throttled the momentum to the Washington Football Team.
On a first-and-10 for the Seahawks, Russell Wilson scrambled out to his right after pressure got to him in the pocket. Among those getting pressure was Payne. He helped to take Wilson’s space away before Wilson spotted what he thought was an open receiver downfield.
Wilson decided to throw the ball toward the wideout but the ball was deflected. That was Sweat who used his massive, lanky 6-foot-6 frame to whack the ball straight into the air near the line of scrimmage. Then, Payne, a 300-pound defensive tackle, came screaming in, dove for the ball, and got the first interception of his career.
The play killed the momentum of the Seahawks and was emblematic of the impact that these two amazing athletes have had on Washington. If Sweat and Payne can continue to play like this, the Washington defense is going to be very, very hard to beat.