Washington Football Team must ditch the slow starts to truly compete

The game against the Seattle Seahawks was a microcosm of the 2020 season for the Washington Football Team.

A bad first-half team. A great second-half team. That was how it was for the Washington Football Team against the Seahawks and it has also been how the entire season has gone. The scripts by which Washington Football Team games go have been very predictable.

They start with a bad first half with mind-numbing mistakes on both sides of the ball coupled with multiple missed opportunities. Then in the second half, they come out with new life. Key adjustments are made and they make the game competitive or even win the game altogether. Like clockwork.

In the first half, the Washington Football Team has a point differential of -91. In the second half, it has a point differential of +98. It’s a complete tale of two halves; two completely different teams.

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Here is another stat: When the Washington Football Team has a lead or is down by just one score at halftime, the Washington Football Team is 4-1. When they are trailing by more than one score, they’re 2-7. Those two wins came in big-time comeback wins against the Philadelphia Eagles and Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Washington Football Team has been playing at a relatively high level the last month. They are not playing like an upper-echelon team, but they are performing as a competent organization would. That’s a welcome change for Washington fans.

However, bad starters are preventing the Washington Football Team from having their play the last month reflect in their record. Their slow starts make their margin for error so small.

The difference in the game against the Seattle Seahawks was a 50-yard touchdown run by Carlos Hyde. The game could have been completely different on that last drive if Dustin Hopkins just makes his extra point or if Peyton Barber converts on that two-point try.

Who knows how that drive in the third quarter ends if Dwayne Haskins doesn’t throw that interception.

However, as repeatedly coming back from big deficits do, it does not allow for many miscues. You must play near-perfect football in the second half to win.

The Washington Football Team is a great second-half team so it is very possible for them to do so. However, as evidenced by their record when down two scores or more entering half time, it is not sustainable.

Next week, a Washington Football Team win and a Giants loss would clinch the NFC East for Washington. The trend of starting bad needs to end next week. For real, this time.

With a four-game winning streak, it was easy to shrug off how up-and-down this team is. Some could even spin it into a positive. After all, they’re making the second-half adjustments that fans begged for under the previous coaching staff.

With that said, as a crucial last few weeks approach with division hopes on the line, it is time for this team to stop being so inconsistent. Put together a complete 60-minute effort. Start well, make adjustments at halftime, and finish the game.

If this team, in fact, does clinch a playoff spot (knock on wood), they cannot afford to start slow. They won’t have the luxury of facing subpar teams; every team they face will be a good one. Going to the playoffs to just get knocked out in round one is never fun. Being a threat is the goal.

Washington has to do everything they can to avoid starting slow. I don’t know what exactly this team has to do, but something has to give. Play different music in the pregame warmups; do a different pregame routine or dance; drink a Sprite Cranberry, whatever. Just do something to avoid a slow start.

This is not to say that fans shouldn’t be encouraged by the fight this team has. They will never give up, that is for sure. That’s another welcome change from the previous regime.

But to make this season different than the past late-season runs that amount to nothing, this team has to start better. Otherwise, it will be just like 2012 and 2015: a hot streak that amounted to little meaningful success.

Next. Studs and duds from Washington's loss vs. Seattle. dark

Keep the same half time adjustments and consistent fight. Throw out the bad starts. Against the Carolina Panthers here is the No. 1 goal (other than winning of course): Start fast!

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