Washington Football Team drops win-and-in game against Panthers

The Washington Football Team lost to the Panthers. And now the attention turns to Week 17.

If we could forget about this one, we would. But it’s hard to ignore how poorly the Washington Football Team played with a chance to clinch their division hopes. Against the 4-10 Carolina Panthers at home, the Washington Football Team fell by a score of 20-13.

There were a number of determining factors surrounding Washington’s definitive defeat, but the ineptitude of the offense — and specifically quarterback Dwayne Haskins — was the most common thread.

The offense only mustered three points in the first half, and Haskins turned the ball over three times, twice via interception and once after fumbling in the pocket. Haskins was benched midway through the second half, and one could argue Ron Rivera should have made the change at the intermission.

Backup signal caller Taylor Heinicke came in and immediately looked lightyears better than Haskins, who’d had a week of preparation as the starter. Heinicke simply executed better, and with Haskins’ continued failure to live up to expectations, he may have finally run out of chances in Washington. Heinicke, meanwhile, played well and showed his smarts, injecting life into an offense that had been totally inert earlier in the game.

In both the short-term and long-term, Washington has to figure out their quarterback situation. Will Alex Smith be ready to start next week? Is Heinicke the best option after his stellar fourth quarter? And who will be the one to bring stability to the position in 2021? With so many young pieces showing promise, the quarterback position is the most dire need, and Week 16 made that clear.

Aside from the quarterback situation, there were some flashes of promise. Antonio Gibson returned from injury and looked like his usual self. Logan Thomas made some plays, and on defense, Chase Young, Montez Sweat, and Kamren Curl all made resounding impacts, despite little help from the offense and special teams.

But flashes only get you so far, and the Washington Football Team knows this. They’ll need more than that next week against the Eagles, in what might be the deciding game for the NFC East title.