Washington Football Team: Three takeaways from loss vs. Panthers

Dec 27, 2020; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Football Team quarterback Dwayne Haskins Jr. (7) walks off the field after the game against the Carolina Panthers at FedExField. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 27, 2020; Landover, Maryland, USA; Washington Football Team quarterback Dwayne Haskins Jr. (7) walks off the field after the game against the Carolina Panthers at FedExField. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 27, 2020; Landover, Maryland, USA; Carolina Panthers running back Mike Davis (28) is tackled by Washington Football Team safety Kamren Curl (31) and defensive tackle Daron Payne (94) and defensive end Chase Young (99) during the second half at FedExField. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 27, 2020; Landover, Maryland, USA; Carolina Panthers running back Mike Davis (28) is tackled by Washington Football Team safety Kamren Curl (31) and defensive tackle Daron Payne (94) and defensive end Chase Young (99) during the second half at FedExField. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports /

3. Washington’s second-half defense continues to be elite

The Washington Football Team’s defense is far from perfect, but it’s clear that they are a strong unit. They are bordering on elite now, and their performance in the second half of the game against the Panthers proves it.

In the first half against Carolina, Washington was struggling badly. They allowed 20 points and were getting gashed by Curtis Samuel through the air and on the ground. It looked like they weren’t showing up in a critical game, but they got back on track after the rough start.

In the second half, Washington’s defense performed very well. They didn’t allow the Panthers to score, and while Carolina did move the ball a bit, Washington came up with plenty of big plays to stop the prolonged drives and they got the ball to their offense late and gave them chances to make a game of things.

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Notably, Chase Young had a massive day. The No. 2 pick and rookie has been a massive bright spot for Washington in recent weeks. He had a strip-sack fumble recovery of Teddy Bridgewater that helped Washington to stop the bleeding a bit in the second half and he generated a ton of pressure on the day. He’s looking like a star, and his athleticism has played a huge part in Washington’s second-half resurgence recently.

Other players that have helped Washington in this area are Montez Sweat, Daron Payne, Jonathan Allen, Kam Curl, Cole Holcomb, and Ronald Darby. The unit has come together quite nicely and while a free safety and another three-down linebacker would help this team, they are trending in the right direction.

The only thing that Washington needs to see their defense do is start a bit quicker. They are playing at such a high level right now, and have allowed 20 or fewer points in their last six games, but they have been particularly great in second halves.

If they can start strong against the Eagles in Week 17, it will be hard for Philly to protect rookie Jalen Hurts, who was pressured a bit by the Dallas Cowboys in Week 16. And either way, they are set up to succeed next week and beyond — provided that they can shore up their performance against the run in recent weeks.