By the Numbers: Slow start, tough breaks doom Washington Football Team

Key numbers from the Washington Football Team’s loss to the Panthers.

With a chance to clinch the NFC East and exact some revenge on Ron Rivera’s former club, the Washington Football Team failed in both regards, losing to a Panthers team that had lost eight of its previous nine games.

One team had everything on the line, the other was playing for nothing but pride. With both Alex Smith and Terry McLaurin out for the matchup, Washington had to do what it always has in its wins, limit mistakes and pound the ball.

Antonio Gibson returned for Washington and provided an early spark in the running game. However, mental mistakes killed any momentum Washington had, as the team quickly found itself behind 20-0.

After thoroughly being outplayed by Carolina in the first half, Washington continued to struggle in the second half, only finding a spark late once Haskins was benched for Taylor Heinicke. But at that point, it was too little, too late.

With one game left, Washington still controls its destiny in terms of making the playoffs, but the tough loss to Carolina doesn’t inspire much confidence going into next week.

Let’s take a look at some of the key numbers from Washington’s loss to the Panthers.