Five negatives for Washington Football Team vs. Panthers
No. 3
Negative No. 3
Coaching has been one aspect that we haven’t dwelled on with the “Five and Five” series this year, but today we will finally talk about it. More specifically, we will talk about how the team basically abandoned the rushing offense toward the end of the second quarter. Take a look at these statistics from Sunday’s game.
- Antonio Gibson – 10 carries for 61 yards
- Peyton Barber – One carry for 10 yards
- J.D. McKissic – Four carries for 15 yards
That is 15 rushes for 86 yards. That is nearly six yards per carry. Why did the coaches limit the rushing offense late in the second quarter and the second half?
Sure, we could talk about the need to insert Taylor Heinicke much sooner and that is another point of contention, but putting the running backs on ice was a very poor decision. Going by the simple math here, 30 carries for 172 yards via three running backs would’ve been a possible game-winning decision.
No. 4
Negative No. 4
Steven Sims has been an absolute dud in 2020. A huge disappointment. It seems like he has taken a step forward on occasion and then he takes three steps in another direction. Fans understand that he is an undrafted free agent and it is rare when such players make an impact, but the 2019 season was very kind to Sims. By the final game that season, the former Kansas star was making quite the impact.
There have been flashes of that brilliance in 2020, but Sims has struggled at times as well. Perhaps it is a “sophomore” slump. Whatever the reason, Sims was a huge negative for the Washington Football team on Sunday. He fumbled a punt that was recovered by Carolina for an easy touchdown. His fumble in the first quarter led to an avalanche of points from the Panthers and Washington was quickly behind by 20 points.
Can Sims gain a measure of redemption this Sunday against the Eagles? If he struggles again, a pink slip could be coming during the offseason.