Washington Football Team: Alex Smith, Terry McLaurin, Antonio Gibson questionable in Week 17
Three key Washington Football Team playmakers are questionable.
The Washington Football Team is playing for the NFC East crown on Sunday Night Football in Week 17. If they win, they will make it to the playoffs. If they lose, the winner of the New York Giants vs. Dallas Cowboys game will qualify for the postseason.
Washington should have a chance to take home a victory in this game. After all, the Eagles are going to be down at least nine players for this contest, as they have nothing to play for except draft positioning, so Washington should have an advantage in terms of health.
That said, Washington does still have some health concerns as well. According to the team’s injury report, four key starters will be questionable for this game, and three of those will be key offensive skill-position players.
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Alex Smith (calf), Antonio Gibson (toe), and Terry McLaurin (ankle) all carry a questionable tag with them into the Sunday night game. Gibson and McLaurin both missed multiple days of practice this week while Smith was limited twice in the two later sessions of the week. If any miss the game, it will be hard for Washington’s offense to move the ball.
Of the group, Smith is clearly the most important. Washington has struggled without him at quarterback and while Taylor Heinicke looked good in relief of the ineffective Dwayne Haskins against the Panthers, Heinicke has been with the team for less than a month and has just one start during his NFL career. Counting on him in a win-or-go-home game would be risky.
It seems like Smith should have a chance to play — provided that he doesn’t suffer any setbacks or extra soreness in his injured leg. Washington won’t let him play if there’s even a shred of doubt about his overall health.
As for Gibson and McLaurin, their statuses are a bit murkier. Gibson didn’t practice at all during the week, but Ron Rivera indicated that he should be a go for the team. Meanwhile, McLaurin worked off to the side for most of the week, so he may have a shot at returning to action even if it’s just to draw attention and serve as a decoy.
In addition to these three questionable players, Kevin Pierre-Louis is questionable while Thomas Davis is out with a knee injury. If Pierre-Louis misses the game, Washington may be a bit shorthanded at the linebacker spot, so this is certainly something to watch.
Next. How Washington can slow down Jalen Hurts. dark
We’ll see who ends up suiting up for Washington, but if all three offensive players are able to get on the field, they should have a good chance to move the ball on a depleted Eagles defense.