Washington Football Team Week 17 Reality Checks vs. Eagles

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LANDOVER, MARYLAND – DECEMBER 27: Taylor Heinicke #4 of the Washington Football Team scrambles with the ball away from the tackle of Efe Obada #94 of the Carolina Panthers during the third quarter at FedExField on December 27, 2020 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images) /

1. The Reality Is, the fact that this game matters is a win in itself.

Any Washington Football Team fan who was honest would have told you that playing meaningful games in December would have made this first season of the Ron Rivera era a success. To have made it to a Week 17 win-and-in game is remarkable.

Yes, of course, this is a bad division. Yes, of course, they would be significant underdogs regardless of who they were to host in that Wild Card game. But just battling back from a 1-5 start to be maintaining playoff positioning in Week 17 is a significant step forward for this organization and a feather in Ron Rivera’s cap. There’s still much work to be done. But it is a reason to pause and acknowledge progress.

My Prediction: Fans can’t do this. Especially fans of a great once-proud franchise run into the ground for the last two decades. A loss will send a majority of WFT fans into a major fit of anger and despair recollecting all the other near-misses of the past 20+ years.

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