Washington Football Team: Alex Smith among key questionable players vs. Bucs
Alex Smith is once again a question mark for the Washington Football Team.
The Washington Football Team’s injury report looks largely the same as it did last week. Ahead of their game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington is listing four players as questionable while one player has already been ruled out for the game.
Thomas Davis is the only player that Washington will definitively be without as he deals with a knee injury. This isn’t a surprise, and Davis may not have been active for this contest anyway, so the backup veteran and locker-room presence will remain sidelined.
As for the four questionable players, they are the same as what the team was dealing with last week. Alex Smith (calf), Antonio Gibson (toe), Terry McLaurin (ankle), and Kevin Pierre-Louis (ankle) are once again questionable, but it seems probable that the offensive players should be able to go.
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Given that Gibson and McLaurin were able to play last week for Washington despite limited practice time and succeed, they seem likely to be on the field. Their injuries may limit them a bit, but they can still be threats to do some damage against this Buccaneers defense.
The bigger question on offense is whether or not Smith is playing. Smith looked hobbled by his calf injury last week against the Eagles, and Ron Rivera wouldn’t commit to him playing, per ESPN’s John Keim.
"[Smith is] still a little sore. I wish we had an extra day just to be sure. We’ll see how he is tomorrow morning and go from there."
Provided that there aren’t any setbacks, Smith should be able to play. The only question is about whether or not he will play the full game and whether or not he can effectively avoid pass-rush pressure. Rivera has discussed rotating quarterbacks in this game and giving Taylor Heinicke some action, and Smith’s health could have a lot to do with a decision on that strategy.
Finally, Pierre-Louis hasn’t played since Week 14 but he was on the field practicing on a limited basis this week. He did that last week as well before sitting out, but perhaps in a more important game, he will be able to return to the field.
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The good news for Washington is that Jonathan Allen, Kendall Fuller, and Brandon Scherff will all be able to play. Those three landed on the injury report at various times during the week, but they ultimately were cleared and aren’t listed on the final injury report. All three will be hugely important to Washington’s ability to compete with Tampa Bay.