Washington Football Team defense diced up by Tom Brady in first half

The Washington Football Team’s vaunted defense has been the difference for the entire season. That’s changed today.

At the half of the Washington Football Team’s Wild Card postseason matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Buccaneers lead Washington by a score of 18-7.

In all honesty, a win wasn’t a reasonable expectation today. Washington is a far less equipped team than the Buccaneers, and they’re playing with their fourth-string quarterback (although he has played well). Washington hadn’t yet faced a team like Tampa Bay in the regular season, and now that they have, we’re starting to see where their holes remain. Tampa is clearly of a different class, and this game puts that into perspective effectively.

Let’s start with the good, most of which revolves around Taylor Heinicke, the team’s surprise starting quarterback. Aside from an interception that resulted from a tip, Heinicke has been sharp. He’s fast, mobile, accurate, and confident, and he’s been the engine for the team’s offense. To add to his impressive game, a couple of would-be big plays were dropped by his receivers.

Heinicke is playing well, but he’s not getting any help from the defense. The defense knew they’d be able to keep up if they got quick pressure against Tom Brady. The problem is, they haven’t. Brady is consistently getting at least two seconds to throw, and that’s all he needs to make his reads, identify mismatches, and deliver.

The Washington Football Team’s defensive line, for all its talent, isn’t refined enough to win quickly against the Buccaneers’ elite offensive line. And the secondary isn’t good enough to win without help from the defensive line. Without pressure in his face, Brady got in the zone, and he made the defense pay for it, putting up two touchdowns and 18 total points in two quarters.

In the second half, getting more pressure on Brady has to be a priority. Of course, blitzing is complicated, because every extra rusher opens up a window for Brady. But Washington has to rattle him, or else he’ll keep feasting on a secondary that currently doesn’t have any help. As long as that remains the same, Washington will be packing up tonight.