Washington Football Team: Three standouts from season-ending loss to Bucs
2. DL Daron Payne
Washington’s defense didn’t show up in the way that many had hoped in this game. Unfortunately, they just had too much trouble getting pressure against the Buccaneers offensive line.
That is, all except for Daron Payne. The defensive tackle had one of his best performances of the year in a spot that greatly mattered. He was able to collapse the pocket on the interior a few times and played well against the run, too. But the game-changing plays mostly came via the pass rush.
Payne was able to sack Tom Brady twice on a night where he was sacked just three times overall. In one instance late in the game, Payne nearly knocked Brady’s Bucs out of field goal range. The other sack he had put Brady into a third-and-long scenario and, once again, helped force a Bucs field goal.
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So, Payne was making game-changing plays and preventing points in the red-zone. He also generated a massive turnover for the team when he punched a ball out of rookie Ke’Shawn Vaughn’s hands in the third quarter. Payne managed to jar the ball loose with his powerful punch just milliseconds before Vaughn’s knee hit the ground. Jon Bostic recovered and after that, Washington was able to post a scoring drive.
Payne, essentially, helped to prevent four points twice by forcing field goals and set Washington up for a touchdown drive. That type of impact is pretty huge, and he deserves praise for it.
On the game, Payne had five tackles, two sacks, three quarterback hits, and the forced fumble. He continues to be a big-time playmaker on the team’s defense and while he may not get as much appreciation as Chase Young and Montez Sweat, he is one of the team’s best overall players.