Washington Football Team: Top 10 plays of the 2020 season

If you’re anything like me, when a listicle like this catches your eye, you have little interest in reading the prologue.

With that in mind, I will move directly to the Washington Football Team’s top 10 plays of 2020. You’re welcome.

1. Fabian Moreau picks off Carson Wentz

It looked ugly right from the start. Week one and the Washington Football Team was already trailing division rival Philadelphia 17-0 late in the first half.  Greedy for more, Carson Wentz floated a deep out to rookie speedster Jalen Reagor, but cornerback Fabian Moreau made a strong break on the ball and leapt in front of Reagor for the pick.

Here’s a look at the play, via the Washington Football Team’s Twitter account:

Shortly after that, Dwayne Haskins would find Logan Thomas for Washington’s first score of the year and what easily could have been a 20-0 or 24-0 halftime deficit turned into a manageable 17-7. Washington would dominate the second half and come away with a 27-17 victory and a 1-0 start.

Despite this flash of brilliance, Moreau would largely be forgotten during the remainder of the season. He would show up every so often, but Ronald Darby, Kendall Fuller, and Jimmy Moreland ended up staying healthy most of the year and Moreau was confined primarily to special teams. His future with the team is very much in doubt.

2. Alex Smith gives Aaron Donald a piggyback ride

This was a dreadful game. Kyle Allen’s coming-out party ended almost before it began and Alex Smith was forced into making his long-awaited debut.

Everyone held their breath. It was late in the first half and Washington trailed 20-7. Smith’s third play, a third-and-4 from the Washington 41, saw the all-world Donald easily shed Wes Martin and leap onto Smith’s back from behind. Smith managed a couple of steps before going down, and then, getting up, looking no worse for wear than any other QB who had just been mauled by the best defensive player in the game.

Alex had passed his first major test.

The rest of this game was entirely forgettable. Going up against the Rams’ formidable defense without All-Pro guard Brendan Scherff (which is why Martin was in the game), Washington could barely move the ball.

But when he next got a chance to play, Smith would slowly shake off the rust and make enough plays in the crucial third quarter of the season to push WFT into playoff contention. And it all began with a piggyback ride.