Washington Football Team: Top 10 plays of the 2020 season

3. Cam Sims’ first TD vs. Giants

Kyle Allen returned from concussion protocol and led what could have been the game-winning drive, taking the team 75 yards in the final three and a half minutes. Allen had already converted key 3rd downs with passes to Terry McLaurin and J.D. McKissic when he turned to a very unlikely source for the final score.

Cam Sims, an afterthought to this point, had been buried behind not only McLaurin, but also behind Dontrelle Inman and Isaiah Wright on the outside. But on this play, Washington flooded the left side of the field and Sims raced past Giants’ safety Logan Ryan into the corner of the end zone. Allen’s pass was a little behind him and Sims had to make a difficult twisting catch for the touchdown.

Here’s a look at the beautiful catch, via the Washington Football Team’s Twitter account.

https://twitter.com/WashingtonNFL/status/1317918303218814977

Alas, a failed two-point conversion meant that this play would not be quite as significant as it might have been. But that catch – on Sims’ only target of the day – signaled that the Washington Football Team might have found a badly-needed complement to Terry McLaurin.

The jury may still be out on Sims’ ceiling, but this was the beginning of something I never saw coming.

4. Landon Collins’ strip-sack of Andy Dalton

Collins had become the target of fans’ ire early on, with missed tackles and blown coverages. But he showed why he can still be a productive player against the Cowboys.

Washington had mounted their best opening drive of the season but had failed to score on a fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard-line. It left the Cowboys stuck deep in Washington territory. Veteran backup Andy Dalton got them off the goal line when, on third-and-8 from the Dallas 16, both Collins and Jimmy Moreland blitzed from the left.

Collins ran around tight end Dalton Schultz and caught Dalton as he tried to roll to his right. A textbook strip sack resulted in the ball rolling into the Dallas end zone, where Schultz recovered but was immediately crushed by Moreland, Jonathan Allen, and Chase Young (captured below via the WFT’s Twitter account).

The resulting safety gave Washington an early lead which they would never relinquish.

Washington needed this win badly. That opening day win against Philly was a distant memory and things were getting ugly.

Not only was this a crucial division win against a hated rival – it was also a dominant performance. Washington made Dallas look weak, and in so doing, showed a little glimpse of their own surprisingly high ceiling.

Unfortunately, it would also be the final time Collins suited up in 2020, as he tore his Achilles later in the game.