Washington Football Team: Top 10 plays of the 2020 season

5. Chase Young’s “rookie mistake” vs. Lions

Washington had suffered a bad loss the previous week to the Giants and was looking to get some momentum back against a mediocre Detroit team. But they came out flat and dug themselves a big hole. Then, down by three touchdowns midway through the third quarter, they came roaring back.

When Dustin Hopkins drilled a 41-yard field with 16 seconds remaining, Washington appeared headed toward overtime, with all the momentum you could want. Then, the Lions’ QB Matthew Stafford tried a deep throw to Quintez Cephus with just 12 seconds left.

The pass was incomplete, but moments after the throw, rookie sensation Chase Young knocked Stafford down and drew a personal foul flag. The penalty put Detroit in position for Matt Prater’s long field goal and the win.

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The loss was very difficult and it looked as is the season might be slipping away. It was what happened after the game that showed why absolutely nothing was slipping away.

According to the Washington Post’s Sam Fortier, Chase Young actually requested to speak to reporters and discuss the penalty. He did not blame the officials. He explained it was a close play and that he had made a “rookie mistake” and concluded his availability by saying:

"Got to go back to the drawing board and make corrections. Next week, new opportunity."

There is a reason why Washington drafted Chase Young, and it goes well beyond his physical gifts. He showed in the aftermath of his worst moment as a pro what a true pro is.

6. Sportsmanship after Joe Burrow’s injury

The Bengals are not a very good team, but Joe Burrow is a very promising quarterback. He had his team leading Washington 9-7 early in the third quarter when he dropped back and launched a long pass down the right sideline for Tyler Boyd. Kendall Fuller made a good play on the ball and the pass was incomplete.

As Burrow was throwing, Montez Sweat hit Burrow high from his right and Jonathan Allen got him low from his left. The result left Burrow with a torn ACL and MCL. His day, and his season, were over. Ryan Finley would replace him and be entirely ineffective. Washington would go on to win the game.

This was a crucial win, and if Burrow had stayed in, I’m not at all sure that Washington would have pulled it out. But beyond their ability to respond after the injury was the sportsmanship they showed as a few key leaders came onto the field to wish Burrow the best as he was carted off.

As important as the win was, this display did matter. And so did the consistent heat they were able to generate against Burrow’s replacement, Finley, proved to be an important building block for their defense.

As we look ahead to 2021 and beyond, Washington will have to begin to generate similar pressure against more competent lines if they want to continue to improve.