Washington Football Team: Three areas to improve on heading into 2021

The Washington Football Team has a chance to rewrite history as it looks to become the first team since the Philadelphia Eagles of the early 2000s to repeat as NFC East division champs. Philly accomplished that feat for four consecutive years from 2001-04.

After beginning training camp with a myriad of COVID-19 related issues, Washington is finally getting back to full strength.

Players appear to have taken heed to Ron Rivera’s displeasure from a week ago. The vaccine issues have subsided as Washington now has a reported vaccination rate of over 85 percent.

Enough of the COVID talk, though. Here are three areas in 2021 where the Washington Football Team must improve if they want to repeat as division champs.

Strengthening the Run Defense

Overall, the WFT defense was statistically good in 2020. However, the rushing defense was problematic at times. From Weeks 2 through 6 of 2020, Washington allowed at least 129 rushing yards to five different teams.  In both losses against the New York Giants, Washington allowed over 298 rushing yards to the19th ranked rushing (110.5 YPG) offense in the NFL.

Late in the season during a week 15 contest versus Seattle, the trio of Carlos Hyde, Chris Carson, and Russell Wilson gashed Washington for a combined 181 yards, the most allowed by the Football Team all season. Additionally, Leonard Fournette accounted for 93 of Tampa Bay’s 142 rushing yards in that contest.

Washington struggled to contain mobile quarterbacks as well. Wilson accounted for six carries and 52 yards, including a 38-yard run. Both Kyler Murray and Lamar Jackson also burned the WFT defense with their legs. Kyler Murray ran for 67 yards and two touchdowns, while Lamar Jackson had an electrifying 50-yard touchdown run in a 31-17 win over the Football Team in Week 4.

Limiting Big Plays

Another troubling theme for Washington’s defense was the tendency to allow chunk plays. Versus Arizona, the WFT allowed receptions of 49 and 54 yards. Against the Jared Goff-led Los Angeles Rams, Washington allowed passes of 40, 49, and 56 yards. In the Wild-Card loss versus Tampa, the defense allowed five completions of at least 20 yards or more.

Coaches are expecting that Washington’s versatility within the secondary translates to the field on Sundays. Reports have indicated that rookie Benjamin St.Juste has taken a fair share of reps on the outside with William Jackson. If St-Juste can get acclimated to the position in the preseason, he’ll provide Washington with more size on the outside along with Jackson. Kendall Fuller can play more at his natural position in the slot, further strengthening the unit.

Landon Collins is looking healthy and explosive after recovering from a torn Achilles just nine months ago. Former seventh-round pick Kam Curl will only get better and free-agent acquisition Bobby McCain should stabilize the free safety position. With a defensive line that will only improve and improved flexibility on the backend, WFT has the potential to limit big plays in 2021.

Getting off to faster starts 

In 2020, Washington ranked 24th in total yards and 30th in points per game. The team was also 30th in the NFL averaging 8.4 PPG in the first half. Even more worrisome, the WFT faced double-digit deficits early and often, as they trailed by 10 or more points in 10 games. Washington can ill-afford to carry over that trend into the 2021 season.

Within the first eight games of the 2021 season, the defense will face the following quarterbacks:  Justin Herbert, Josh Allen, Matt Ryan, Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers, and Tom Brady. The Washington Football Team can ill-afford slow starts facing those particular quarterbacks.

Fortunately for the Washington Football Team, Ryan Fitzpatrick should be an upgrade over the trio of starters from a year ago. His style of play can be a detriment at times, but he recognizes that this is the “best situation” he’s ever been in. Fitzpatrick ranks fifth in the NFL in QBR the past 3 seasons behind some of the games best in his position. As long as he makes timely plays in crucial moments, Washington’s offense should be more efficient than last season.