Washington Football Team: Week 1 Reality Checks for Washington vs Chargers
By Tim Payne
3. The Reality Is, neither Ryan Fitzpatrick nor Terry McLaurin is the key to offensive success this week.
Washington had a sneaky-solid offensive line last season. On paper, they have gotten slightly better this season with the additions of Charles Leno Jr., Sam Cosmi, and Ereck Flowers. Though they lost Morgan Moses, the overall depth and quality of the line looks to be improved. But there may be no position group where paper matters less than the offensive line. This unit has to gel. It has to be in sync in both the run game and pass protection. Even a few mental errors can lead to catastrophe. Especially against a talented pass-rush like the Chargers have, it will be vital for the line to set the tone early in establishing the ability to run the ball. That appears to be the strength of this unit, and will need to be on display against the Chargers if the WFT expect to have success on Sunday.
Prediction: This line will be very effective in establishing the run, but will struggle in pass protection. Expect a few ugly missed assignments leading to Fitzpatrick taking some big hits. It will be up to Fitzpatrick to not let those hits become turnovers.