Washington Football Team: 3 things to love and hate from Week 1 loss
3. Things I didn’t like: Washington’s defense
It boggles the mind, really, that in a season-opening game where the Football Team loses their starting quarterback for the foreseeable future, the fan’s bigger concern was the performance of the defense.
The funny part is, they aren’t wrong either.
The loss to the Chargers was more than just frustrating to watch. It was incredibly disappointing. All offseason, we spent debating where Washington’s defense would fall in the top five. Was it number one? Was it third overall? Is this the best defense Washington has had in the last 30 years? These were the questions being asked by fans and media all over the place.
Today made those conversations look comical. Because today, they were embarrassing. Tackling was abysmal. The linebackers were getting worked. The secondary was just bad, and worst of all, Chase Young, Montez Sweat and the “Alabama Wall” were essentially silenced.
You don’t often see highlight videos for tackles. This is a good exception. Incredible how often the play of #Chargers LT Rashawn Slater came up in conversation today. So impressive. https://t.co/HbjkPSwWxH
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 13, 2021
Outside of the occasional appearance, the best of this team didn’t show up when they were needed. It’s simple as that. They didn’t show up.
They gave up third down after third down, the biggest of which came in the waning moments of the 4th quarter on a 3rd and 16 that gave the Chargers the momentum and time they needed to moonwalk their way downfield and expire the clock.
It’s one game, of course. No one game defines any team or any season. But to show out on Week 1 in such a flat manner is unacceptable, and they are going to need a much stronger showing on a quick turnaround in Week 2 for a huge game against their NFC East rival New York Giants.