Washington Football Team: 3 unsung heroes from win vs Giants

We’re two weeks into the regular season, and the Washington Football Team is in sole possession of first place in the NFC East.

Fans will take that all day given that Ron Rivera’s side has looked anything like a playoff team over the first two games.

Having said that, things certainly improved against the Giants. The passing and running game were both efficient. The offensive line held up well for the most part. The defensive line generated consistent pressure.

All fans can really complain about is the secondary (yikes) and the defense’s inability to stop designed runs for Daniel Jones. The Giants quarterback took off for 95 yards and a touchdown on nine carries. That can’t happen.

In all honesty, Washington could’ve ended up on the wrong side of the scoreline if not for the likes of Taylor Heinicke, Terry McLaurin, Jonathan Allen, and Dustin Hopkins, each of whom turned in huge performances.

However, those stars haven’t gotten enough praise. Why don’t we show love to a couple of players who also stepped up to the occasion in a must-win game, but have gotten grossly overlooked as far as postgame praise goes?

Washington Football Team: 3 unsung heroes from Week 2 win

3. Adam Humphries

The snap counts would indicate that Dyami Brown is Washington’s No. 2 receiver, but the box score proves that Washington’s quarterbacks trust Adam Humphries just a tad more, which is understandable given Brown is a rookie.

Despite playing 12 fewer snaps than Brown on Thursday night, Humphries was significantly more productive, hauling in seven of eight targets for 44 yards.

While those numbers pale in comparison to McLaurin’s career night, Humphries came through in several big spots for Washington. Whether it be making a few defenders miss after catching an underneath route or drawing a penalty that kept drives alive, Humphries helped keep the wind in the Football Team’s sails all night.

That’s exactly why Washington signed him this offseason, is it not? McLaurin is the undisputed No. 1 target and will nab all the headlines — albeit, not on a national scale — but Humphries is a hugely important player for this offense.

Expect more big plays from the 28-year-old going forward.

2. Jamin Davis

Jamin Davis looked like a rookie in Week 1. There’s no denying that. He played just 27 snaps (39%) against the Chargers and, despite compiling four tackles, looked completely lost on most of those.

That performance fueled speculation in terms of whether Davis would see fewer snaps in primetime vs a division rival. In a surprising turn of events, the rookie first-rounder played 45 snaps, or a 56% share. Notable uptick, right?

Though Davis only accounted for two tackles on the night, he made one of the plays of the game that saved Washington four points, wrapping up Sterling Shepard short of the first down to limit the Giants to a field goal.

Davis has come under scrutiny for his tackling ability, but he proved on that play — and in the game, in general — that the potential is there. He just needs more experience. And for all the “fans” calling him a bust after just six quarters of football, please take your pessimistic attitude somewhere else.

We’re talking about a rookie LB who’s calling out plays as a starter just two weeks into his career. There’s obviously going to be some growing pains.

According to Pro Football Focus, Davis finished as Washington’s highest-graded Week 2 defender, earning a picturesque 89.0 mark. The Kentucky product is going to have his ups and downs, but he stepped up in a game-deciding moment.

And yet, we’ve hardly heard about him since. We see you, though, Jamin!

1. JD McKissic

It feels like JD McKissic received a fair amount of praise for his big-time performance, but it still didn’t feel like enough. Without him, the Football Team doesn’t win the game and that isn’t an overstatement.

McKissic’s significant workload was pretty shocking considering he was largely invisible in Week 1, but we aren’t complaining. For the game, the sixth-year RB caught five of six targets for 83 yards, adding four carries for 10 yards and a touchdown.

Washington’s offensive line wasn’t great in pass protection, and McKissic emerged as a reliable security blanket for Heinicke, kind of like what he was last year when he notched career-highs in receptions (80), which trailed only Alvin Kamara for the league lead among running backs, and receiving yards (589).

However, none of McKissic’s receptions on Thursday were bigger than when he broke loose up the sidelines for 56 yards. On the very next play, Heinicke connected with Ricky Seals-Jones for a 19-yard TD that gave Washington a 27-26 lead.

To put some perspective on the importance of that score, the Giants had just taken a six-point lead on a momentum-stealing 55-yard field goal from Graham Gano on the previous possession. With the Football Team’s back up against the ropes at the 4:50 mark in the fourth quarter, McKissic stepped up to the plate.

McKissic was one of the stars of the game, but he was easily the most overlooked player on the offense as far as postgame plaudits. That includes Heinicke, McLaurin, and even Seals-Jones to a certain extent given he was on the receiving end of a massive touchdown.

If that doesn’t justify McKissic nabbing the top spot on this list, then we’re not sure what does.

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