Washington Football Team: Studs and duds from humbling Week 3 loss

Dud: Taylor Heinicke

We might need to shower after this article, because talking negatively about Young and now Taylor Heinicke just feels dirty. Both are extremely likable players, but neither covered themselves in glory against the Bills.

As far as Heinicke is concerned, he broke the cardinal rule for quarterbacks: forcing throws into tight windows instead of trying to scramble, just taking a sack or throwing the ball away. Those mistakes resulted in two interceptions — ones that Heinicke will be kicking himself rewatching in the film room this week.

Heinicke wasn’t the reason Washington lost on Sunday, but he didn’t exactly look like a franchise quarterback in the game, either.

Stud: Dustin Hopkins

The narrative surrounding Dustin Hopkins has taken a 180 over the last two games. After nailing all three of his field goal attempts — including the game-winner — vs the Giants in Week 2, Hopkins, though he didn’t attempt any FGs on Sunday, drilled all three of his extra-points and recovered his own kickoff in one of the most bizarre highlights you’ll ever see.

This wasn’t a short kickoff, either. Hopkins put all of his strength into the boot, but the wind in Buffalo was so strong that the ball dropped near Buffalo’s 15-yard line. After a fortuitous bounce, Hopkins emerged from the pile with the pigskin.

It was a momentum shift for the ages, though it only lasted a few minutes. However, Hopkins deserves massive credit for his effort. If only his teammates reciprocated his energy and desire.

Dud: Jon Bostic, Cole Holcomb

We wanted to include Washington’s entire linebacking corps here, but Jamin Davis made what looked to be a crucial stop on fourth down early in the game when Buffalo already had the wind in their sails. The first-round rookie logged six tackles (five solo) and simply needs to play more moving forward.

Now, to the bad. Jon Bostic and Cole Holcomb were absolutely dreadful in coverage. According to Pro Football Focus, Holcomb conceded five receptions and two touchdowns (!) through the air.

Bostic, meanwhile, didn’t belong on the same field as Buffalo’s pass-catchers. The 30-year-old now has a 29.7 coverage grade from PFF through three games. Remind us again, why did Washington not put more emphasis on upgrading the LB position this offseason? That looks to be a massive error in judgment.