Washington Football Team: 3 key stats responsible for WFT’s slow start

The Washington Football Team had high hopes heading into the 2021 season, but just three games into the season, those high hopes appear to be all for naught.

There is plenty of time for Washington to turn its season around, but after a 43-21 beatdown at the hands of Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills, there are far more questions about this team than answers.

The season got off to a rough start in Week 1, as Washington lost its new starting quarterback in Ryan Fitzpatrick when he went down with a hip injury that will sideline him for much of the season.

Even with Fitzpatrick’s injury, fans could remain hopeful as the enigma that is Taylor Heinicke stepped in. Heinicke’s heroic playoff performance last season, despite the loss, instilled confidence about the quarterback amongst teammates, coaches and fans alike.

As Week 4 approaches, Washington currently sits with a record of 1-2 prior to their road matchup against the Atlanta Falcons. It’s a must-win game for Washington, as they will face New Orleans, Kansas City, and Green Bay in the weeks following their matchup in Atlanta.

Before Washington looks ahead to the difficult October stretch, they must address the issues that have plagued the team early in the season. Though it’s easy to pinpoint position groups that need critiquing, there are three statistical categories that have been critical in the Football Team’s slow start to the season.

1. Time of possession

Through the first three games of the season, the Washington Football Team has lost the battle for time of possession in every game — and it isn’t particularly close.

When Washington hosted the Los Angeles Chargers in Week1,  the defense could not stop second-year quarterback Justin Herbert. Herbert threw for 337 yards and a touchdown in the game, but his ability to extend drives and keep the Washington defense on the field ultimately led to the Chargers’ 20-16 victory.

Los Angeles controlled the ball for a dominant 36 minutes and 3 seconds, while Washington held the ball for just 23 minutes and 57 seconds. In those 36 minutes, the Chargers ran 78 plays, 29 more than Washington accounted for.

The story was much the same in Week 1, though Washington was able to come away with a win this time around. The Giants controlled possession for 31 minutes and 44 seconds despite the loss. Unlike Week 1, Washington ran more plays than the Giants in their last-second victory.

Week 3’s loss to the Buffalo Bills felt like a culmination of all of Washington’s early season troubles. Josh Allen controlled the game and dominated the Football Team’s stout defense, which hasn’t lived up to the hype so far.

The Bills maintained possession for 35 minutes and 37 seconds, all the while running 27 more plays than Washington. Buffalo’s ability to keep the Washington defense on its heels from the opening whistle led to the Bills’ dominant victory.

If Washington wants to turn their season around, they will have to sustain drives on offense, as it is a must to keep opposing defenses on the field for as long as possible. If the WFT offense is able to have some sustainability, they will be able to beat teams in the same way they’ve been beaten early in the season.

2. 3rd Down Offense & Defense

In just three games, Washington sports the NFL’s second-worst third down defense, allowing opponents to succeed on 58.7 percent of third downs. It doesn’t get much better for Washington, as they also have the league’s worst third down offense, succeeding only 26.5 percent of the time.

These are two huge areas of concern for Ron Rivera & company, as these splits are directly correlated to the contrast in the time of possession battle. The Washington Football Team is very much an offsides call away from starting the year off 0-3, and despite their Week 2 win, the Washington offense has gone 3-of-10, 4-of-13, and 2-of-11 on third downs this season.

Washington’s defense was ranked sixth in the NFL in third down defense last season, as Jack Del Rio’s group allowed opponents to succeed on third down only 37.5 percent of the time. That is an alarming drop off, especially considering the group is ranked 31st in that category thus far.

The Football Team’s third down defense has been especially bad in their losses this season, both the Chargers and Bills combined to go 23-34 on third downs in their victories. For a group that’s widely considered as one of the best defenses in the NFL, they will surely have to fix the issues on third down to help out the offense.

3. Getting 1st downs 

The Washington Football Team’s issues in the early part of the 2021 season are all intertwined in some way, and it doesn’t stop here.

The inability to sustain drives and get first downs has crippled Washington’s offense so far this season. In Week 1, the Chargers had 27 first downs opposed to Washington’s 15, and in Week 3’s loss to Buffalo, Washington mustered 13 first downs compared to Buffalo’s 29.

Taylor Heinicke’s playmaking ability is what separates him from most backups in the NFL, but Heinicke has only been able to display this ability to an extent this season. Though Heinicke is partially to blame for the ineptitude of the offense so far, the playmaking ability provides an opportunity to turn things around.

However, with little to no drive sustainability, it will be hard for this to occur. It is imperative for the Washington offense to put together drives consistently and this starts with getting first downs. It may sound simple, but it’s pretty straightforward: Washington needs to be more consistent.

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