Week 5 by the numbers: Defensive struggles continue to plague WFT

After the Washington Football Team let another winnable game slip away in Week 5, one Ron Rivera quote stood out postgame, “We lack a little bit of confidence right now.”

I know he was referring to the players, but you can add the entire fanbase to those that are lacking confidence in this team right now.

Week after week, the team is plagued by the same mistakes, whether it is blown coverages, big plays given up on defense, or costly mistakes in the red zone. The list goes on and on.

The success the team had last year, backing into the playoffs gave this fanbase something it had been missing for quite some time…HOPE! But, every game, this team continues to choke out any hope the fanbase had left in this season.

If I told you before the game that Washington was going to win the time of possession battle by almost 13 minutes, force an interception and a fumble in New Orleans’ territory in the first quarter, and have its first five possessions reach New Orleans’ territory, would you have predicted a win?

Nine times out of ten, the answer would be a resounding yes, but this Washington Football Team has time and time again found itself to be the exception to that rule.

The faith in this defense has turned to dread any time the opposing team is facing third down. Will Washington hold this team to a three-and-out has become how many plays until the opponent pulls off a 40+ yard touchdown. The magic of Taylor Heinicke has begun to lose some of its luster and its back to the drawing board for Washington with Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs coming to town next week.

The disappointments continue for the Washington Football Team and at some point, the quotes about there being plenty of season left will stop holding weight.

This fanbase has continued to be patient throughout the Dan Snyder era. Scandal after scandal, season after season of false hope, new saviors, potential franchise quarterbacks.

Enough is enough, this fanbase does not need to be placated with false hope and empty words, it needs action. It deserves answers. It deserves accountability.

This proud franchise went from being a perennial Super Bowl contender during the Joe Gibbs era to becoming a team content with going 7-9 and making the playoffs. This fanbase deserves so much more!

Let’s get into the Week 5 numbers.