The Washington Football Team fell short to the Kansas City Chiefs in what was a winnable game… once again. Another week down, another loss drops the team to 2-4 on the season.
Another week down, which brings us to another portion of the “Takeaways” series for the 2021 season. The Washington Football Team had it, until they didn’t.
The Football Team found themselves up at half by a score of 13-10, causing three Chiefs turnovers and winning the time of possession battle in the first half, Washington’s gameplan proved to be effective in half #1.
From pounding the rock and getting the hogs up front moving with various screens and rushing attempts, Washington’s offense was efficient and playing their part. For the defense, their soft cover-two defense, a page taken right out of the Buffalo Bills book, was paying dividends throughout the half.
But in the second half is where their game plan was abandoned, they were thoroughly dominated, specifically on offense, which led to yet another mediocre defensive outing in the second half.
The Washington Football Team now sits at 2-4 on the season, with a trip to Green Bay to face another Hall of Fame quarterback in Aaron Rodgers and arguably the best wide receiver in all of pro football in Davante Adams. But before we set our sights on Green Bay, let’s take a look at the positives and the negatives from a blunder of a 31-13 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
1. Defensive line steps up again
Washington’s defensive line played extremely well, forcing Mahomes into pressure and creating turnovers. The WFT’s defense had 10 QB hits and three sacks, they dominated the line of scrimmage and if their back-end could hold up for a second longer, Washington would’ve had an even better day getting after the passer.
2.JD McKissic proving his worth
J.D. McKissic looks like a long-term player for this offense going forward. No. 41 for the good guys has been a versatile piece for this offense whether it be as a “true” running back or a pass-catcher out of the backfield, McKissic should be extended in the near future and he proved that again on Sunday.
3. Finally, some competent LB play
The linebacker duo of Jamin Davis and Cole Holcomb played fine this afternoon. Holcomb came up with some impressive coverage snaps against Travis Kelce, notching one PBU under his belt. For Davis, his short-area quickness and pursuit showed off throughout this game. Davis still needs seasoning as a run-defender, but he showed some nice flashes on Sunday.
1. Lackluster QB play
Washington’s quarterback situation is back to being the worst in the NFL, arguably. Taylor Heinicke had yet another poor performance, this time it was against the worst statistical defense in the NFL. Heinicke’s play was as bad as the numbers tell you, from 4.7 yards per attempt to a QBR of 28, Taylor Heinicke was abysmal throughout all four quarters of this game. That’s back-to-back weeks for the ODU alum where he looks like he doesn’t belong on an NFL field much longer as Washington’s starting quarterback.
2. Scott Turner’s game plan
The Football Team’s offensive play-calling was equally at fault this afternoon as well. Scott Turner dialed up a fantastic first half, with efficient zone-runs and screen passes that proved to be effective, eventually leading to a fake bubble screen play that ended with a Ricky Seals-Jones touchdown.
In the second-half, he tried to continue that formula and unfortunately, NFL defenses make adjustments too. The Kansas City Chiefs defense went from being one of the worst in football to somehow flipping the script and locking down an NFL offense for the first time all-season long. A dreadful reality that Washington must face, their offensive play-calling was proven to be a doozy once again.
1. A consistent negative
Washington’s secondary is still among the worst units in the NFL. From a big third-down conversion given up by William Jackson III, to numerous Washington DB’s lost in their own shadow, this secondary continues to be one of the most inconsistent groups that we’ve seen in recent memory.
Coming into this season, we loved the personnel. While I’m optimistic in that Benjamin St-Juste looks like the best CB out there, and Kamren Curl looks like the best safety on the team, veteran starters like Bobby McCain and Kendall Fuller look like replacement-level talents at best. I don’t believe it’s scheme at this point, it could be, that Washington’s personnel just isn’t very good.
Anything is possible at this point, right?
Washington Football Team: 10 quick thoughts from Week 6 loss
The Washington Football Team lost in embarrassing fashion to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. Here are 10 quick thoughts from the game.