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5 negatives for Washington Football Team vs Broncos

By Ken Johannesen

DENVER, CO - OCTOBER 31: Taylor Heinicke #4 of the Washington Football Team braces for a tackle by Malik Reed #59 of the Denver Broncos in the fourth quarter of the game at Empower Field At Mile High on October 31, 2021 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Tafoya/Getty Images)
DENVER, CO - OCTOBER 31: Taylor Heinicke #4 of the Washington Football Team braces for a tackle by Malik Reed #59 of the Denver Broncos in the fourth quarter of the game at Empower Field At Mile High on October 31, 2021 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Justin Tafoya/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Justin Tafoya/Getty Images)
(Photo by Justin Tafoya/Getty Images) /

4. Missed opportunities

When the weekly negatives or positives are being written each week, it is almost impossible to consider just one play.  It’s better to have more reasons why a positive or negative makes the list.  This week, we are making an exception and it is a play that helped to set a tone for most of the game on Sunday.  In a manner of speaking, it is also a microcosm of the 2021 season for the Washington Football Team.  In the first quarter of the Broncos game, free safety Bobby McCain dropped what would’ve been one of the easiest interceptions of the 2021 season.

Senseless, untimely mistakes hurt the Washington Football Team

How does a defender drop that interception indeed?  It was an absolute gift from Denver and McCain had the gift-wrapped opportunity to set a great tone for Washington in what was a scoreless first quarter at that juncture.  This one play provided the Burgundy and Gold the chance to seize an early edge in this game and propel Washington to a possible victory on Sunday.  Bobby McCain is our fourth negative for the week and it was a very costly mistake.

5. A coach’s decision was incorrect

The fifth negative for this week falls squarely on head coach Ron Rivera and the mistake did not occur during the game.  It came in the form of a roster change several days earlier.  By now, you have already figured it out and this decision was simply a huge blunder.  No one will ever say that current Chargers kicker (can you believe it?) Dustin Hopkins is a future Hall of Famer, but he is a decent kicker.  Releasing him prior to the Broncos game was very costly.

There was no justification for making the change and it could continue to backfire on the team, but more time is needed to see if the change will pan out.  It’s also possible that the Washington Football Team could release Chris Blewitt in the next few weeks and sign another kicker.

Honestly, this change needs more time to see if it was the correct move.  For now, it is a negative and another error in a season filled with head-scratching mistakes.

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