The Washington Football Team will be back in action in Week 10 against the defending champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
That’s both a blessing and a curse. While it’ll be awesome to have Washington football back on Sundays, that leaves plenty of opportunity for more heartbreak, and there’s been ample of that over the first eight games.
Before we can fully move on to the second half of 2021, though, we simply have to run through some of the defining moments from the first half. After all, there were probably at least 20 worthy candidates to choose from.
It was difficult, but we managed to narrow it down to three, though the winner of the top spot might come as a surprise.
3 plays that defined the Washington Football Team’s first half
3. JD McKissic’s game-winning TD
Washington’s first half wasn’t ALL bad, so we wanted to include at least one positive play from the first eight contests.
The touchdown connection between Taylor Heinicke and Ricky Seals-Jones in Week 2 against the Giants was deeply considered, as it preluded Heinicke leading the offense down the field for Dustin Hopkins’ game-winner.
DeAndre Carter’s 101-yard kickoff return to open the second half of Week 4 vs Atlanta was also given consideration. However, JD McKissic’s game-winning score with 33 seconds left in that game takes the cake.
First and foremost, it was a game-winning TD in the final minute of regulation. Second, it was absolute perfect execution, albeit after several seconds of Heinicke being unable to locate an open receiver.
That’s what made the play so memorable. Heinicke spent at least 10 seconds going through his progressions, almost all of which were on the left side of the field, before he located a wide open JD Mckissic, who leaked out wide open near the line of scrimmage after contributing in pass protection.
The rest was all McKissic. After leaving a Falcons defender in his wake with a filthy stutter step, it was a race to the end zone between another handful of defenders, who had no chance with McKissic in a dead sprint.
What a moment. What a player. A deserved spot on this list.
2. Ryan Fitzpatrick’s injury
What could have been.
We, like most Washington fans, hopped right on the Taylor Heinicke bandwagon after Ryan Fitzpatrick’s injury. After Heinicke’s heroic performance in last year’s Wild Card loss, we were eager to see him given extended run as the starter to see if he had franchise quarterback potential.
In hindsight, though, that was a pipe dream.
Only up until recently did we realize the significance of Fitzpatrick’s hip subluxation. The loss to Buffalo indicated that Heinicke would struggle once teams had film on him, and his limitations have come to light in spades ever since.
Sure, the Old Dominion product has had flashes, but his inability to push the ball downfield and overall lack of precision as a pocket passer have handicapped Washington’s offense, and its weapons, beyond belief.
That makes Fitzpatrick’s injury one of the defining moments. Sure, it probably would have taken him a few weeks to find a rhythm (he was hardly impressive during the preseason), but it would’ve been worth the wait.
In seasons where Fitzpatrick has started at least 10 games, he threw for an average of 18.8 touchdowns. In eight games (seven starts), Heinicke has just 11 touchdowns. That might not look bad on paper, but Washington currently owns the 31st ranked red zone offense in terms of TD percentage.
We’re not saying Fitzpatrick would step in and emulate Joe Theismann, but he’d at least add some cutting edge to the offense. If that doesn’t make his injury one of the defining moments of the year, then what does?
Having said that, it wasn’t enough to nab the top spot.
1. The Saints’ Hail Mary in Week 5
We hate to bring up such a poor and raw memory, but there was simply no other candidate for the top spot on this list.
For all the strides Washington’s defense — and secondary — made in the last two weeks before the bye, the groups’ ineptitude over the first six weeks was one of the stories of the NFL season, and the Saints’ Hail Mary at the end of the first half in Week 5 was basically a culmination of the group’s struggles.
Anyone else have nightmares that Sunday night? If you look back at the replay, though that isn’t necessary for fans whom have this completion burned into their memories, Landon Collins was the only defender in position to make a play on the ball … and he was unfortunately pinned between two Saints receivers.
Kendall Fuller didn’t even jump, William Jackson somehow didn’t make it to the end zone, Bobby McCain ended up behind the play and Kamren Curl, maybe the secondary’s most consistent performer thus far, was lagging behind everyone.
The reason for that? Well, Collins revealed after the game that the defense was prepared for a quick out pass to set up a long field goal. Once the Saints lined up in Hail Mary formation, the defense had to sprint back to the end zone.
It will go down as the easiest Hail Mary completion of the last five seasons. Short of another disaster result in the closing seconds of a game, fans will no doubt look back at this play as the defining moment of 2021, including the second half.
We hope we’re wrong…