5 unsung heroes from stunning win over Buccaneers

3 and 2. Terry McLaurin/Antonio Gibson

It’s not often that Washington’s two most high-profile offensive weapons find themselves on the unsung hero side of things, but that’s exactly what they were on Sunday. Neither player padded the stat sheet, but they were essential to the win.

We’ll start with McLaurin, who proved once again that he’s the lifeblood of Washington’s passing game. Six catches for 56 yards would normally be viewed as a slow day at the office for the third-year receiver, but he led the team in both categories and most of his receptions were of the contested variety.

McLaurin was responsible for maybe the play of the game on a 3rd and 5 on the final drive where he made a catch in traffic. Already dealing with a collarbone injury, McLaurin took a huge hit on the play, but popped right back up and flexed on the entire Buccaneers defense in celebration.

Now for Gibson. Some of you might look at the box score and say wait, Gibson averaged just 2.7 yards per carry. How was he an unsung hero? Others might say, wait, he scored the game-winning touchdown. What was unsung about his performance?

Fair points. Yes, Gibson only rushed for 64 yards, but he earned every one of those yards against perhaps the best front seven in the NFL. He showed grit and determination and even started wearing out Tampa Bay’s defense on the final drive, on which he was responsible for over 30 of the 80 yards and two first downs.

If we’re being honest, Gibson shouldn’t have even come close to 64 yards rushing given the lack of big his offensive line created. Per Pro Football Focus, 48 of those yards came after contact and he accounted for five total first downs.

Outside of Taylor Heinicke, there was no one more deserving of scoring the game-winning TD than Gibby.