Studs and duds from Week 13 as Washington’s winning streak reaches four games

Stud: Logan Thomas

Thomas made his presence from the opening drive, coming down with a beautiful one-handed grab in the end zone to put Washington up 7-0. The star tight end, who was activated off injured reserve just last week, finished the game with four catches for 48 yards, but didn’t get to play down the stretch, as a cut-block to his knee (that should’ve been flagged) left him writhing in pain.

(Update: The belief is Thomas tore his ACL. His season will be over if tests confirm)

Prayers up for No. 82.

Dud: Brandon Scherff

It kind of feels like Scherff is called for a penalty at least once per game, whether it be a false start or offensive holding. Either way, the veteran guard had a costly penalty on a 3rd and 4 that resulted in a punt a few plays later.

Beyond the penalties, the Raiders front seven had their way with Scherff in pass protection. He’s never been a great blocker on screens, but that was another area in which the four-time Pro Bowler struggled in this one.

Scherff has largely been solid this year, but performances like this won’t help his case to get a big-time contract from Washington in the offseason.

Stud: Brian Johnson

Is an explanation really needed? Appearing in only the fifth NFL game of his career, Brian Johnson’s number was called — ice cold off the bench, mind you, as he hadn’t attempted a field goal all game — to go out and win the game for a team he signed for as an injury replacement just days prior.

Honestly, we didn’t know what to expect. If he drilled it down the middle or shanked it in stomach-busting fashion, we wouldn’t have been surprised. Making that kick took guts and should have fans feeling confident that Johnson can be a reliable fill-in for Slye, who’s on the shelf with a strained hammy.

Dud: Yannick Ngakoue

Dud. Just a flat-out bad guy. Whatever you want to call him, Yannick Ngakoue pulled a dirty move in the game with a violent chop-block aimed at Thomas’ knee, which resulted in a likely season-ending injury the 30-year-old). Replay made it seem like Ngakoue intentionally went after Thomas’ knee.

It was a cheap shot move. Period.

Stud: Bobby McCain

Largely involved in communication breakdowns that have preceded big plays for opposing offenses, McCain flipped the script on Sunday.

He finished with four tackles (three solo) and a pass breakup, but he contributed beyond the box score. On top of setting the tone by flying to the football on running plays, McCain was in coverage on a Derek Carr deep ball to Zay Jones that, if completed, likely would’ve resulted in a TD to put the Raiders up 21-17 in the final minute.

Did McCain get away with tug of Jones’ jersey? Maybe, but the contact was far from blatant. Let’s just say there would’ve been a much bigger uproar had a flag been thrown. Right now, it’s hardly a controversy, which suggests the refs made the right call.

Nevertheless, McCain’s stock is on the rise after this performance.

Stud: Cole Holcomb

Yes, Holcomb had a poor drive (which featured a penalty) that culminated in a Raiders touchdown, but he made some HUGE plays for Washington against Las Vegas He recorded a team-high 10 tackles and two pass breakups, both of which were of the eye-popping variety. He missed a couple tackles, too, but what defender didn’t?

Washington doesn’t win this game without Holcomb. Plain and simple.

A quick honorary stud mention goes out to Charles Leno Jr., who, unlike most of Washington’s offensive line, held his own against the Raiders’ vaunted pass rush.

If we’re being honest, Casey Toohill deserves a dud, too. His roughing the passer penalty was a total boneheaded move and it came with the game on the line in the fourth quarter. Luckily, it didn’t come back to haunt Washington.

As for Heinicke, he was very much up and down. He missed high on a handful of throws and probably should’ve finished with two interceptions, the second of which would’ve effectively ended the game. But sometimes luck is the deciding factor.

To his credit, Heinicke showed up when it mattered most, proving the fourth quarter interception and near game-ender didn’t rattle him mentally. Mental make up is a must for franchise quarterbacks and Heinicke has more than enough to go around.