3 unsung plays that were essential to Week 13 win over Raiders

A little love for Jamin: Q4, 3:18, 2nd & 9 at the Washington 20

Like all the rest of you, I was readying my piece about how Jamin Davis has to learn to get his body under control and make tackles in the open field. This is a real problem and I don’t mean to diminish it. But let’s take a step back a put on some rose-colored glasses for a moment.

It has been clear from game one that Davis has been overmatched in adapting to playing the middle in the NFL. He did not play a ton in college and has been asked to take over the most complicated role on defense. But consider for a moment that all those missed tackles are actually a sign of progress. That’s because in the first half of the season, Davis was rarely in position to even attempt those tackles. He was constantly running himself out of plays or getting caught up in the wash.

Davis is now reading and diagnosing plays at a much higher level. And on this key play late in Las Vegas’s final scoring drive, we got a glimpse of why Washington is so high on the rookie. Derek Carr hit running back Peyton Barber just over the line near the right hash. There were more Raider blockers than Washington defenders standing between Barber and the end zone. He easily could have scored on the play.

Then Davis appears from the left side of the field. In just a few steps, he tracked Barber down and secured the tackle. Short gain. Third down. Fuller defended Zay Jones in the end zone on the next play and Las Vegas settled for a field goal.

If Davis doesn’t make that play and Barber reaches the end zone, the Washington Football Team needs a touchdown to win instead of a field goal. I’m not confident they could have gotten it. Davis remains a work-in progress. But let’s acknowledge that the progress does exist. And sometimes, it wins you a game.