Week 14 Reality Checks: Dallas at Washington

1. The Reality Is, it’s all there for the taking.

With the home stretch of Dallas-Philly-Dallas-Philly-New York, it doesn’t take too much in-depth analysis to see how a 6-6 Washington team is positioned well for a late-season surge into the playoffs.

Are they increasingly dinged up? Yep. Are they facing a rest deficit in each of the next two weeks after dealing with the same last week? Yep. Are they going to be favored any of the next three weeks? Not likely. But the hurdles they face are certainly manageable. Rivera is right in communicating that everything they hoped and prepared to do this season is right in front of them and it’s up to them to capitalize.

Some personal things on the line over the next 5 weeks?

• Taylor Heinicke could vault himself into the 2022 starting roll if he balls out and leads this team to the playoffs.
• Jon Allen, Ereck Flowers, Terry McLaurin, DeAndre Carter, Kam Curl, and Antonio Gibson could secure spots in the Pro Bowl with strong personal and team finishes.
• Brian Johnson could nail down the spot as the team’s kicker if he contributes to a late run with consistent kicking.

But every one of those guys would tell you that what they care about most is the team’s opportunity to surge into the playoffs and make a run. And that accomplishment…having built a roster of guys who have fought back from 2-6, stayed together, and positioned themselves for a meaningful December and beyond…that’s an accomplishment that Rivera and Washington fans should be proud of…but The Reality Is, it won’t be much remembered or celebrated if they don’t capitalize.

Something about this team is different, though. Something about their makeup makes me believe they have that run in them much more than I have in previous years. It’s usually at about this point where I get let down.

But with cautious optimism, I’m predicting a win on Sunday to ensure the rest of the season holds a ton of meaning. Washington pulls of a tight win, 27-23. Whatever the score, as long as they #BeatDallas, the sky’s the limit.