Week 15 Reality Checks: Washington vs COVID-19

1. The Reality Is, Washington has to win the ground war on Sunday to have a chance.

With Taylor Heinicke now in the Covid protocols, it’s highly likely that Garrett Gilbert or Kyle Shurmur will be starting at quarterback for Washington on Sunday. The only chance Washington has at keeping this game from being a complete embarrassment will be to run ALL the air out of the ball, Belichick-in-a-Blizzard style.

Somehow, some way, Washington has to out-gain Philadelphia on the ground on Sunday. It’s looking likely that Washington is utilizing their 5th center of the season in Philadelphia, but it’s trending toward the other 4 starters being available on the offensive line. Even if that ends up being not being the case, look for Washington to major in the ground game with Gibson, Patterson and Jonathan Williams.

Scott Turner struggled to slow down Dallas’ pass-rush last week, under-utilizing misdirection, play-action and QB keepers. Washington also really struggled to execute their screen game. Look for Turner to pull out all the stops to creatively generate meaningful gains on the ground this week.

Simultaneously, look for Jack Del Rio to load up the box and force Jalen Hurts to get the ball out of his hands to Philly’s pass-catchers. Ultimately, though, the COVID list has claimed most of Washington’s best defenders, so the gameplan likely won’t change much. Washington will simply have to hope they can limit the effectiveness of Philly on the ground. If they can somehow manage to win the ground war, there’s a chance Washington comes out the ultimate improbable win.

Ultimately, talent wins in this league, and the disparity in talent available to these two teams on Sunday is likely to be too significant to allow Washington much of a chance. Barring some flukey special teams plays or an unexpected breakout from an unsung player for Washington, there doesn’t appear to be much of a chance of a Washington win…and yet, I’m confident this unit will come out fighting (since many of them are fighting for their futures in the NFL). But it won’t be enough. Philly 20, Washington 10. Here’s hoping I’m wrong.