3 things we learned from Washington’s crushing loss to Eagles
By Jerry Trotta
A severely undermanned Washington Football Team made a short road trip to Philadelphia for their Week 15 divisional clash against the Eagles that nobody expected them to win even if the game had been played on time.
Where do we even begin with the adversity Washington had to overcome?
For starters, they had to start a QB in Garrett Gilbert who had less than four days to grasp the playbook and study the Eagles’ exotic defensive scheme. They were down their top cornerback, top safety and lost their second-best CB and do-it-all linebacker to injury before the end of the first half.
That’s just the tip of the iceberg, so it really wasn’t all that surprising that Washington came up short. However, just because the outcome delivered on expectations doesn’t mean there wasn’t lessons to be learned.
Let’s dive right into it.
Washington Football Team: 3 things we learned from Week 15
3. LB position must be addressed in offseason
If the front office (somehow) wasn’t already convinced that the linebacker position needs a facelift in the offseason, it surely is now.
Dallas Goedert finished with 135 receiving yards on seven catches and it could’ve been a lot more had he not dropped two wide open passes.
Jeremy Reaves had a tough time against the Eagles tight end, but he legit played one defensive snap all year before Tuesday night, so you won’t find us roasting him over the coals. He also showed great instincts on a deep ball in the first half and was unlucky to not come away with at least a pass breakup.
The main culprits in the game were Cole Holcomb, Jamin Davis and, to a lesser extent, Landon Collins, who at least made his presence felt in other ways.
Pro Football Focus’ coverage stats have yet to be released, but our guess is Washington’s three linebackers graded out terribly in that department.
The defensive line deserves most of the blame for the defense’s inability to stop the run, but the linebacking trio did them zero favors at the second level, missing tackles and filling the wrong gaps on big gainers.
The bottom line is Washington can’t afford to keep deploying linebackers who are inconsistent both in coverage and against the run. If the personnel doesn’t change (not saying everybody has to go) then neither will the results, which simply aren’t good enough for a team with playoff aspirations.