4 Washington players whose stock is soaring after Week 17 loss

2. Jaret Patterson

Talk about making the most of your opportunities.

Thrust into his first career start with Antonio Gibson on the COVID-19 list and JD McKissic still recovering from his neck injury, Jaret Patterson was a bright spot on an otherwise dull afternoon for Washington’s offense.

The undrafted rookie carried the rock 12 times for 57 yards and his second career touchdown. He added five passes for 41 yards as a receiver. That rushing total is a career high for a single game, as was his yards from scrimmage output.

Simply put, this was the finest game of Patterson’s young career, and he did so with his parents in attendance at FedEx Field.

If you watched the preseason, this performance wasn’t surprising. Throughout the regular season tune-up, Patterson showed patience and decisiveness between the tackles. He easily has the biggest burst through the hole of any of Washington’s backs and his small frame makes him a handful to bring down inside.

We’ve seen a lot of takes on Twitter of fans wanting Washington to draft a proper sidekick for Gibson in April. After Patterson’s performance, we can’t help but wonder if those fans went back and deleted those tweets.