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Week 18 Reality Checks: Washington at Giants

By Tim Payne

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - DECEMBER 05: Wide receiver Terry McLaurin #17 of the Washington Football Team high-fives running back Antonio Gibson #24 after he scored a touchdown against the Las Vegas Raiders during their game at Allegiant Stadium on December 5, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Washington Football Team defeated the Raiders 17-15. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - DECEMBER 05: Wide receiver Terry McLaurin #17 of the Washington Football Team high-fives running back Antonio Gibson #24 after he scored a touchdown against the Las Vegas Raiders during their game at Allegiant Stadium on December 5, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Washington Football Team defeated the Raiders 17-15. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /
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Daniel M. Snyder talks at a press conference after the NFL approved his 800 million USD purchase of the Washington Redskins at an NFL meeting in Atlanta, GA 25 May, 1999. The NFL’s 31 team owners unanimously approved the sale of the team and Jack Kent Cooke Stadium in Wahington, DC. AFP PHOTO (Photo by STEVE SCHAEFER / AFP) (Photo by STEVE SCHAEFER/AFP via Getty Images)
Daniel M. Snyder talks at a press conference after the NFL approved his 800 million USD purchase of the Washington Redskins at an NFL meeting in Atlanta, GA 25 May, 1999. The NFL’s 31 team owners unanimously approved the sale of the team and Jack Kent Cooke Stadium in Wahington, DC. AFP PHOTO (Photo by STEVE SCHAEFER / AFP) (Photo by STEVE SCHAEFER/AFP via Getty Images) /

5. The Reality Is, Tanking is for Losers..

Look, if you’re in the middle of a rebuild and playing a bunch of young players in a season finale doesn’t give you the best chance to win, but does allow you to develop and evaluate the talent on your roster, then, by all means, that’s what you should do.

If losing a game puts you in position to draft first in a loaded draft, then losing that game on purpose might be acceptable. But losing your sixth straight division game to end a season, to a team that is objectively terrible and a coach who went out of his way to disparage and poke fun at your team is not a good look.

And doing so on purpose in order to move from 12th to 10th in draft position is the kind of thing only loser organizations do. Washington needs to end the season on a high note. They need the optics of not winning less games than last season. They should be playing and coaching to win this game. Period.

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