3 Washington losses that hurt the most in 2021

1. Week 1 vs Chargers

This game actually feels like a year ago.

There’s not much you can learn in the first game of the NFL season, but this matchup set the stage for one of Washington’s themes of the season: Being unable to finish off long drives on offense with a touchdown.

If you remember, Dustin Hopkins was responsible for all of Washington’s scouring output in the first half before Taylor Heinicke, filling in for the injured Ryan Fitzpatrick, connected with Logan Thomas for a TD early in the third quarter to give the team a 16-3 advantage.

Washington would hold that lead into the fourth quarter … until Antonio Gibson fumbled (weirdly another underlying theme of the season) on his team’s own four-yard line just seconds after William Jackson intercepted Justin Hebert after it looked like the Chargers were at least going to attempt a game-tying field goal.

The fumble set the Chargers up with 1st and goal from the three-yard line and, as most elite quarterbacks do, Herbert made them pay with a three-yard strike to Mike Williams to take a 20-16 lead, the game’s final score.

The Williams touchdown came with 11:21 left in the fourth. If Gibson doesn’t fumble and Washington is able to milk the clock and maybe go up six with a FG and a few minutes left, who knows what happens.

The game also included a questionable decision from Ron Rivera to put inside Chargers territory on 4th and 12 with 6:50 remaining. Washington never got the ball back, as LA milked the clock with FOUR third down conversions, including a 3rd and 16 on the first set of downs after the punt.

Talk about an agonizing loss. And to rub salt in the wound, this wound up being Fitzpatrick’s first and only game in the Burgundy and Gold.