The Washington Football Team has a significant problem with its defense. Once considered the team’s most integral unit, the group was outplayed by a New Orleans Saints offense without two of its star players in a 33-22 loss Sunday at Fed Ex Field before an announced crowd of 50,137.
Despite forcing two turnovers and sacking Saints QB Jamies Winston twice, the unit committed several fatal errors. Those egregious errors were a long touchdown pass in the first quarter due to players being out of position and a ‘Hail Mary’ play at the end of the first half, which players said they were not prepared for.
“I think we lack a little bit of confidence right now,” head coach Ron Rivera said after the game. “We had a little bit of confidence; we made some things happen, then we made a couple of mistakes and lost a little bit of confidence. We need to keep our confidence level up if we expect to give ourselves a chance to win football games.”
Washington started the game on a high note as linebacker Cole Holcomb intercepted Winston on the first Saints offensive series. It led to a Dustin Hopkins field goal and a 3-0 lead.
The lead was short-lived, however. Winston found Deonte Harris on a 72-yard touchdown strike three plays later to give New Orleans a 7-3 lead.
Starting Strong Safety, Landon Collins, a victim of numerous big plays this season, told reporters that the defense was late getting in position after the game.
“It was a disguise. They just quick snapped it, so they caused a situation where they had the advantage. That was really it,” Collins told reporters in a post-game press conference said. “They quick snapped us after that play about four more times, five more times, and we were prepared for it. We knew what they were going to do. We knew what they wanted to do. When they did do it the next following series, they didn’t get the play that they wanted to get off.”
Rivera was more succinct. “We’re supposed to have a man deep,” he said.
Washington re-took the lead with a second Hopkins field goal and an Antonio Gibson 5-yard touchdown run.
Then disaster struck. Again.
With the score tied 13-13 and six seconds left in the first half, New Orleans lined up for what Washington thought would be a quick pass to get kicker Cody Parkey in better position for a go-ahead field goal. Instead, Winston threw the ball into the end zone.
The play appeared to catch the entire defense by surprise as several players seemed to stand and watch as receiver Marquez Callaway jumped up to catch the touchdown as time expired.
“We were thinking we had to defend the chunk for the field goal, trying to throw some quick on the out, and at the same time, we’re looking for that little play where they had [RB Alvin] Kamara in the backfield,” Rivera said. “They dump it to him underneath, and we have guys deep already. That’s all different parts of strategies, okay? I mean, there are certain things that you try to do, and with 6 seconds left, they have a chance for a quick out and get a little bit closer to kick the field goal,” he said.
“We were just trying to make a play and wasn’t expecting them to go Hail Mary right there,” cornerback William Jackson III said. “A regular football team will try to get a couple of yards and try to kick a field goal, but they called the right play at the right time.”
In the fourth quarter, New Orleans put the game away as the defense intercepted Washington quarterback Taylor Heinicke on the Washington 26 yard-line. Four plays later, Winston found Callaway for a second score, Winston’s third TD pass to make the score 26-17.
Gibson’s second touchdown cut the lead to 26-22 midway through the fourth quarter, but Winston would take the Saints 75 yards on eight plays, culminating with a wide-open touchdown catch and run by Alvin Kamara made the final score 33-22.
“I’m very frustrated because we’ve got too many good football players to not be better than what we are right now,” Rivera said. “But your record tells everybody what you are. That’s what we are. We’re a 2-3 football team right now.”
It gets no easier for the Burgundy and Gold. The Kansas City Chiefs come to Fed Ex Field Sunday after losing to Buffalo 38-20. At 2-3, the defending AFC Champions are in as desperate a situation as Washington and find themselves two games behind their AFC West division leaders, the Los Angeles Chargers.
One of these teams will wake up on October 18th at 2-4 and confront the genuine possibility of the season spiraling out of control. There is very little evidence to suggest that team won’t be wearing Burgundy and Gold.