The Washington Football Team provided its fans with a moment of clarity on Sunday afternoon. The team is what it is, a rebuilding franchise that is closer to the beginning of that project than the end.
Five trips to the red zone produced zero points. Good teams don’t do that, but struggling teams like Washington do.
Still, there are positives. It gets harder and harder to find them, but there are some buying opportunities.
BUY:
Defensive end, Jonathan Allen
Allen has been lights out this year, even on days when the defense as a whole has been terrible.
Once again, Allen got to the quarterback. He sacked Aaron Rodgers twice and had two tackles for a loss. The defensive line, in general, had its second straight solid game. Sunday, it limited Green Bay to 25 yards rushing. If, and it’s a big if, but if the front four are starting to come together, the second half of the season could be better.
Linebacker, Jamin Davis
The rookie linebacker also had a better game for the second week in a row. Davis had five tackles, four of them for a loss (all of them in the first half). He’s gone from playing just 13 snaps against the Saints to posting 55 reps against Green Bay. That’s the kind of production needed from a first-round draft pick.
Wide Receiver, Terry McLaurin
Ron Rivera and his hand-picked front office should try to sign McLaurin to an extension right now. Without haste. Otherwise, he might decide he’d like to play with a quarterback that can throw the ball where it’s supposed to be and not have him diving like Greg Louganis every time he catches a pass.
Once again, he was one of the best players on the field, catching seven balls for 122 yards and a touchdown. PFF.com has McLaurin listed as the 13th best receiver in the league. Washington would no doubt rank him higher.
HOLD:
Taylor Heinicke
The former Old Dominion Monarch has earned a place in the NFL as a backup quarterback. Heinicke’s a gamer with the heart of a lion.
Unfortunately, he doesn’t have the arm strength to match.
Heinicke might be able to make all the reads, but he can’t make the throws. Forget the red zone problems, the end zone dive he shorted, and the fumble on 4th and one. Put aside the 38-yard scramble and the fumble recovery on the trick play.
Too many passes sailed high or behind receivers. It’s one thing to over or under-throw a target, but Heinicke almost got running back J.D. McKissic seriously hurt with high throws across the middle. Heinicke will continue to start, but don’t be shocked if Kyle Allen takes over at some point this season.