Rick Snider's Report Card - WFT Gets Drilled in Desert
Don’t be too fooled by the Washington Football Team’s late comeback. The Arizona Cardinals just worked the clock until Washington crept within 27-15 and then showed just why they were winning this game by a strong offensive run. Arizona may be a Super Bowl team so it’s not the worst of road losses by Washington. But, their best effort would have made it a lot closer.
QUARTERBACK: C+
I know, you want an F, but Dwayne Haskins wasn’t as bad as his stats or Twitter say. When you can’t get to two-Mississippi before someone’s on you, it’s hard to shine. The upside so far is Haskins wasn’t rattled and handled himself well in the fourth quarter. But, he needs more accuracy and throws too high when not following through. That’s mechanics 101 for midweek practices.
RUNNING BACKS: C+
They did their job as a group, but the running game disappears. Of course, chances are near zero when down 20-0 at half. J.D. McKissic and Antonio Gibson are still competing for the main job and it’s about even. Nice touchdown run by Gibson late.
RECEIVERS: B
Terry McLaurin, Terry McLaurin, yes Terry McLaurin. And that’s mostly it, Washington fans. OK, Antonio Gandy-Golden made his first career catch as one to watch and Stephen Sims flashed some speed, but McLaurin is still the main man by far. His post-catch speed is impressive, especially on the 24-yard touchdown when extending a short route.
TIGHT ENDS: C
Logan Thomas killed your fantasy team with too many drops. He’s still young at the position, but Thomas will probably get a dozen chances per game and needs to catch more than half.
OFFENSIVE LINE: F
Breakdowns everywhere. Sacks allowed by Geron Christian, Wes Martin and Brandon Scherff before the latter was injured. Penalty on key play by Morgan Moses. Washington needs to concentrate on offensive line in the offseason because it’s the biggest problem. Maybe the team’s weakest line since the mid-90s.
DEFENSIVE LINE: C
Little pocket pressure, too often tied up by the Cards line. The upside is the unit contained the run reasonably well. The bad news is they didn’t contain Kyler Murray or pressure him enough. That was the key to the game and they failed miserably. Chase Young learned he can’t catch every passer as Murray left him literally face down in the dust. Rarely hear Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen’s names.
LINEBACKERS: B
Jon Bostic was Washington’s best defender. Great sack, snuffed out a lot of plays. Kevin Pierre-Louis also made plays across the field. The duo made a big difference.
SECONDARY: F
One rough day for the unit. Landon Collins made a nice pickoff, but it just balanced getting frozen in blowing end zone coverage for a touchdown by DeAndre Hopkins. Fabian Moreau, Jimmy Moreland and Troy Apke gave up too many plays. Get well soon, Kendall Fuller.
SPECIAL TEAMS: B
Steven Sims has shown nothing as a punt returner over two seasons. This time he made a nice return only to fumble. Greg Stroman finally returned one as coaches admitted to a problem, then sent Sims out for the next one. Cam Sims made a classic gunner tackle on punt coverage. Indeed, punt coverage was consistently good.
COACHING: B
Seemed like an early letdown, though not unprepared. They were just down 17-0 early for the second straight week. That needs some reflection on the flight back. Defense held no answers to stop Kyler Murray, but they’re hardly the first team that didn’t. The third quarter saw the defense respond well. The offense never got in rhythm until the fourth quarter and relied too much on short passes given little time to throw until Cards played prevent defense. Nice red-flag challenge to catch the Cards with 12 defenders on the field.
WFTANGIBLES: Incomplete
Owner Dan Snyder missed his first game in 21 years after being exposed for COVID-19.
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Rick Snider is an award-winning sports writer who has covered Washington sports since 1978. He first wrote about the Washington football team in 1983 before becoming a beat writer in 1993. Snider currently writes for several national and international publications and is a Washington tour guide. Follow Rick on Twitter at @Snide_Remarks
