Season finales the past decade have not produced many Washington Football highlight packages.
At least last season (2020) Washington broke the trend, earning a 20-14 win at Philadelphia, clinching the NFC East title.
But 2010-2019 wasn’t pretty for Washington in season finales as they compiled a 2-8 record in those contests. Perhaps strange enough was the fact that Washington in the last 11 seasons has only managed to win a season finale in the three seasons when they qualified for the playoffs.
In 2020, Washington defeated Philadelphia 20-14 to give Ron Rivera the NFC East crown in his first season at the helm. In 2015. Washington marched into Dallas and beat the Cowboys 34-23 before losing to the Green Bay Packers in the first round of the playoffs. The 2012 team won their final seven games including a 28-18 season finale home win over Dallas to finish the season 10-6 atop the NFC East.
On the other hand, the other season finales were forgettable, and that is putting it mildly for more than a few of those games. Some of us recall how Washington seemed to not conclude those seasons soon enough. Washington has been blown out too often in these last games of the year, suggesting the culture of the team was one where they were thinking about hitting the golf courses as soon as possible.
2019 Dallas (16-47)
2018 Philadelphia (0-24)
20017 NY Giants (10-18)
2016 NY Giants (10-19)
2014 Dallas (17-44)
2013 NY Giants 6-20
2011 Philadelphia (10-34)
2010 NY Giants (14-17)
We are all hoping for a Washington Football Team culture change under Ron Rivera. A change that results in the team (despite not making the playoffs) showing up to play the season’s final game with intensity and effort throughout.
How about Washington being a team full of players that want to provide a professional effort in week 18, desiring most of all to go out this season as winners?
Good grief, after the things NY Giants coach Joe Judge said this week (and then attempted to walk back) one would think Washington should certainly be motivated to go out on the field and take it to the Giants, Sunday.