Category: 2021 NFL Season

Instant analysis: Chargers defeat Washington 20-16

It’s an ugly loss for Washington to open the season.

The Los Angeles Chargers defeated the Washington Football Team, 20-16, in Week 1 of NFL action.

Washington seemingly had all the momentum in the third quarter after quarterback Taylor Heinicke found tight end Logan Thomas for an 11-yard touchdown to give the Football Team a 16-13 lead.

Unfortunately, Washington’s defense was atrocious on third down, allowing the Chargers to convert on 14 of 19 third downs. Washington’s vaunted pass rush could only muster one sack of Los Angeles quarterback Justin Herbert, who completed 31 of 47 passes for 337 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

Herbert made very few mistakes on the day. His lone interception in the second half was one of those mistakes, but his defense got the ball back for him on the next play forcing an Antonio Gibson fumble to give the Chargers a 1st-and-goal from inside the five-yard line.

Herbert would then find wide receiver Mike Williams to give the Chargers a 20-16 lead, which were the game’s final points.

Gibson would rush for 90 yards on 20 carries. His fumble was a turning point in the game.

Heinicke, who came in the game in relief of injured starter Ryan Fitzpatrick in the second quarter, completed 11 of 15 passes for 122 yards and a touchdown. His feet changed the momentum of the game for a brief time. Unfortunately, Gibson’s fumble and Washington’s third-down defense proved too much to overcome for Heinicke.

Washington, 0-1, must now get ready for NFC East rival, then New York Giants, on a short week as the two teams play on Thursday night at FedEx Field.

 

WATCH: Logan Thomas scores Washington’s first touchdown of 2021

Logan Thomas scores Washington’s first touchdown of the 2021 season.

It was a rough start for the Washington Football Team’s offense in the first half of their Week 1 showdown with the Los Angeles Chargers. Washington had just 13 passing yards at the nine-minute mark of the second quarter when starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick departed the game with a hip injury.

Taylor Heinicke entered the game in relief of Fitzpatrick and, on his second drive, found Logan Thomas twice to set up a 48-yard field goal by Dustin Hopkins to cut the Chargers’ lead to 13-9 at halftime.

The two receptions by Thomas just before the half were his first two targets of the game.

On Washington’s first drive in the second half, Heinicke went to work, finding terry McLaurin three times to get Washington into the red zone.

Then, Heinicke would find Thomas from 11 yards out for Washington’s first touchdown of the 2021 season.

It was a beautiful pitch and catch executed by Heinicke and Thomas to give Washington a 16-13 lead.

Instant analysis: Chargers lead Washington 13-9 at halftime

Washington trails 13-9 at halftime to the Los Angeles Chargers. It’s not all bad, considering the Chargers dominated the ball in the first half.

The Los Angeles Chargers lead the Washington Football Team, 13-9, at halftime in Week 1 of NFL action.

The Chargers dominated the football in the first half, holding the ball for just over 21 minutes. Los Angeles quarterback Justin Herbert completed 19 of 27 passes for 179 yards in the first half. Too often, it looked as if Herbert was playing simple pitch and catch with his receivers.

The Chargers’ lone touchdown came from running back Austin Ekeler, who scored from three yards out.

As a team, Los Angeles rushed for 56 yards on 15 attempts in the first half.

The big news for Washington in the first half was the injury to starting quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. Fitzpatrick was driven into the ground on his right side, suffering an apparent hip injury. He is questionable to return.

Fitzpatrick was three of six for 13 yards and under constant pressure. Taylor Heinicke entered the game and completed two of four passes for 19 yards late in the second quarter. He helped lead Washington to a 48-yard field goal to trim the lead to 13-9 just before halftime.

Terry McLaurin did not receive one target in the first half. Logan Thomas caught two passes — both on Washington’s final drive — to set up the final three points of the half.

Running back Antonio Gibson was the offensive star for Washington in the first 30 minutes. He rushed for 40 yards on five carries, and also caught two passes for seven yards.

The good news for Washington is the Chargers dominated the first half, moved the ball up and down the field, yet only lead by four points. The Football Team was a good second-half team in 2020.

Washington will receive to begin the second half.

Washington inactives for Week 1 game vs. Chargers

Washington lists five players inactive for the Week 1 opener against the Los Angeles Chargers.

The Washington Football Team has announced the inactives for the Week 1 game against Los Angeles Chargers at FedEx Field.

Quarterback Kyle Allen, tight end Sammis Reyes, offensive tackle Saahdiq Charles, defensive end Shaka Toney and cornerback Darryl Roberts are Washington’s five inactive players.

Washington will carry two quarterbacks on the active roster. Ryan Fitzpatrick is the starting quarterback, while Taylor Heinicke is the backup. Tight end Logan Thomas is Washington’s emergency quarterback.

Charles is the only offensive lineman on the active roster who is inactive for the game. Cornelius Lucas will serve as the backup at both right and left tackle in Week 1.

With Reyes inactive, Washington will still have three tight ends on the gameday roster: Thomas, rookie John Bates and Ricky Seals-Jones.

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Washington vs. Chargers: 4 key matchups to watch in Week 1

These four key matchups could go a long way in determining the outcome of this Week 1 matchup.

The Washington Football Team is set to clash with the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 1 of NFL action on Sunday at FedEx Field. This game features some of the most exciting young players in the NFL, including the reigning offensive and defensive rookies of the year.

Several high-profile matchups could determine the outcome of the meeting between the Washington Football Team and the Los Angeles Chargers.

Here are the top four matchups fans should keep an eye on in Sunday’s game.

Washington rookie Jamin Davis has an impressive first day of training camp

Ron Rivera singled out Davis for his performance on Wednesday.

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Washington first-round pick Jamin Davis had his first NFL training camp practice on Wednesday. The rookie linebacker lined up with Washington’s first-team defense and, by all accounts, had a good day.

After practice, head coach Ron Rivera spoke to the media and singled out Davis.

“Jamin stood out right away,” Rivera said, per Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post. “And again, he’s one of the guys that we’re counting on to be able to handle these situations and circumstances.”

Coaches have said they want to try Davis at all three linebacker positions, but the long-term plan is for him to be the middle linebacker. On Wednesday, he played the “mike” and apparently handled the position well.

The biggest key for young players is retention. And Davis impressed Rivera in that aspect.

While coaches love Davis’ versatility, it’s in the team’s best interest for him to succeed at middle linebacker. An athletic “mike” backer is essential for today’s pass-happy NFL.

Lining up alongside Davis was Cole Holcomb at “Sam” linebacker and former middle linebacker Jon Bostic at “Will” linebacker.

It will be interesting to follow Davis and his progress this summer.

 

Don’t count out Washington wide receiver Cam Sims in 2021

Washington added talent at wide receiver this offseason. That doesn’t mean you should count out Cam Sims from making the WFT roster.

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Wide receiver Cam Sims was an undrafted free agent out of Alabama in 2018. In his first season, Sims made the roster but was injured in the season-opener.

In 2019, Sims spent time going back and forth between Washington’s practice squad and active roster. The 2020 season was going to be a make-or-break one for Sims, and things didn’t look good when he was released during final cuts and placed on the practice squad.

However, Sims was undeterred and was called up to the active roster for Washington’s first two games and, on Sept. 22, was promoted to the active roster for good. Sims would never look back.

He would catch his first career touchdown in Week 6 and recorded his first career 100-yard game in Week 9. Sims finally emerged once Alex Smith took over at quarterback.

Wide receivers coach Drew Terrell said Sims was indispensable in 2020.

“We relied on Cam heavily last year,” said Terrell, per Zach Selby of washingtonfootball.com. “He was kind of the glue of our group.”

While Sims didn’t end up posting eye-popping numbers, he did finish with 32 receptions for 477 yards and a touchdown. He averaged 14.9 yards per reception.

Sims saved his best effort for Washington’s biggest game. In the wild-card playoff game against Tampa Bay, Sims led the Football Team with seven receptions for 104 yards. He and quarterback Taylor Heinicke — two improbable heroes — almost led Washington to the upset win over the eventual Super Bowl champions.

Washington added reinforcements at wide receiver this offseason, bringing in Curtis Samuel and Adam Humphries via free agency and Dyami Brown from the NFL draft. Now, Sims will have to earn his spot yet again.

Don’t count him out.

Sims has outstanding size at 6-foot-5, 220 pounds, and good speed. His work ethic and ability on special teams should give him a strong chance to make Washington’s roster again in 2021.

The WFT will carry five or six receivers. Terry McLaurin, Samuel and Brown are locked in. Humphries is almost certainly a lock. That leaves one or two spots for Sims, Antonio Gandy-Golden, Steven Sims, Dax Milne and Kelvin Harmon to battle to compete for.

Thanks to his effort in 2020, expect Sims to make it hard for the coaches to let him go this time around.

 

Ranking the NFC East: Who has the top offensive line in the division?

Does Dallas or Washington have the top offensive line in the NFC East?

Who has the best offensive line in the NFC East?

At the conclusion of the 2020 NFL season, Pro Football Focus ranked every offensive line, from 1-32, and the Cleveland Browns came in at the top.

How did the four NFC East teams rank?

Surprisingly, the Washington Football Team was tops in PFF’s rankings, coming in at No. 6. Washington received surprisingly strong play from the left side in 2020 with Cornelius Lucas at tackle and Wes Schweitzer at guard.

The Philadelphia Eagles were next at No. 19. Considering all of the injuries Philadelphia endured last season, the No. 19 ranking was an accomplishment.

The Dallas Cowboys came in at No. 27. Much like the Eagles, you can blame injuries. The Cowboys were without left tackle Tyron Smith, right guard Zack Martin and right tackle La’el Collins for large portions of the season. Travis Frederick, Dallas’s outstanding center, also retired before the 2020 season.

Finally, the New York Giants came in at No. 31 despite several high-profile additions to the offensive line in recent years.

So, how do the NFC East’s offensive lines stack up ahead of the 2021 season?

Washington Wire ranks the division’s offensive lines from last to best.

Ranking the quarterbacks in the NFC East

Washington RBs coach Randy Jordan wants to see Antonio Gibson catching more passes in 2021

Washington running back Antonio Gibson had a stellar rookie season in 2020. Now, Washington wants to see the former college receiver more involved in the passing game in 2021.

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When the Washington Football Team selected running back Antonio Gibson in the third round of the 2020 NFL draft, no one believed he would lead the team in rushing as a rookie.

After all, Washington was bringing back Derrius Guice and Adrian Peterson in 2020. Fast forward to training camp, and Guice was released due to off-field issues, and Peterson was let go because the team loved what it saw from Gibson.

Gibson would go on to rush for 795 yards and 11 touchdowns while averaging 4.7 yards per rush. It’s also worth noting that Gibson battled a toe injury the entire month of December.

One element where Gibson could improve in 2021 is as a receiver. During his career at Memphis, Gibson split time between running back and wide receiver. Many WFT fans thought he’d be more involved as a pass-catcher as a rookie, but the J.D. McKissic on the roster, Gibson wasn’t used in that role too often.

McKissic, one of the top receiving backs in the NFL, caught 80 passes in 2020. Gibson finished with 36 receptions, but for only 247 yards.

Washington running backs coach Randy Jordan believes in Gibson’s ability as a receiver.

“I think that’s something we haven’t really tapped into a lot,” Jordan said after minicamp, per Zach Selby of washingtonfootball.com. “I think the biggest thing for him is utilizing his ability to catch the ball because he has caught the ball in college.”

Jordan is right. In 2019, Gibson finished with 38 receptions for 735 yards and eight touchdowns. He averaged over 19 yards per receptions, proving his ability as a big-play guy.

Offensive coordinator Scott Turner wants his running backs to be versatile, which fits both Gibson and McKissic to a tee. In addition, Gibson has spoken of wanting to be more involved as a receiver, but it comes down to how much of the playbook he retains.

For Jordan, it’s all about practice.

“First and foremost, he’s a football player,” Jordan said. “The more he does it, the more opportunities he has to do it; he’ll get better at it.”

The more Washington uses Gibson as a pass-catcher, the more dangerous this new-look offense will be in 2021. Paired with McKissic, Washington has one of the more versatile backfields in the NFL.