Category: 2021 Preseason

Washington leads Cincinnati 6-3 at halftime in preseason action

Washington leads the Bengals, 6-3, at halftime in Week 2 of the preseason.

The Washington Football Team leads the Cincinnati Bengals, 6-3, at halftime in Week 2 of preseason action.

Washington took the ball first and started fast, as quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick found tight end Logan Thomas for a big play. Unfortunately for the Football Team, the drive stalled and Washington was forced to punt.

Cincinnati jumped on the scoreboard first when kicker Evan McPherson connected from 37 yards out to give the Bengals a 3-0 lead. Cincinnati started the drive in good field position due to a Washington turnover.

Washington began to move the ball more consistently in the second quarter when quarterback Taylor Heinicke took over under center. Heinicke completed nine of 11 passes for 62 yards.

Fitzpatrick completed seven of 13 passes for 96 yards.

Running back Antonio Gibson rushed for 28 yards in the first half, while rookie Jaret Patterson ran for 24 yards.

All six of Washington’s points came on two Dustin Hopkins’ field goals. So, that was a bit of good news for head coach Ron Rivera after Hopkins struggled last week.

Cincinnati will receive the ball to open the second half.

Last minute news and notes before Washington’s preseason Week 2 game against the Bengals

Last-minute news and notes before Washington’s Week 2 preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

The Washington Football Team is set to host the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2 of preseason action from FedEx Field.

As we get closer to kickoff, Washington announced the players who will not suit up tonight.

Cornerbacks Kendall Fuller and William Jackson III, wide receiver Curtis Samuel, tight ends Temarrick Hemingway and Sammis Reyes and defensive lineman Casey Toohill.

Samuel’s absence remains a precautionary one. If this were a regular-season game, he’d likely play. Hemingway and Reyes are both in concussion protocol.

The absence of Fuller and Jackson could mean Washington wants to see more of the young corners against Cincinnati’s better receivers. It’s a good move. Therefore, keep an eye on Torry McTyer.

So, if you are coming to the game at FedEx Field, Washington gave fans some reminders for parking.

The receivers getting some work before the game.

And check out right guard Brandon Scherff.

Washington and the Bengals are set for an 8:00 p.m. EDT kickoff.

 

 

Bengals vs. Washington preseason Week 2: How to watch, listen and stream online

Washington hosts the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2 of the preseason on Friday night at FedEx Field.

The Washington Football Team is back in action for Week 2 of the preseason on Friday night, when the Cincinnati Bengals come to town.

Washington lost its preseason opener to the New England Patriots last week, but several young players stood out. Now, with the regular season just weeks away, these final two preseason games are important for several members of Washington’s roster.

Now, here are the pertinent details for Washington’s preseason home opener.

Game information

Who: Cincinnati Bengals vs. Washington Football Team

When: Friday, Aug. 20, 8:00 p.m. EDT

Where: FedEx Field — Landover, Maryland

Streaming

In-market live stream: fuboTV (sign up for a free trial)

TV

Cincinnati: WKRC CBS 12

Washington: WRC NBC 4 in Washington, DC and surrounding areas. You can watch on NBC Sports Washington throughout the Mid-Atlantic states.

The NFL Network will also show the game live.

Radio

Cincinnati: Bengals Radio Network. You can find a list of affiliates here.

Washington: Washington Football Team Radio Network: You can find a list of affiliates here.

The game can also be heard on SiriusXM channel 88.

 

Ron Rivera praises rookie wide receiver Dax Milne

Rookie wide receiver Dax Milne is quietly having a strong training camp. Could he force his way onto Washington’s 53-man roster?

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The Washington Football Team will have some tough decisions to make at wide receiver in two weeks when NFL teams trim their rosters to 53 players. Washington already made one move, releasing former sixth-round pick Kelvin Harmon on Sunday.

Washington has several wide receiver spots locked in. Terry McLaurin, Curtis Samuel, Adam Humphries, Dyami Brown, and, most likely, Cam Sims are on the 53-man roster.

That means there are only one, possibly two, spots remaining. Whoever gets that final spot — or spots — will also need to make an impact on special teams.

Steven Sims Jr. and DeAndre Carter have taken turns impressing coaches both at receiver and punt returner for much of camp. Carter did an outstanding job returning punts in the preseason opener last week.

But one name is often left out in the race at wide receiver, and that is rookie seventh-rounder Dax Milne.

Milne has quietly had a strong training camp and was impressive in the preseason opener. He caught two passes for 16 yards and also had a solid punt return.

On Tuesday, head coach Ron Rivera praised Milne, per Zach Selby of washingtonfootball.com.

“He has progressed very well. He really has,” Rivera said. “You see his natural route running ability showing in certain situations, circumstances.”

Often during camp, Milne has been matched up with a fellow rookie, cornerback Benjamin St-Juste. St-Juste has been the talk of camp, but Milne more than held his own against St-Juste, even winning some one-on-one battles.

Rivera noted he was a lot bigger and stronger than he initially thought.

“He is a good route runner with good size. To me, that is a pleasant surprise,” Rivera said. “For a guy that plays the slot, you usually have a smaller guy. This guy had a little more size, and he looked good out there on the football field.”

Rivera also praised Milne after Thursday’s preseason opener at New England.

Milne needs to finish the preseason on a strong note. He still has a long battle in front of him, but it’s clear he has the attention of the most important decision-maker in Washington’s organization.

 

 

 

Washington quarterback Kyle Allen to play against Cincinnati

Kyle Allen will make his preseason debut on Friday night against the Bengals.

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Washington quarterback Kyle Allen is entrenched as the team’s third quarterback heading into the preseason home opener on Friday against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Allen, who returned to practice this week after tweaking his surgically repaired ankle two weeks ago, met with the media after practice on Tuesday and said he was playing on Friday.

“Yeah, I’m going to play Friday,” Allen said. “I’ll be good.”

In Allen’s presser, he spoke on several topics, including how hard it was to miss two weeks of camp.

“It was tough. I was excited to come back to camp. I was telling somebody this was the most excited I was for camp, to get back to football,” Allen said.

Allen came to Washington last season and made four starts before the ankle injury ended his season. Now, he will get to play with a revamped group of wide receivers, which excites him.

“We got a lot of speed now,” Allen said. “A lot of speed. Obviously, I was with Curtis (Samuel) in Carolina, so I’ve got a lot of experience with Curtis, and he’s going to be great. Adam (Humphries), he’s been great in the short-area stuff; he’s also fast on the field, too. And, I know Fitz has been talking about him, but Dyami (Brown) has been awesome; he’s been picking things up quickly.”

While Allen is third on Washington’s depth chart, the coaching staff likes him. They trust him. It will be good to see him healthy and back on the field working with Washington’s young wide receivers on Friday.

Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow will not play Friday against Washington

Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow will not play on Friday at Washington.

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The last time Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow came to FedEx Field to play the Washington Football Team, his season ended.

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft tore the ACL and MCL in his left knee in a November game at Washington. He would finish his rookie season completing 65% of his passes for 2,688 yards with 13 touchdowns and five interceptions.

The Bengals return to Washington on Friday night for Week 2 of the preseason, but Cincinnati head coach Zac Taylor said Burrow would not be on the field, per Ben Baby of ESPN.

Taylor said last week he was not ruling out Burrow for preseason action. Burrow himself would like to see some action before Week 1.

It remains to be seen if Burrow will play in Week 3 of the preseason against the Miami Dolphins. The third preseason game is generally each NFL team’s final dress rehearsal before the regular season.

Cincinnati and Washington will kick off at 8 p.m. ET at FedEx Field.

Washington offensive tackle Sam Cosmi had a strong NFL debut

Washington rookie Sam Cosmi is going to be difficult to unseat at right tackle.

When the Washington Football Team selected Texas offensive tackle Sam Cosmi in the second round of the 2021 NFL draft, many believed he would be slated to compete at left tackle with veteran Cornelius Lucas in 2021.

Things changed quickly in May when the Chicago Bears cut former Pro Bowl left tackle Charles Leno. Washington quickly signed Leno. Then shortly thereafter, the Football Team surprisingly released longtime starting right tackle Morgan Moses.

So, instead of a Lucas/Cosmi battle at left tackle in 2021, we were given a Lucas/Cosmi battle at right tackle.

Lucas worked with the first team at right tackle in OTAs and the minicamp. When training camp began, Lucas went on the reserve/COVID-19 list, and Cosmi was suddenly the first-team right tackle.

The early stages of training camp were rough for Cosmi, going against Chase Young and Montez Sweat. However, he continued to improve each day and earned praise from head coach Ron Rivera last week.

In his NFL debut against New England on Thursday night, Cosmi played the first half at right tackle and held up well. Rivera was impressed afterward, commenting on Cosmi’s performance on Friday.

Pro Football Focus was certainly impressed with Cosmi’s performance.

That’s not a bad debut. Cosmi has shown this summer; he gets better the more he plays. At this point, it’s difficult to imagine Lucas overtaking the rookie at right tackle.

But Cosmi doesn’t want anything given to him. He wants to earn the starting position.

“I want to be able to perform and perform at a high level,” Cosmi said. “Being able to have the opportunity is huge, and I know that’s not given; that’s earned. So, I’m going to try to earn that position.”

If Cosmi’s NFL debut was any indication, Washington has its answer at right tackle.

 

Ron Rivera is impressed with rookie running back Jaret Patterson

Ron Rivera was impressed with rookie RB Jaret Patterson and wants to see even more of him.

How many times over the years has a young Washington running back won over fans after a strong preseason?

Fast forward to 2021, and Washington could have its latest preseason hero in undrafted rookie running back, Jaret Patterson. On Thursday, the 5-foot-8, 195-pound Patterson received plenty of playing time in Washington’s preseason debut and led the team in rushing and receiving yards.

Patterson’s numbers didn’t blow anyone away. He carried the ball 10 times for 40 yards. Solid. He also caught four passes for 30 yards, including one impressive catch near the goal line to set up Washington’s first touchdown just before halftime.

But Patterson’s debut performance goes beyond the numbers. He passed the eyeball test. He got first downs. And he did a lot of his damage in the first half before New England played mostly third-stringers.

Patterson is decisive, runs with great vision and is super quick.

Washington coach Ron Rivera met with the media after the game and discussed Patterson.

“Patterson didn’t surprise us. That’s what we saw in the young man,” Rivera said, per Ethan Cadeaux of NBC Sports Washington. “He had a terrific college career, and he’s had a good camp so far. I think we expected him to do some positive things, so it was good to watch.”

You have to like Patterson’s chances of making Washington’s roster. He’s had an impressive camp, outstanding preseason debut and has the head coach praising him.

Rivera liked Patterson’s performance so much; he wants to get the rookie runner an opportunity on kick returns.

“We want to see Jaret Patterson get a couple of tries as well,” Rivera said.

This makes sense. Patterson’s talents would seemingly make him an ideal kick returner. It could also allow Washington to keep another player from a different position.

Cornerback Danny Johnson is considered the WFT’s top kick returner at the moment, but the team arguably has more impressive corners in camp. If Patterson returns kicks, it could allow the coaches to keep another defensive back it doesn’t want to lose.

It will be fascinating to watch Patterson over Washington’s next two preseason games.

Ron Rivera was happy with several of Washington’s rookies on Thursday

Ron Rivera was pleased with the rookies after one preseason game.

Washington head coach Ron Rivera met with the media via Zoom on Friday after the WFT’s 22-13 loss to New England in the preseason opener.

The best news from Rivera’s Friday presser was there were no major injuries on Thursday,

Rivera also went over the performance of several of his rookies and came away impressed.

Sam Cosmi started the game at right tackle and played most of the first half. Cosmi did well in both pass blocking and in the run game. Rivera praised his hand placement and footwork.

At this point, it’s difficult to imagine anyone else starting at right tackle in Week 1. Cosmi has gradually gotten better each day this summer.

Rivera paid rookie tight end Sammis Reyes, an ideal compliment.

Reyes caught two passes but didn’t look natural either time. That’s ok. Reyes offers plenty of things you can’t teach, such as size, athleticism and physicality. Thursday’s performance would have to be considered encouraging from Reyes.

What about first-round pick Jamin Davis?

Davis didn’t stand out in his first professional action. Some fans were panicking. Relax. Once things slow down for Davis, he is going to be an outstanding NFL linebacker.

Rivera wants to further expand undrafted rookie running Jaret Patterson’s duties.

Patterson was extremely impressive on Thursday.

Wide receiver Dyami Brown and cornerback Benjamin St-Juste also impressed in limited duty.

Washington fans should be encouraged about its 2021 rookie class.

 

Everything Ron Rivera said after Washington’s loss to New England

Everything Ron Rivera discussed in his postgame press conference after Thursday’s loss to New England.

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It’s not often that your head coach is content after a loss. Well, for Washington head coach Ron Rivera, he has multiple reasons to be happy after his team’s 22-13 loss to the New England Patriots in the preseason opener.

Rivera went into the game wanting to see his first-team offense move the ball. With Ryan Fitzpatrick under center, the offense did move the ball, and tight end Logan Thomas continues to stand out.

Rivera also spoke of backup quarterback Taylor Heinicke — and he was impressed.

Staying on the offense, while some watching on the NFL Network may have been surprised by the performance of rookie running back Jaret Patterson, Rivera was not.

Speaking of rookies, Rivera left some rookies in the game a little longer to gain more experience. And he was pleased with Washington’s top four picks in Jamin Davis, Sam Cosmi, Benjamin St-Juste and Dyami Brown.

Perhaps the biggest topic coming out of the game was kicker Dustin Hopkins, and his two missed field goals. Rivera said it’s not all on Hopkins.

To be fair, he’s right. Washington has a new long snapper in rookie Camaron Cheeseman. On at least two snaps Thursday, the snaps weren’t perfect. Whether it is the kicker or the punter, a snap that is just off completely throws off the timing of the kicker or punter.

That doesn’t let Hopkins off the hook because these issues have been around for years. But it does buy him more time, and that makes sense.

It will be interesting to watch Washington’s special teams units in the final two preseason games.