Category: Latest Washington News

Chase Young has opportunity to do what Nick Bosa couldn’t: Sack QB Kyler Murray

With two young players holding incredibly high ceilings, Kyler Murray vs. Chase Young could be exciting duel on Sunday.

There were nothing but high expectations for Washington’s rookie DE Chase Young coming into the first season of his NFL career. As a prolific college talent, Young became the No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 draft, and was being compared to the likes of Von Miller and Julius Peppers before he played a single down.

While those comparisons are lofty, and more long-term, another player that many have linked Young to is 49ers DE Nick Bosa, an Ohio State graduate who was added to an already dominant defensive line in San Francisco a year ago, helping to carry them over the top and become Super Bowl contenders.

With the two players fitting in so many of the same bubbles, it’s obvious to use Bosa’s rookie season and young career as a measuring stick for Chase. However, in Week 2 against the Arizona Cardinals, Young has the chance to do something that Bosa has yet to accomplish in his NFL career.

Sack QB Kyler Murray.

Murray is young as well, but he’s already garnered a reputation as one of the most elusive quarterbacks in the NFL. His ability to scramble out of the pocket and avoid sacks is prolific, and the rate at which he avoids getting hit is remarkable.

Young, on the other hand, had a nice debut game in Washington’s 27-17 win over Philadelphia, coming up with four tackles, 1.5 sacks, 2 QB hits, and one forced fumble. Washington’s defensive line at large was able to put Eagles QB Carson Wentz into the ground a total of 8 times, keeping him under constant duress.

So what will happen when they’re matched up against the Cardinals offensive front next week? What can we expect to see when Young comes bulldozing around the edge, and Kyler is forced to make a decision?

We’re not going to try and predict the outcome of that matchup, but it’s the first time in Chase Young’s NFL career where he may be able to take a step ahead of his former OSU running mate and start carving a path of his own.

Sunday afternoon. 4:05 ET. We’ve got a fun matchup on our hands.

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Washington needs to try and trade for Bears WR Allen Robinson

There are rumors that Bears WR Allen Robinson is unhappy with his situation in Chicago, and Washington could benefit greatly from a trade.

After the Washington Football Team brought in a total of five wide receivers to try out for the team on Monday, it’s apparent that they are looking to add some depth to the WR corps at the very least.

If you follow along with NFL rumors as well, it appears that the Chicago Bears star wide receiver Allen Robinson is also going through a little unrest up north, where he has deleted all of the team content from his social media pages after yet another frustrating game trying to catch passes from Mitchell Trubisky. Does he want a trade? Who knows…

However, if a trade is available, what’s stopping Washington from trying to bring in the star WR? Absolutely nothing.

NBC Sports Washington’s JP Finlay said it best on Tuesday morning. If you’re running Washington, there’s absolutely no reason that you shouldn’t be poking around Robinson and seeing what it would take to bring him in. Washington has some draft capital, thanks to the Trent Williams trade earlier this year, and a major need for another WR to go alongside Terry McLaurin. A major hesitation earlier this offseason was that Washington might not be good enough to compete this season, so it could be smarter to be patient and not leverage your future for some quick fixes. However, after watching this team against the Eagles on Sunday, it’s clear that they’re better than a lot of people may have thought.

Giving QB Dwayne Haskins another weapon to work with could be major, as it would help distract the defense from McLaurin, and spur the growth of the young QB by giving him more playmakers to develop with.

The asking price may be too high for Washington, but they at the very least need to see what they can get Robinson for, and they need to do it now.

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Ron Rivera only coach to win debut game with new team in 2020 NFL season

After Week 1 of the NFL season, Ron Rivera became the only coach to win his debut game with his new team, pulling off a major upset.

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Not only did the Washington Football Team take an early lead in the NFC East with a win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday afternoon, but new head coach Ron Rivera also became the only first-year head coach with a new team in the NFL to win his debut game this season.

The game that sealed the deal was early on Monday night when the New York Giants lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Coincidentally, it was also this game that gave Washington the early No. 1 spot in the division, with all three other teams starting the 2020 season 0-1.

Here are the teams with new coaches this year, and the results that they had in Week 1.

Ron Rivera: Washington Football Team | W 27-17

Joe Judge: New York Giants | L 26-16

Matt Rhule: Carolina Panthers | L 34-30

Kevin Stefanski: Cleveland Browns | L 38-6

Mike McCarthy: Dallas Cowboys | L 20-17

You can blame the early losses on a wild offseason where new coaching staffs were unable to work with their teams as much as in years past, but that only makes what Rivera and Washington did more impressive. No matter what any team claims took place for them in the offseason, Washington had it worse, and they still were able to take the field in Week 1 and pull off an upset win over a division rival.

How’s that for bragging rights?

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Washington works out 7 players, including WR Hakeem Butler, QB J’Mar Smith

Seven players were brought to Washington on Monday to work out for the team and potentially earn a place on the practice squad going forward.

The Washington Football Team is not resting on its laurels after a big-time win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. According to the NFL transaction wire, Washington brought in seven players to work out for the team on Monday, potentially leading to them signing someone to the practice squad or active roster. Here are the guys they worked out, including five wide receivers, one tight end, and one quarterback:

  • WR Jeff Badet
  • WR Hakeem Butler
  • WR Quartney Davis
  • WR Codey McElroy
  • WR Dillon Mitchell
  • TE Temarrick Hemingway
  • QB J’Mar Smith

It’s obvious from this that Washington is in the business of adding some depth to their wide receiver corps, as well as at the tight end position. One of the more interesting names on that list is Butler, who was released by the Arizona Cardinals earlier this year, and wh Washington was said to have interests in coming out of the NFL Draft.

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Chase Young was NFL’s highest-graded rookie in Week 1

Chase Young was as advertised in his first career NFL game, and Pro Football Focus has him graded as the best rookie from Week 1.

There were some massive expectations for Washington’s rookie DE Chase Young entering his first career NFL game, and he definitely lived up to the hype.

While going up against a banged-up Philadelphia Eagles’ offensive line, Young was able to routinely make his presence felt, finishing the game with four tackles, 1.5 sacks, 1 QB hit, and one forced fumble. He also played the most snaps of anyone of the defensive line and came up with some big plays down the stretch that helped turn the tide in Washington’s favor.

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It’s fair to wonder if this breakout performance was more in part due to the Eagles missing three of their starting five linemen, or if Chase Young is as advertised. While it’s likely a little bit of both, watching him try and get home against QB Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals next week is going to be fun. With a healthy OL and a quarterback who’s proven he can get out of nearly any pressure, we’ll get a great sense for how good Young really is a week from now.

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Washington ranked No. 13 in Touchdown Wire’s Week 1 power rankings

It’s easy to overreact to Washington’s upset victory over the Eagles on Sunday, but Touchdown Wire has them ranked inside the top 15.

When we’ve been starved of something for so long, it’s easy to get too entrenched in what you just saw. That’s true in life, but also in sports. As humans, we are reactionary creatures who have little ability to expand our attention spans and think further out then a few days, or a few weeks.

This is something that many fans of the Washington Football Team are now going to have to deal with. After an impressive comeback victory over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, the team is feeling confident — rightfully so after putting QB Carson Wentz in the ground 8 times — and a new energy can be felt among the fan base. Why can’t this be a team that wins 8-10 games and makes a run at the NFC East?

In times like these, it’s important to try and take a step back, cool yourself off, and think about things logically. That is, of course, until you see that USA TODAY’s Touchdown Wire recently ranked Washington as the No. 13 team in the NFL via their Week 1 Way-Too-Early Power Rankings. 

Few teams in recent sports history have had worse offseasons than this team has, and they weren’t even able to get rid of owner Dan Snyder. But in their 27-17 opening win over the Eagles, a defensive line with five first-round draft picks sacked Carson Wentz eight times and added 14 quarterback hits, and Dwayne Haskins kept himself out of trouble for the most part. What the win means against an injury-riddled division opponent remains to be seen, but it’s a balm for a whole lot of self-inflicted wounds.

If there was any team in the league that Washington could play in order to gain some confidence and boost egos, the banged-up Eagles were it. Missing over half of their offensive line, Philadelphia was unable to stop the pass-rush, and Wentz faltered late in the game, allowing Washington to run away with the victory. We will get a better gauge for what the Burgundy & Gold can really do next week against an Arizona Cardinals team who just upset the defending NFC Champions on the road yesterday. With a healthy offense, a dynamic and mobile young QB, and a litany of weapons on the outside, Arizona will pose a serious test for Washington’s defense, and it won’t be as easy to force them into simple mistakes.

We’ll see where Washington clocks in on the power rankings a week from now, but for the time being, feel good that you can sit in the top-half of the league.

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Washington Week 1 snap counts: Chase Young leads the way on defensive line

The snap counts from Washington’s Week 1 win over Philly show consistency and health up front, with rookies coming to play.

Now that we’ve had some time to come off of the high of a Week 1 upset victory over a division rival, it’s time to dive into the number a bit for the Washington Football Team, and try to figure out how exactly they were able to take down the Philadelphia Eagles and a big-time comeback victory.

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We saw the big plays take place in front of our eyes, but those highlights rarely tell the whole story. One of our favorite things to do the day after a game is delve into the snap counts in Washington, and look at who played where, and what type of impact they had. Let’s break down both sides of the ball, starting with the offense.

Washington Offensive Snap Counts

via NFL GSIS

With 70 total offensive snaps, it’s not a shock to see the starting O-line and quarterback receive 100% of the work, but in Washington, it’s always a delight to drive home the fact that the front-five went the entire game without suffering an injury.

Here are some major takeaways from those snap counts:

  • McLaurin led all WR’s by a large margin
  • The main pass-catchers — McLaurin, Steven Sims Jr., Logan Thomas, and Dontrell Inman — are clearly separated from the rest of the pack as far as playing time goes.
  • J.D. McKissic surprisingly led the way for running backs, though he seemingly had the lowest impact as far as the eye test goes.
  • Antonio Gibson was on the field for only 18 snaps in the entire game, yet he outpaced the rest of the backfield when it came to yards on the ground.

Washington Defensive Snap Counts

via NFL GSIS

Again, the numbers don’t paint an extremely different picture from what we saw on the field, but it’s clear that Washington has a group of players in the secondary who they plan to rely on, and there wasn’t much need to go away from them on Sunday.

Here are some major takeaways from the defensive snap counts:

  • 5 total players saw 100% of the workload on defense, with four of them coming in the secondary. LB Jon Bostic was the only full-time player in the middle, with Kevin Pierre-Louis missing just one snap in the game.
  • Chase Young led all defensive lineman in snap counts, showing the coaching staff has no plans to give him time to get settled in the NFL game. He proved on Sunday that it’s not necessary.
  • Ryan Kerrigan was extremely efficient, coming up with 2 sacks in his 22 snaps. We knew he’d take more of a back-seat role with the depth upfront, but if he can make plays when he’s in the game, the sky is the limit.

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Overreaction Monday: Could Washington compete for No. 2 spot in NFC East?

After the NFC East standings were stood on their head in Week 1, is it possible that Washington is better than we think?

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Welcome to Overreaction Monday! After a weekend full of live NFL football, we plan to look into the latest happenings in Washington and try to find a major takeaway that could either be completely legitimate or a bit of an overreaction. Often, the sentiment is going to fall somewhere in between, but that’s for you to decide. Let’s get it started with our first Monday of the regular season. 

Washington could compete for No. 2 spot in NFC East

Woah! We’re only a week into the 2020 season, and a single victory in Washington already has us penciling the team in for 7-9 wins?

Not quite. While Sunday’s upset victory over the Philadelphia Eagles was thrilling, we aren’t going to pretend like that first half full of mishaps didn’t happen. However, we are willing to raise the question of Washington’s place in the NFC East hierarchy, especially after seeing the showing that the Dallas Cowboys put on during their Sunday Night Football loss to the LA Rams. As always, there are some solid arguments for and against this claim; let’s get into it.

The Argument

It wasn’t for the full game, but at times on Washington, the team looked to have one of the best defenses in the entire NFL, while possessing an offense that can get the job done. Washington ended up totaling eight sacks on Carson Wentz, and they were also able to come down with two interceptions, picking up 14 points off of turnovers. The offensive stats are nothing special, but second-year QB Dwayne Haskins orchestrated a couple of solid drives in the second half, finding a way to put points on the board and eventually go out ahead of their division rivals. As it stands now, with both the Eagles and Cowboys losing on Sunday, Washington will at the very least be in a tie for first place in the division, depending on what the NY Giants do on Monday night. Again, there’s only been one game played, but you take what you can get when you root for the Burgundy & Gold.

Of course, Washington’s performance alone isn’t enough for us to bring this overreaction to the table. What also contributes to the notion is the fact that we saw a banged-up Eagles team look less than stellar on Sunday, and the Cowboys were lackluster in the night game, with a couple of brutal injuries coming their way as well. It was reported after the game that LB Leighton Vander Esch broke his collar bone during the game, while TE Blake Jarwin suffered a knee injury and is feared to have torn his ACL.

It’s not like Dak Prescott or Ezekiel Elliott went down with an injury, but those two pieces are massive parts of what the Cowboys do week in and week out, and every game without them on the field will be a big loss.

We’re doing what we can to not drink too much of the kool-aid in Washington after one victory, but watching the defense play up to their potential, and seeing the offense get the job done on a day when they seemed to play closer to their floor than their ceiling was encouraging. This isn’t an article calling for Washington to make the playoffs, but it may be time to stop predicting that they’ll hold onto the No. 1 or No. 2 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.

Devil’s Advocate

It’s Week 1. That’s pretty much all that needs to be said, in reality. After an offseason that went off-script in more ways than one, it’s not a shock to see a number of teams across the NFL come into their first game of the season and play outside of their expectations. It just so happens that two of those teams were in the NFC East, and Washington was able to take advantage of it. After falling behind 17-0 in the first half, you could have simulated the rest of that game 100 different times and the Eagles likely come out on top at least 95 percent of the time. On Sunday, Washington got some breaks, players made some big plays, and the Burgundy & Gold came out on top. It’s not going to happen that way every week.

The Verdict

This is a classic overreaction, but one that we’re okay bringing to the table. The truth is that Washington looked a bit better than expected, and the Eagles and Cowboys looked worse than expected on Sunday. We’ll see how the Giants look on Monday, but it likely won’t do much to detract from our sentiment. Washington is still going to have a long and tough road ahead of them, and wins could likely be hard to find. They’re trying to tell us that they aren’t one of the worst teams in the league, though. We might want to start listening to that.

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Washington opens as 7-point underdogs at Arizona Cardinals

Washington got a huge win on Sunday, but they’re going to be underdogs once again next week in Arizona.

The Washington Football Team is coming off of potentially their biggest win in half of a decade, but that doesn’t mean they’re going to be treated like a successful team going forward.

When Washington travels to Arizona to take on the Cardinals next weekend, they will reportedly be seven-point underdogs, at the very least, with a chance that the line could move quite a bit between now and then.

Washington turned a lot of heads on Sunday when they scored 27-unanswered points to come back and beat the Philadelphia Eagles, 27-17, in a Week 1 divisional matchup. Now they have the pleasure of facing a Cardinals team that is ripe with offensive weapons who also scored an upset win over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.

With two young quarterbacks at the helm in Dwayne Haskins and Kyler Murray, we’re surely going to have a fun game to watch.

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WATCH: Ron Rivera gives a game ball to Ryan Kerrigan after win over Eagles

Rivera awarded Kerrigan a game ball after Washington’s victory, and the team in turn gave a ball to Rivera after first win in Washington.

If you’re looking for reasons to keep that grin from ear to ear on this Sunday afternoon, look no further than the reaction from both Ryan Kerrigan and the entire Washington Football Team when coach Ron Rivera handed over the game ball after Sunday’s victory over the Eagles.

Kerrigan finished the day with two sacks passed Dexter Manley to become the franchise all-time sack leader, and was one of many players on the Washington defensive line to dominate, coming up with eight total sacks on the day and making life tough on Eagles QB Carson Wentz.

While one game ball went to Kerrigan, it was later reported that the team decided to give the other game ball to coach Ron Rivera, who won his first game in Washington after what can only be described as an up-hill battle.

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