Tag: DeAndre Carter

Instant analysis: Washington upsets the Buccaneers to snap 4-game losing streak

Despite an injury to star defensive end Chase Young, Washington pulls off the huge upset. Washington controlled the entire game.

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The Washington Football Team played their best game of the season in Week 10, resulting in a 29-19 upset victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Things started well for Washington as the defense forced a three-and-out on the game’s opening possession.

Washington’s offense took the field, and while it couldn’t put the ball in the end zone, new kicker Joey Slye proved his value by drilling a 46-yard field goal to give the WFT an early 3-0 lead.

The defense went back to work on the Buccaneers’ second possession, as cornerback William Jackson III intercepted a deflected Tom Brady pass, giving Washington terrific field position. The offense stalled again, leading to another Slye field goal.

Washington’s kept the pressure on Tampa Bay, as safety Bobby McCain picked off Brady. Several plays later, quarterback Taylor Heinicke found wide receiver DeAndre Carter for a 20-yard touchdown to give Washington a 13-0 lead.

Unfortunately for Washington, defensive end Chase Young went down with a knee injury on Tampa Bay’s next possession. According to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network, the early diagnosis is a torn ACL.

The Bucs would end the half with two field goals, cutting Washington’s lead to 16-6.

The second half began ugly for Washington’s offense, leaving fans to wonder, “here we go again.” But this game was different.

Brady led the Bucs on two touchdown drives, cutting the lead to three points on two occasions, but Washington’s offense, led by Heinicke, running back Antonio Gibson and wide receiver Terry McLaurin continued to answer.

Washington put together its best drive of the season in the fourth quarter and faced a fourth-and-goal from the one-yard line with under one minute remaining. Head coach Ron Rivera could’ve chosen to kick a field goal and make it a 26-19 Washington lead. After all, the Buccaneers had no timeouts remaining.

That’s not what Riverboat Ron chose to do. Instead, he went for the win. And one play later, Gibson went over the left side and into the end zone, putting Washington ahead, 29-19, effectively ending the team’s four-game losing streak.

Heinicke completed 26 of 32 passes for 256 yards and a touchdown. Gibson played his best game of the season, rushing for 64 yards and two touchdowns. He also made two crucial catches in the passing game, including one on the final drive.

McLaurin caught six passes for 59 yards, while Carter had three receptions for 56 yards.

Washington, now 3-6,  travels to Carolina in Week 11.

WATCH: Taylor Heinicke finds DeAndre Carter for the touchdown

Taylor Heinicke finds DeAndre Carter to give Washington a 13-0 lead in the first half.

The Washington Football Team has struggled to convert good drives into points in recent weeks. In a Week 7 loss at Green Bay, Washington’s offense struggled each time it was inside the Packers’ 30-yard line.

Early in the first half of Washington’s Week 10 game against the Buccaneers, it looked like more of the same from the offense. Washington went down the field into Tampa Bay territory and settled for field goals on two possessions.

Up 6-0 and facing a third-and-6, quarterback Taylor Heinicke decided he wasn’t settling for another field goal. Heinicke dropped back and found wide receiver DeAndre Carter for a 20-yard touchdown to give Washington a 13-0 lead in the second quarter.

It was a tremendous throw by Heinicke, as Carter continues to show why he’s Washington’s second-best receiver in 2021.

 

 

Washington leads the Buccaneers, 16-6, at halftime

Washington leads the Buccaneers 16-6 at halftime.

The Washington Football Team leads the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 16-6, at halftime in Week 10 of NFL action.

Washington got off to a great start by forcing Tom Brady and the Buccaneers on a three-and-out on the game’s first possession. Washington’s offense moved down the field and settled for a 46-yard field goal from new kicker Joey Slye.

Washington cornerback William Jackson III picks off Brady on a deflected pass on the next possession. Unfortunately for Washington, it would have to settle for three points again.

Washington’s defense would make another play, as safety Bobby McCain picks off Brady again. This time, quarterback Taylor Heinicke found wide receiver DeAndre Carter for a 20-yard touchdown to give Washington a 13-0 lead.

The Buccaneers finally appeared to have something going when Washington defensive end Chase Young went down with a knee injury in the second quarter. He was ruled out for the game. Washington’s defense held the Bucs to a field goal.

Just before halftime, the Buccaneers faced a 4th-and-7, and Brady threw a short pass to wide receiver Mike Evans that should’ve ended the half. However, Jackson tackled Evans by his face mask, and Tampa Bay got one free untimed down. That led to kicker Ryan Succop kicking a field goal to make it 16-6.

That’s why Washington is a bad team. Jackson gave a very good team three points.

Heinicke has completed 13 of 16 passes for 129 yards and a touchdown in the first half. He had two drops but also had one pass deflect off a Tampa Bay defensive back’s hands into the waiting arms of Carter.

Washington will start the second half with the football.

WATCH: Taylor Heinicke drops an absolute dime to DeAndre Carter for Washington touchdown

Taylor Heinicke with a dime to DeAndre Carter for Washington’s first touchdown.

The Washington Football Team has had plenty of trouble scoring touchdowns in recent weeks, especially when the team gets deep into the opposition’s territory.

Late in the third quarter of Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos, Washington trailed 10-3 and was again deep in Denver’s territory. On a first-and-10 at the Broncos’ 20-yard line, Washington quarterback Taylor Heinicke drops back and throws a dime to wide receiver DeAndre Carter to even the score at 10 with the Broncos.

It was one of, if not the best Heinicke throw of the season.

Now, Washington trails 17-10 late in the fourth quarter and Heinicke has another chance for late-game heroics.

 

Washington wide receiver DeAndre Carter is the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week

Washington kickoff returner DeAndre Carter is the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week.

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Washington wide receiver DeAndre Carter won a roster in training camp for his ability to return kicks and punts. In Sunday’s Week 5 win over the Atlanta Falcons, Carter justified that roster spot with a 101-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to open the second half.

On Wednesday, Carter was named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance last week.

In the win, Carter returned three kicks for 152 yards, averaging 50 yards per return. Due to the injuries at wide receiver, Carter also played some offense and made a critical 24-yard reception in the fourth quarter.

Carter’s story is one of perseverance. An undrafted free agent out of Sacramento State in 2015, Carter is playing for his eighth NFL organization in 2021.

Washington has been in dire need of consistency in the return game for years. Carter didn’t break a return until Sunday but has been close all season. One area where Washington likes Carter is his decisiveness as a returner. He sees a lane and goes. There is no stopping and going sideline to sideline. Carter catches the football and goes upfield.

Congratulations to Carter for this accomplishment.

 

WATCH: DeAndre Carter return the second-half kickoff for a touchdown

Too bad Dustin Hopkins missed the extra point — again.

The Washington Football Team went into halftime down 17-13 after the Atlanta Falcons scored a touchdown late in the first half to take back the lead.

Washington received the second half’s opening kickoff, and wide receiver/kick returner DeAndre Carter brought the ball out of the end zone and returned it 101 yards to give Washington back the lead.

Unfortunately for Washington, kicker Dustin Hopkins missed the extra point for the second time in Sunday’s Week 4 game.

Washington trails by one score in the fourth quarter with numerous injuries piling up on offense. And, yes, you guessed it, another bad day for the defense.

Washington will have some tough decisions to make at wide receiver

The competition at wide receiver has been outstanding in training camp so far. Washington will be forced to make some tough choices over the next month.

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One year ago, you could argue that wide receiver was the weakest position on the Washington Football Team. Second-year pro Terry McLaurin was special — but there was little else.

Boy, how things change.

Washington signed Curtis Samuel in free agency to serve as the team’s No. 2 wideout. Samuel was coming off a career year and can line up all over the place on offense. The WFT also added reliable but injury-prone veteran Adam Humphries.

Then, in the NFL draft, Washington was fortunate when North Carolina wide receiver Dyami Brown fell to the third round. Suddenly, the Football Team had some depth at wide receiver.

Washington would also return some promising younger players such as Cam Sims, Steven Sims Jr., Kelvin Harmon, Isaiah Wright and Antonio Gandy-Golden. There was also seventh-round pick Dax Milne.

One week into training camp, it’s clear which players are making the 53-man roster. McLaurin, Samuel, Brown, Cam Sims and Humphries all feel like locks to make the roster. Humphries could be a surprise cut, but he has a nice rapport with quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.

The biggest question is, how many receivers will head coach Ron Rivera keep?

Most NFL teams keep five or six receivers on the roster. That number could vary depending on which players contribute on special teams.

Washington needs a punt returner. Of those players in camp, Sims Jr., DeAndre Carter, Wright, Milne and Humphries could all get looks at punt returner. Sims has done it before but hasn’t been overly successful.

Carter is the player to watch. The 28-year-old is on his eighth NFL team and can return punts. He’s also had a strong camp as a receiver. That versatility could help him land on Washington’s 53-man roster.

Sims Jr. entered camp squarely on the roster bubble after struggling at times last season. He has looked good this summer.

Sims Jr. has talent. He looked like a future keeper in 2019.

Next is Gandy-Golden. A fourth-round pick last season, Gandy-Golden failed to make an impression before his injury last season. The 6-foot-4 Gandy-Golden is impressive and is another receiver standing out this summer.

A player who is quietly off the radar is Harmon. As a rookie in 2019, Harmon caught 30 passes and looked to be a part of the future as a reliable possession receiver. The previous coaching staff really liked him. Unfortunately for Harmon, he was injured before training camp began last summer and was lost for the season.

He’s back — and catching everything.

Wright caught 27 passes as a rookie undrafted free agent in 2021. He can also return punts.

Milne, the rookie from BYU, has also impressed coaches in camp. He seems like a longshot, more like someone who could begin his career on the practice squad.

What has helped these receivers so far in camp is the absence of Samuel. Nursing a groin injury and also on the reserve/COVID-19 list, Samuel has yet to practice. It has opened the door for others, and they have taken advantage.

Regardless of what happens between now and the end of the month, Washington has some tough decisions to make at wide receiver. The team is going to cut multiple good players who will latch on somewhere else. It’s likely the preseason could make or break some of these young receivers.

Being in a position to cut good players is a problem Washington is glad to have.

Washington signs receiver and kick returner DeAndre Carter to one-year deal

Washington signed kick-returner DeAndre Carter to a one-year deal on Thursday, adding some value to their special teams unit.

The Washington Football Team made a free agent move on Thursday afternoon that has the chance to bring some major value to the roster, adding wide receiver and kick returner DeAndre Carter to the roster on a one-year deal.

Carter has been in the league since 2018 where he has played with multiple teams, the most recent of which was the Houston Texans.

In his career, Carter has 983 kick return yards on 45 attempts, with an average of 21.8 yards per attempt. Washington has been looking for a new return man, both in the kicking and punting game, and it appears that they might have found one on a low-cost deal in Carter.

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Bears sign RB Spencer Ware to practice squad, activate DeAndre Carter off COVID-19 list

Chicago made some roster moves on Tuesday, activating two players off the reserve/COVID-list and signing RB Spencer Ware to practice squad.

The Chicago Bears added some depth to their running backs room with the addition of running back Spencer Ware, who the team signed to their practice squad on Tuesday.

Chicago lost veteran running back Lamar Miller off the practice squad when he was signed to Washington’s active roster a few weeks ago. Ware has previously worked with Bears head coach Matt Nagy during his time in Kansas City.

The Bears also activated two players off the reserve/COVID-19 list, including receiver DeAndre Carter and practice squad receiver Thomas Ives.

Carter, who was claimed by the Bears off waivers from the Houston Texans on Nov. 18, served as Chicago’s punt returner for two games. Carter returned one punt for five yards. He was the fifth punt returner used by the Bears this season, with Tarik Cohen, Ted Ginn Jr., Dwayne Harris and Anthony Miller being the others.

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Bears place KR/WR DeAndre Carter on reserve/COVID-19 list

The Bears shut down Halas Hall on Thursday temporarily after WR DeAndre Carter tested positive for COVID-19.

The Chicago Bears shut down Halas Hall on Thursday temporarily after a fourth player tested positive for COVID-19. The Bears were cleared to return to the facility and conducted practice on Thursday afternoon.

We finally learned the identity of that fourth player — someone not on the practice squad, unlike the other three. The Bears have officially placed punt returner and receiver DeAndre Carter on the reserve/COVID-19 list, the team announced Thursday.

“Obviously we’re not exempt from this pandemic,” head coach Matt Nagy said. “We all know that cases are on the rise. And I just want to credit our players and coaches for adapting and staying flexible. It’s not easy. But we have the right mindset.”

Carter was claimed  by the Bears off waivers from the Texans back on Nov. 18. He’s since appeared in two games, where he’s returned one punt for five yards.

Chicago had already placed three practice squad players on the reserve/COVID-19 list — inside linebacker Manti Te’o, defensive lineman LaCale London and receiver Thomas Ives.

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