Tag: Jack Del Rio

Studs and Duds from Washington’s 33-22 loss vs. Saints

Studs and (mostly) duds from Washington’s 33-22 loss to the Saints in Week 6.

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For the second time in three weeks, the Washington Football lost by double-digit points to fall to 2-3 on the season. The New Orleans Saints defeated Washington, 33-22, as Washington falls to 2-3 on the 2021 season.

Sunday’s loss felt much worse for Washington. The Saints were a beatable team. New Orleans entered the game with several injuries on offense, starting a quarterback prone to turn over the football, and Washington was essentially out of the game by early in the fourth quarter.

Washington’s secondary remains an issue, while quarterback Taylor Heinicke struggled in his fourth start of the season.

With a loss like this, there are plenty of duds. As we review Washington’s Week 5 loss for our weekly list of studs and duds, expect to see a list full of duds.

 

Landon Collins offers interesting reason for Washington’s failure to stop Hail Mary

Next-Gen Stats said the Hail Mary had a 9.9% completion probability. Landon Collins explained what happened from Washington’s perspective.

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The Washington Football Team and the New Orleans Saints appeared to be heading into halftime nodded at 13 with nine seconds remaining in the first half of Sunday’s Week 5 contest.

While heading into halftime tied was disappointing for Washington, which played reasonably well on defense in the first half but struggled on offense, it was still a close game. Washington would also begin the second half with the football, so there was reason for optimism.

All that stood between a halftime tie was New Orleans quarterback Jameis Winston heaving a Hail Mary attempt into the end zone to end the half. Surely, the ball would hit the ground, and Washington enters halftime feeling pretty good.

Next-Gen Stats tweeted the probability of Winston completing the Hail Mary was 9.9%, so, yes, the odds favored Washington.

Well, Washington’s defense proved anything was possible as Saints wide receiver Marquez Callaway went high for the football and came down with it to give the Saints an improbable lead at halftime. Washington’s secondary offered little resistance.

After the game, Washington safety Landon Collins offered the following explanation on why the Hail Mary was a success.

“We were thinking field goal, not Hail Mary,” safety Landon Collins said, per Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post. “When the ball was in the air, we weren’t, um, we just weren’t prepared for that one. That wasn’t what we were expecting.”

Wow.

This explains Washington’s defensive struggles in a nutshell. Not one Washington defender even made a half-hearted attempt to knock the ball loose from Callaway. And that’s where the competitive portion of this game ended for Washington.

A struggling defense that had played a solid half by its recent standards couldn’t recover, and this time the offense couldn’t bail them out.

Ron Rivera ‘frustrated’ over Washington’s 2-3 record and defensive struggles

Ron Rivera said coaches need to put players in a better position for success. True, but we are entering Week 6.

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Washington Football Team head coach Ron Rivera met with the media after a 33-22 loss to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday and appeared visibly frustrated.

He admitted as much to reporters.

“I’m very frustrated because we’ve got too many good football players to not be better than what we are now,” Rivera said, per Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post. “But your record tells you what you are. That’s what we are — we’re a 2-3 football team right now.”

Rivera has plenty of reasons to be frustrated. First, there is the much-hyped defense that continues to sink to new lows every week. Players and coaches speak to the media on the team’s defensive struggles and continue to offer the basic answers such as the fixes are easy, as the team is a tweak or two away from being a dominant defense.

Please.

Rivera says he believes in his players, but that is getting harder to do each week. He said it was the responsibility of the coaching staff to get more out of the players.

“I’m disappointed in that,” Rivera said. “But we have to go back. We’re going to look at some things as a coaching staff and make sure we put these guys in a position to have success. At the end of the day, we have to make sure we’re giving them every opportunity to succeed.”

We are entering Week 6, and Rivera is essentially talking about getting back to the basics. That’s not encouraging.

This team is what it is at this point. There are no miracle linebackers who can be signed off the street to transform a struggling group. There are no corners or safeties who can be brought in and miraculously change Washington’s fortunes. The players here must be better. Players need to stop saying they are a play or two away and start making those plays. It’s the only way Washington’s defense will improve in 2021.

Things aren’t going to get any easier over the next two weeks with Patrick Mahomes and Aaron Rodgers on the schedule.

5 takeaways from Washington’s 33-22 loss to the Saints in Week 5

Here are five takeaways from Washington’s 33-22 loss to the New Orleans Saints in Week 5.

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The 2021 Washington Football Team manages to reach a new low each week. In Sunday’s 33-22 loss to the New Orleans Saints, it was a game plagued with Washington mistakes on both sides of the ball.

Washington’s beleaguered secondary was beaten deep on two touchdowns, one of which was a hail mary at the end of the first half when Washington’s defenders didn’t even attempt to make a play on the football.

Yes, it was ugly.

On offense, quarterback Taylor Heinicke looked very much like a career journeyman filling in for the injured starter. Heinicke completed 20 of 41 passes with two interceptions.

The loss drops Washington to 2-3 on the season, with the Kansas City Chiefs on deck in Week 6.

Here are five takeaways from Washington’s Week 5 loss to the Saints:

Washington vs. Saints: 4 matchups to watch in Week 5

Here are four key matchups to watch for Washington vs. New Orleans on Sunday.

For the Washington Football Team to pick up their third win of the season on Sunday, they’ll need to overcome several injuries to take down the New Orleans Saints.

Washington enters Sunday’s game minus tight end Logan Thomas, who went on injured reserve, wide receivers Cam Sims and Dyami Brown, and right guard Brandon Scherff. Washington also has several starters who are questionable, such as running back Antonio Gibson, defensive tackle Daron Payne and wide receiver Curtis Samuel.

As with every week, it will be individual matchups that could determine the outcome of the game. In this game, there are several intriguing matchups for both teams.

Here are four key matchups to watch in Week 5:

Chase Young has interesting postgame quote about interaction with Jack Del Rio

Chase Young explained his sideline discussion with Jack Del Rio.

The Washington Football Team dropped to 1-2 on the season after an ugly 43-21 loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 3. While there were multiple issues on offense, namely turnovers, the defense continued its struggles on third down.

Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen completed 32 of 43 passes for 358 yards and four touchdowns on Sunday. In total, Bills quarterbacks dropped back to pass 44 times and never sacked.

Through three games, 2020 NFL defensive rookie of the year Chase Young has zero sacks. Late in the game, cameras caught Young having an animated conversation with defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio.

After the game, Young was asked about that interaction and gave the following response, per John Keim of ESPN:

There are two ways to look at this quote. First, Young’s statement would imply there is a lot of “bull——–” going on in practice, which is a stark contrast to what we’ve been led to believe about a Ron Rivera-coached team.

That is troublesome — if true.

Secondly, perhaps Young was just blowing off steam after another bad day for Washington’s defense, which had a ridiculous amount of hype before the season.

Washington now must prepare for the Atlanta Falcons in Week 4. While the Falcons are rebuilding, they have talent on offense, led by veteran quarterback Matt Ryan — a former MVP.

If Washington continues to struggle next week, Ryan will pick them apart.

 

Studs and Duds from Washington’s 30-29 win vs. Giants

Here are our studs and duds from Washington’s thrilling victory over the New York Giants on Thursday Night Football.

The Washington Football Team defeated the New York Giants, 30-29, to kick off Week 2 on Thursday Night Football.

It was a wild game that came down to the final seconds. Washington kicker Dustin Hopkins lined up for the game-winner from 48 yards out, but he missed. However, New York defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence was offsides, and Hopkins got another chance—this time from 48 yards—and he nailed it, giving Washington its first win of the season.

Washington’s win featured plenty of heroics. It also featured some players who could have done more.

Here are our studs and duds from Washington’s Week 2 win over the Giants.

Landon Collins named as one veteran who could be on the chopping block in 2021

Could Landon Collins be cut this summer? His contract is a difficult one for 2021, but you can’t rule anything out.

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Washington safety Landon Collins was beginning to get comfortable in Jack Del Rio’s defense before an Achilles injury in Week 7 ended his 2020 season.

That injury paved the way for seventh-round rookie Kam Curl to move into the lineup to prove himself as a viable starting safety.

Now, Collins is healthy and ready to get back on the field in 2021.

Throughout the offseason, Washington’s coaches, specifically defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio, have said both players will play. But with training camp just a few weeks away, could Washington be looking to unload Collins?

Patrik Walker of CBS Sports recently looked at one veteran from each NFL team who could be on the chopping block this summer. Walker named Collins as that guy for Washington.

Collins broke the bank in 2019 when he agreed to terms on a six-year, $84 million deal in Washington. And while that’s wonderful for him as a player, it’s time to begin assessing if his production supports a continuation of such a mammoth deal. Collins was available for only seven games in 2020 because of a torn Achilles and wasn’t exactly dominating before he went down with the season-ending injury. This means Washington has to be damn sure he’ll not only return to form physically after a devastating injury, but that he’ll also return to an All-Pro level in the process. Otherwise, they won’t be able to justify his $16.92 million cap hit in 2021 (second-highest on the team). An outright release wouldn’t yield enough savings to outweigh his presence, but trading him would see Washington net $12.72 million in savings.

Walker makes several valid points. But one thing is certain, no one is trading for Collins. Not happening. Who would take on that type of contract?  No one.

And, as tempting as it may be for Washington to release Collins, it just doesn’t make sense until after the 2021 season. Collins is due to count almost $17 million against the salary cap in 2021, just behind franchised right guard Brandon Scherff.

The best Washington can hope for is a completely healthy Collins resembling his former All-Pro self. That would give the Football Team another defensive weapon on what figures to be one of the best units in the league.

But, as we’ve learned with head coach Ron Rivera, you can’t rule anything out.

4 keys to an upset victory for Washington over Seattle Seahawks

It’s going to take a long-shot for Washington to find a victory on Sunday, but if they can let loose and take some chances, it’s not out of the question.

Heading into this Week 15 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks, it doesn’t feel like many people are giving Washington a great chance to come out with another upset victory. It’s a pivotal game for Ron Rivera and his team, one that could ultimately sway their postseason dreams if they are to pull off a win, and it could also be a chance for them to assert their dominance over a potential playoff opponent, and announce their presence to the rest of the NFL world.

However, it’s going to be extremely hard to accomplish. News came out on Friday that it would be QB Dwayne Haskins getting the start, rather than Alex Smith, and the defense in Washington would be without three of their regular starters. On top of that, Seattle is a good team, with a dynamic offense and a much-improved defense from the start of the season. Sitting at 9-4 with a future Hall of Fame quarterback and a second-year WR who can find success in every aspect of the passing game, Washington is going to have to play a near-perfect game in order to come out on top.

Of course, we’ve said that a number of times over the past month and Washington continues to get the job done, so this isn’t to say that they can’t do it. If they are to pull off the upset, though, here are some things they need to take care of.