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After four consecutive wins, the Washington Football Team climbed to No. 15 in the USA TODAY NFL power rankings after a Week 13 win at Las Vegas.
Washington’s four-game winning streak ended with a Week 14 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Therefore, the WFT dropped four spots in last week’s power rankings. Despite the loss, Washington remained in the playoff hunt, holding onto the NFC’s No. 7 playoff spot.
After the loss to Dallas, Washington had a tough week, seeing over two dozen players added to the reserve/COVID-19 list, including quarterbacks Taylor Heinicke and Kyle Allen. Washington was forced to sign veteran Garrett Gilbert last week, who made an emergency start under center for the WFT.
With so many players sidelined, the Eagles took advantage, piling up over 500 yards of total offense in picking up a 27-17 win over Washington.
Considering the circumstances surrounding Washington’s loss, how far would they fall in the latest USA TODAY NFL power rankings?
In the new power rankings, Washington comes in at No. 23. That’s two consecutive weeks of dropping four positions in the rankings. Here’s what Nate Davis said about Washington ahead of Week 16:
23. Washington (19): Cleveland and Washington were teams most affected by COVID in Week 15. Tuesday’s loss in Philadelphia might very well prove unsurvivable for WFT, which winds up in 10th place rather than in wild-card spot.
You can’t ignore the havoc COVID created on Washington over the last week. Could Washington have defeated the Eagles with Heinicke or Allen? Yes, on any other week, Washington can defeat the Eagles with Heinicke or Allen. But Washington’s defense wasn’t beating anyone on Tuesday night.
Now, Washington must get right in a hurry with a trip to Dallas Sunday.