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Ignore the flashy jerseys and the brand new stadium. Ignore the name of the head coach and the offensive system he runs. Ignore the high levels of success that they’ve had in the past handful of years, and go ahead and ignore their 3-1 record in 2020 as well.
The Los Angeles Rams are an extremely beatable team, and Washington has a real chance at pulling off the upset this weekend.
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It may sound crazy to some but look no further than LA’s game against the New York Giants this past week, when they escaped with a 17-9 victory that at times looked like it might end up another way. It was a 10-9 slugfest until midway through the fourth quarter when QB Jared Goff hooked up with WR Cooper Kupp over the middle for a 55-yard touchdown that exploited the Giants putrid tackling in the secondary. Goff ended the day with only 200 yards passing, and the offense as a whole mustered just 240 yards of total offense. If the Giants can hang with the Rams until late in the game, why can’t Washington?
Though the box score says one thing, Washington has actually played better than a lot of stats would show so far this year. After winning a thrilling Week 1 game against the Eagles, Ron Rivera and his squad held respectably close with the Arizona Cardinals down the line, and they absolutely should have come out victorious over the Cleveland Browns, had Dwayne Haskins not had the worst game of his career. On Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens, I truly believe that Washington played better than many expected, holding Lamar Jackson in check for much of the game — outside of his 50-yard TD run up the middle — and finding some things that clicked on offense.
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We all know that this team is young, and they will likely get better with experience. We’ve seen them take steps forward over the last weeks and month, so why can’t that culminate in a big-time upset over the Rams?
If it weren’t for the Giants hanging with them late into the game, I’d be right there with you in thinking this is a crazy idea, but if an injury-decimated New York team can be competitive, then I have no doubt in my mind that Washington can do better than expected.
I’m not calling for the upset out of the gates, rather, I’m putting it out there as a possibility. Don’t poo-poo the idea just yet.
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