NFL
By: Ryan Cooley
The Washington Football Team looked dead in the water just three weeks ago. Sitting at 2-6 does not bode well for any team and their chances of making the playoffs are slim to none. However, this situation is all too familiar among Washington fans. Just last year they were 2-7 through the first nine weeks. They then ended the season 5-2 and won the NFC East at 7-9.
7-9 will not win the division in 2021 and most likely not get them in a wildcard spot either. If Washington wants to win the division in back-to-back years, they will probably have to win out, which is unrealistic with this roster. After defeating the 6-2 Bucs and 5-5 Panthers, many fans are wondering if Rivera can lead the team to another late-season push for a consecutive postseason appearance.
Here are three reasons why Washington could sneak into the playoffs.
Remaining Schedule
Washington has had to play a first placed schedule after winning the division in 2020. They felt the effects of it early on, having to play five teams that made the playoffs last season in their first nine games. However, looking ahead at their remaining seven games, only two of them are against a team with a winning record, both of which are against the Cowboys.
If Rivera can get the team to play close to the level they have the past two weeks, most of those games are winnable. While it is unlikely they can sweep the Cowboys, Dallas has been dealing with some injuries and maybe Washington can steal a win from them.
Defense
It is no surprise when someone says Washington’s defense has been the worst in the league. It was extremely frustrating to watch a unit that ranked top five last year, take such a major step down. However, the defense went from giving up 31 points per game in the first six weeks to a little over 20 points per game the past four weeks. While it is still not the dominant defense we saw last season, it is a step in the right direction.
Since his role change, Landon Collins has been the most improved player on the defense. He isn’t playing at an elite level, but the first half of the season, Collins’ game grades usually hovered around the 50s to even 40s. Since week seven, he has yet to see a grade below 67.6. William Jackson is another player who has improved in recent weeks. Since coming back from injury, his coverage grades have been 71.3 and 65.3 in the two games.
Quarterback Play
What a roller coaster Taylor Heinicke has been this year. He might not be the most reliable quarterback, but he does keep everyone at the edge of their seats. His game against Carolina was easily his best performance since the wildcard game against Tampa Bay in 2020. His 87.5 passing grade marked the highest in the league last week.
If this team has any hope of making the playoffs, Heinicke will have to play like he did Sunday every week. Running more play-action will help with this as Heinicke has an 83.1 grade on play-action passes as opposed to a 52.6 grade on non-play action passes. Also, limiting Heinicke on passes of 20+ yards will help as he has struggled mightily with the deep ball this season.
Conclusion
Overall, it will be difficult for Washington to make the playoffs, but not impossible. As of now, they are one game out of a wildcard spot. If they can manage to win five of their last seven games, I believe they could sneak into the 7th seed.
