Maybe the Washington Football Team should pick wolves as their next nickname because the defense is playing like a pack of them. Hungry and brutal with a coordinated attack is making Washington one tough out.
Washington took over first place in the NFC East with a 23-15 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday. Maybe it’s only 6-7 (one game ahead of the New York Giants), but Washington is the team nobody wants to face come January.
After all, Washington’s defense scored twice on Chase Young’s 47-yard fumble return (think his tough mom has raised his grade to a B yet?) and Kamren Curl’s 76-yard interception. With quarterback Alex Smith stinking up the joint before leaving at the half with calf soreness (which may explain his poor throws) and Dwayne Haskins able to produce nothing special in relief, the defense needed to win this game.
With Seattle, Carolina, and Philadelphia remaining, Washington’s postseason path is pretty clear. Sweep and it’s in for sure. Of course, that’s asking to finish with seven straight wins using multiple quarterbacks, but Washington has done it before.
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Given New York lost to Arizona on Sunday, the Giants may need to sweep out against a tougher schedule in Cleveland, Baltimore, and Dallas just to keep pace. With a tie-breaking edge over Washington, New York just needs to win one more than Washington over the last three games. It won’t be easy for the Gotham gang, though.
Of course, Washington has a quarterback question. Will Smith return on Sunday against Seattle or will Haskins get a curtain call? Neither passer looked good against San Francisco, but the veteran Smith has been the team’s key to the playoff chase thus far, not the second-year man Haskins.
It was always supposed to be the defense carrying this team, though. It took half a season for the unit to come together and for Young to overcome an early injury.
Now, the No. 2 overall pick from 2020 looks like the head of the pack with Montez Sweat his right-hand man on the right side. Young once even counted to three Mississippi before charging to fool the tackle into looking away before the end swallowed 49ers quarterback Nick Mullens for a first-half sack.
With tackles Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen playing the best ball of their careers, the line is finally dominating and the rest of the defense followed. The offseason recipe for success has really come together.
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Linebackers Jon Bostic and Kevin Pierre-Louis are ballers. Curl, a seventh-round pick, has become the sleeper of the 2020 draft at safety. Safety Jeremy Reeves made a play on his first snap after coming in after Deshazor Everett left due to an injury. The back seven is backing up the front four well.
Sure, the defense took a series off to let San Francisco make it a one-score game in the 4th quarter forcing a tense ending. But unlike the past when Washington traded turf for time and ended up losing, the defense didn’t buckle on the final drive.
Sure, Washington was fortunate the referees noticed an obvious holding penalty to negate a 22-yard 49ers completion, but San Francisco also stole a play when a pass hitting the ground was incorrectly ruled a completion.
Certainly, nobody’s expecting Washington to go deep into the playoffs should they make it. But, nobody expected a 2-7 team to maybe finish 9-7.
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Look at those camera shots of Young between plays, staring at the offense like a predator scouting prey. Maybe a smile crosses the rookie’s lips. He has figured things out and the confidence has spread.
This time of year nobody wants to face a defense like that, hungry and brutal, hunting for the football like a pack of wolves.
Rick Snider has covered Washington sports since 1978. Follow him on Twitter: @Snide_Remarks.
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