It was always supposed to come down to the defensive line. Five first-rounders aren’t spent without lofty expectations of winning low-scoring games.
The Washington Football Team absolutely needed Chase Young and company to dominate because the offense was a mess over the second half. Quarterback Alex Smith looked spent and the offense went nowhere after a sharp start that included its first opening scoring drive of the season.
Smith looked like the needle was hovering near E and gutting it out. That wouldn’t cross the goal line into the postseason without help. And while tight end Logan Thomas made a great grab for a touchdown and receiver Terry McLaurin hauled in Smith’s best pass of the night for a score, it was still anyone’s game until Young grabbed a loose ball that set up a field goal to seal a 20-14 victory on Sunday.
Welcome to the postseason, Washington.
Related
Maybe it’s only 7-9, but Washington will be the toughest out of the postseason when facing Tampa Bay on Saturday at FedEx Field.
In the craziest of years that ranged from changing the franchise’s name to the owner sued by cheerleaders, staff and minority partners to the head coach undergoing cancer treatments to the opening day quarterback getting released and his successor breaking his leg to elevate Alex Smith from afterthought to season-savior, Washington returns to the playoffs for the first time since 2015.
Take a breath – it has been that kind of year for everyone.
Washington needed everything it had to beat a host with nothing but revenge on its mind after losing the season opener to the visitors. But then, Philadelphia showed why it’s 4-11-1 when its quarterbacking and coaching imploded over the final 20 minutes.
Indeed, sometimes it’s about not outsmarting oneself like Philadelphia coach Doug Pederson, who skipped a tying third-quarter field goal to test Washington’s mettle near the goal line. Maybe Pederson should have watched film of Washington stopping undefeated Pittsburgh five times in a similar situation.
Related
Or, maybe Pederson is the one who wants out of Philadelphia by making the owner pick disgruntled quarterback Carson Wentz over the coach that gave the Eagles their first Super Bowl title just three years ago. That fourth-down gamble was a bad one as the pass fell incomplete.
The defensive line rose with every challenge and by the fourth quarter seemed unstoppable. End Montez Sweat batted away a loose ball to Young, who rambled long enough to set up a field goal for a 20-14 lead.
By now, Pederson was playing former Washington 2016 draft pick Nate Sudfeld over quarterback Jalen Hurts. While Hurts was only 7 of 20, he’s supposed to be the 2021 starter. Announcers talked of Pederson saying he wanted to evaluate Sudfeld against Washington for who knows why and it was one head-scratching move that Washington exploited. It was like Pederson wanted to keep the New York Giants from making the playoffs if Washington lost. Gotham conspiracy theorists will chew on that one for a while.
Meanwhile, Washington will take a win that was mostly earned anyway. The defensive line stood firm and Washington marches on thanks to the strangest of games in the wildest of seasons.
Rick Snider has covered Washington sports since 1978. Follow him on Twitter: @Snide_Remarks.
Related
Related
Related
