Has the Washington Football Team become the new Raiders?
With the Raiders now in glamorous Las Vegas, the national media needs a new team to hate. Dan Snyder’s tumultuous 21-year ownership seems to have filled the void. Suddenly, the media hates Washington for more than politics.
NBC’s telecast, social media, and ESPN overflowed with haters raining on Washington’s NFC East win, saying Philadelphia tanked the game late by sending in a third-string passer Nate Sudfeld in a meaningless game it trailed on Sunday. No matter Jalen Hurts was getting worse by the minute as Washington’s defense increasingly rose to second-half challenges. In the national media’s fantasy world, Hurts would have led Philadelphia to victory.
More importantly, Washington’s loss would have allowed the New York Giants to make the playoffs. Don’t underestimate the NFL’s and media’s love of the New York market with its ginormous ratings.
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The national media belittles Washington making the playoffs with a 7-9 record, but it’s OK for New York to get in at 6-10? It just reveals the prejudice against Washington that Snyder has well-earned.
Washington has stunk for years as Snyder’s personal toy. The past year alone saw a coaching change, the team president fired, franchise name removal, and lawsuits against Snyder by female staffers and minority ownership partners.
It’s open season on Washington and somewhat deservedly so: Major change needed to come to the team to force the owner to stop mistreating something fans so love.
That change came with the arrival of coach Ron Rivera and the departure of Bruce Allen. It’s a real organization nowadays complete with a brilliant signing of Jason Wright to manage the business side and a coming general manager to help the football side prevent Snyder drafting bad quarterbacks.
Washington could have won a couple more games this season with some luck. They had Cleveland and Detroit beat. Quarterback Alex Smith went from an afterthought to primary weapon during a four-game winning streak and is now the inspirational team elder despite clearly hampered by a strained calf. Washington needed Smith desperately with No. 2 quarterback Kyle Allen injured and No. 1 Dwayne Haskins benched and eventually banished.
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This is the franchise’s most interesting season since Vince Lombardi arrived in 1969. Even the 1987 strike season wasn’t as compelling on the way to its second Super Bowl victory.
Stories like Smith’s comeback from a near-death playing injury and Rivera rallying from cancer treatments over the season’s first half come along once in a generation, much less simultaneously. Throw in Chase Young as the team’s best defensive rookie since LaVar Arrington in 2000 and suddenly the Burgundy and Gold bandwagon is sagging at the axels.
Washington now faces glamour boy Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers in primetime on Saturday. Washington was sentenced to 1 p.m. starts all season until TV needed it for the final Sunday night game.
Now Washington is pitted against Brady, who rightfully is one of the game’s all-time greats with six rings. Brady is widely beloved by those he didn’t conquer regularly so the point spread suddenly rose from minus-6.5 to -8 quickly after first posted. Still, the national media will focus on how unfair it is for Brady to travel to Washington when Tampa Bay has the better record.
Nobody outside Washington believes good things should come to our city anymore. Well, New York can go on believing it deserved a playoff bid at 6-10. Let that fire keep the Giants warm this winter while Washington is the toughest out of the postseason.
Maybe Washington isn’t reaching the Super Bowl, but it deserves the NFC East flag no matter the naysayers. After all, they just won, baby.
Rick Snider has covered Washington sports since 1978. Follow him on Twitter: @Snide_Remarks.
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