5 Guys for 5 Games: UKHTTW Roundtable

Meaningful football in December for the Washington Football Team.

That is the headline folks, as the WFT has recovered from 2-6 to a now even .500 record for the season and head into five divisional matchups to determine whether a successive play-off season can be secured.

Ron Rivera is very much a team-first Head Coach, but here at UKHTTW, we thought it would be fun to have a discussion on the five guys that will be the key for these five games.

First up, with his five for five is Tony Wheat of Full Press Coverage

Brandon Scherff (RG)

A lot of people are down on Scherff, and he does miss some blocks and is of course injury prone. The OL coped well without him, and he may well be entering the final stretch of his time in Washington. I certainly wouldn’t be paying him $18 million a year.

However, he is an All Pro and does make some crucial blocks. The O line in general has played well with or without Scherff but one stat quoted today by Ben Standig in The Athletic simply can’t be overlooked. With Scherff in the line-up, this season Washington is 6-2, without him they are 0-4, and since 2018 the record is 21-19 with him and 2-18 without.

That can’t just be a coincidence, so while he is far from perfect, his presence seems to have a major impact in the wins/losses column and the team needs wins over the next 5 weeks.

William Jackson III (CB)

This could have gone to anyone in the secondary, but Jackson gets the nod.

The big-name free agency signing was expected to provide a significant upgrade but struggled mightily in the first half of the season, as he adjusted to playing more zone than he was used to in Cincinnati.

In recent weeks however he has improved markedly as the blown coverages and communication breakdowns have largely disappeared.

If Washington is to seriously challenge Dallas for the division (unlikely but not impossible), then sweeping the bitter enemy is a must. To do that, the vaunted Cowboys receiving corps will need to be neutralised and Jackson will play a leading role in that in the upcoming 2 matchups.

Daron Payne (DE)

Payne doesn’t get as much press as Jon Allen and rightly so this season, as it’s Allen that has enjoyed an All-Pro level year.

However, in the last couple of weeks Payne has been graded as the second highest interior defensive linemen behind Aaron Donald per Pro Football Focus. If he can sustain this level of play to supplement the consistently dominant presence of Allen, supported by Matt Ioannidis then Washington can potentially wreak havoc in the middle of the field, collapsing pockets and stuffing any runs between the tackles.

Achieving this consistently makes sustained offensive success extremely difficult and Washington will have to slow down Dallas in particular, but also Philadelphia, particularly if Hurts is back in the line-up and tries to move around. Payne and Allen can be double trouble for offenses down the stretch.

Terry McLaurin (WR)

An obvious answer perhaps but McLaurin has been relatively quiet by his own high standards in the last few weeks, as Washington has leaned heavily on the ground game.

Teams will be looking to do all they can to reduce the effectiveness of Antonio Gibson and the resultant dominance in time of possession, possibly bringing an extra defender down into the box.

This potentially can create more space in the secondary for McLaurin and his precise route running.

As dominant as the ground game has been, Washington has only scored 17 points each of the last 2 weeks and will almost certainly have to improve on that to beat Dallas and likely Philadelphia as well. Terry can provide that extra spark to kickstart the offense into a higher gear over the last 5 weeks of the season.

Taylor Heinicke (QB)

Again, perhaps a predictable answer but Washington’s fortunes will rise and fall with its QB.

Heinicke has exceeded expectations in recent weeks (remember the calls for Kyle Allen at the bye week?!) and has proven that he is the ultimate gamer who also performs in the clutch.

However, he also throws some seriously questionable balls, largely as a result of inconsistent footwork that often leads to the ball sailing and being inaccurate. If Heinicke can continue to display the positive aspects of his game and remove the heart stopping, turnover worthy throws, Washington has a chance to make the playoffs.

Multiple turnovers is almost certain to lead to defeat as Washington doesn’t possess the type of explosive offense to come back from double digit deficits.

Heinicke is also auditioning for his future to some extent, as there is a growing section of the fan base buying into him as the long-term answer (not me personally however), and a playoff run will only strengthen his case.

Next up, is James Lowe of Washington FCUK.

Brian Johnson (K)

The games this season outside of Green Bay and Buffalo have been close.

We cannot afford to leave any points out on the field. We won the Giants game thanks to a retaken Field Goal.

The victory on Sunday vs the Raiders came courtesy of a last-minute field goal.

The kicking of Blewitt had a hugely negative impact in the two games he played. Johnson has missed 3 extra points this season for the Saints and that could end up being very costly in the climax to this season.

Deandre Carter (WR and PR)

Carter started the season as a dynamic returner but has put the ball on the floor several times in the last 4 games, luckily, they have been recovered.

Turnovers will be disastrous for our current brand of football and its important he finds his early season solidity. He also has a huge part to play now in the passing game, I’d also like to see more plays designed to get him in space for some serious yards after catch.

Jamin Davis (LB)

The first-round rookie had a tough start to the season and there were talks of him being a potential draft bust.

He has improved as the season has gone on and is now up to the pace of the NFL. If he can improve further, then the much-improved defence could become something very special indeed.

Landon Collins (SS/LB)

Can his hot run of form continue? When Landon plays well the Defense as a whole plays well.

When the opposing QB targets him in coverage we have looked terrible on DEF. How and where he is used is key to us going 3-2 or better over the next 5 games.

Taylor Heinicke (QB)

Can he continue to protect the ball and make big plays on 3rd downs. If he keeps moving the chains, we will have a winnable playoff game in January. It feels like he could be anything at the moment.

He could regress, turn the ball over and the mini recovery could stall very quickly against 2 good teams in Dallas and Philadelphia. Taylor could also become a legend and lead us to 9 in a row!

And last up, Christian Burt, UKHTTW founder

Scott Turner (OC)

The Son of Norv Turner is gradually starting to hit his groove in Washington.

His style of offensive coaching seems to fit well with the Rivera ethos of long opposition Defense sapping drives and an emphasis on the WFT winning the time of possession battle.

I feel there is much more to come from Scott, and it will be interesting to see how he utilises WR Curtis Samuel who is finally back starting in burgundy & gold after a long-lingering groin issue.

Turner seems to be able to get most of the OFF weapons involved in the game, with a nice balance of a commitment to the run and play action for Taylor Heinicke. There are still some head-scratching play calls, but overall, Turner could be around in Washington for some time to come.

Ricky Seals-Jones (TE)

The loss of Logan Thomas to a bad knee injury is a big blow for the team.

Thomas headed to IR for a second time this season after a nasty hit in LV, and therefore his 2021 season is done. Rivera very much preaches the Next Man Up philosophy, and for the WFT this would be the capable understudy Ricky Seals-Jones. Jones is not in the Thomas class of TE, but he has performed well in 2021 with 230 yards and two TDs.

The flip side is that Ricky has also been injured and is currently limited in practice. Although rookie TE John Bates is promising, he still has a way to go, and the WFT would continue to carry a relatively decent Redzone threat with a healthy Seals-Jones.

Taylor Heinicke (QB)

I totally echo the sentiments of James and Tony.

Like each and every team in the National Football League, it is ultimately in the hands of the QB where you will achieve success or failure. Taylor has injected some genuine excitement into the fanbase and, despite some obvious work to still be done, he has that spark to inspire those around him.

We are currently witnessing a nice balance between game management and his own natural off-schedule play.

Might it all fall apart? You cannot rule that out and there are just as many questions as answers. Of all those in burgundy & gold, the WFT play-off bound chances will depend on the shoulders of a guy who has only suited up 13 times for the burgundy & gold.

J.D McKissic (RB)

At the time of posting this blog, McKissic is in the concussion protocol, so it is not yet known if he will be ready to go vs. the Cowboys on Sunday.

If he is healthy for the final five, he is a key part of the Turner offense and carries a threat both as a traditional runner and out of the backfield. Antonio Gibson is the #1 back in Washington, but the availability of McKissic is vital to lighten the load for the WR turned RB.

McKissic is another one of those “under the radar” pick-ups by Rivera who has become a reliable addition to the way the WFT wish to play the game. It was noticeable vs the Raiders that the offensive side of the ball was a little bit more vanilla without the versatility of J.D.

You, Me, Everybody (the fans)

My final “guy” is all of us.

Rivera has underlined the importance of a passionate fired-up WFT fanbase. He has publicly stated the David vs. Goliath mentality of the team and how the roster had bought into that mentality.

He has also stated that the team feed off a loud home stadium and that might be crucial down the stretch. Even at 2-6, this was not a roster that showed obvious fragmentation or running to the press.

They stayed solid and they stayed together. In the UK we can only cheer in front of the TV, but it would be amazing to witness and take in a rocking FedEx on Sunday vs Dallas to begin this five-stretch.

Fight for Old D.C!