Washington Football Team: trending up?

Has the Washington Football Team been good in 2020?

The answer on the surface is a no. But as the burgundy and gold head into the bye week they are still in the fight with a 2-5 record owing to a poor NFC East division.

And let us be thankful for that.

Yes, the Dallas Cowboys were brutal in every phase, but the 25-3 win equates to meaningful football over the next few weeks. This was not the season to really contemplate a play-off berth given it is very much Year One of a long cultural overhaul in Washington under Head Coach Ron Rivera.

But WFT do now have a chance to be a play-off team, which can be achieved by winning this rough NFC East division. The roster contains some talented guys, and you also sense that many on this 53 has a mental toughness & strength of personality.

Was that the distinct difference between Dallas and Washington on Sunday?

Washington did not look like a broken football team, whereas the Cowboys seem to have already hung up their lasso for 2020. In simple terms, Washington looked better than a 2-5 team, whereas for Dallas, the cap (or perhaps in their case, hat) fits the record.

On the theme of toughness, can we say at any point of this season that WFT have given up or quit? There is a long way to go and no doubt more frustration ahead, but togetherness is the most vital aspect of the much-vaunted culture change under Ron.

Defense trending upward?

At the very start of his tenure, Rivera stated he was excited about some of the young guys he saw on the roster.

Now, there are the obvious upward trending talents such as first round Defensive Ends Chase Young and Montez Sweat. Both are athletic freaks and are a danger on near every play. Young is so exciting to watch and has proved masterful against the run already in his young career whilst also registering 2.5 sacks.

The figures do not jump out as such, but Chase is already being double teamed and plays hard on every down. Make no mistake, CY2 is going to be absolutely pivotal to the future success of this team and Washington not deviating from the best player available was the wise choice in the 2020 draft.

Sweat is leading the team in sacks with 5, and added to the interior pressure generated by Daron Payne, the Washington Defense is ranked 4th in the NFL for yards allowed per game. If the opposition QB wants to hang in the pocket, be certain that Chase and Montez will get getting home time and time again.

Perception changers

In addition to the first-round talent, Washington fans are also starting to see the benefit of the non-flashy but well evaluated players for this football team.

One, Kyle Allen, is playing the toughest position in sports and has had a difficult journey as a starting QB in the NFL.

A high school five-star prospect, Kyle has proven two things in both his College and NFL career to date. Firstly, he can move an offense and legitimately look like “The Guy” at the QB position. Secondly, this can suddenly and dramatically go off the rails and into interception overdrive.

How Allen performs over the next four games will go some way to how Washington approaches the 2021 draft. He hushed the camera in a genuinely iconic Washington vs. Dallas moment when rushing for a first down on Sunday and Kyle could further silence his doubters with a revenge victory against the Giants on the 8th November.

At the Tight End position, it might not be an understatement to consider Logan Thomas as a key starter in D.C. and the converted QB is looking value for the cap friendly two-year contract he signed in Washington.

Whilst the perception shift is not quite a leap into the TE1 category, Logan has shown gradual separation qualities and is starting to play “bigger” as the season progresses.

In a pre-season blog, our UKHTTW guest Kennedy Paynter had met Thomas in person and described him as having “the right attitude and mental makeup to be an NFL player”. A breakout game would really cement Logan’s upward trend.

Disclaimer: play-offs are still a longshot

To get overexcited about the win vs Dallas would be a mistake.

Despite the NFC East being wide open, you would still wager that the Doug Pederson led Eagles will be the steadiest of the four teams. Philadelphia should cement their position at the top of the East with victory over the Cowboys on Monday Night Football.

Washington also lost starting Strong Safety Landon Collins to an Achilles injury vs Dallas. The fact this was not seen as desperately bad news is somewhat indicative of the average play for high dollar performances of Landon in 2020.

The team will now have to weigh up more starts for rookie Kamren Curl; or perhaps take a journey into the free agent market. But be sure that Ron will see every draft pick in 2021 as valuable, so my money would be on the side of Curl suiting up ahead of a veteran FA.