The Washington Football Team has a clear path to the playoffs and defense is leading the way.
On Monday, the Washington Football Team shocked the NFL world. Heading into their matchup with the then-11-0 Pittsburgh Steelers, they were just 4-7. However, they managed an impressive 23-17 win. Not only did this knock off the final undefeated team of the year, but it gave Washington a boost in the weak NFC East standings and, at 5-7, has them tied with the New York Giants for first place.
While the Giants have the tiebreaker (they beat Washington both times they met this year), the Football Team still has a pretty clear path to the postseason now. And what’s going to be the key to a playoff run? That defense.
It is no surprise that Washington’s defense is their strength. Heading into the season, everyone already knew that. They had massive holes on offense, but the defense had top-five potential. At times, they have struggled. But as the weeks have gone by, they’ve gotten better and better.
Washington has some stars on offense. Terry McLaurin is one of the best wide receivers in the NFL and Antonio Gibson is a fast-rising star at running back.
Week 13 was a perfect example of how important the defense is though. Gibson was injured very early into the game (two carries for 14 yards) and McLaurin was held to just two receptions for 14 yards. Despite that, Washington won. How did they win? There were some big plays offensively (looking at Logan Thomas and Cam Sims), but it was all about the defense.
The Washington Football Team defense has been the driving force to success.
One of the big surprises has been the secondary. It hasn’t been perfect, but there are plenty of positives. Jimmy Moreland is coming along nicely, Kendall Fuller always makes plays and Ronald Darby has been surprisingly phenomenal for most of the year. Meanwhile, seventh-round pick Kamren Curl hasn’t just been an occasional contributor; he’s been a great safety.
It was the defense that had the incredible goal-line stand against Pittsburgh, the defense that held the Steelers to just 17 points despite dealing with tough field positions and usually short breaks. They held Pittsburgh to just 21 rushing yards and had that clutch late turnover.
Montez Sweat is a legitimate superstar. Chase Young is blowing plays up left and right. The entire defensive line (Da’Ron Payne, Jonathan Allen, Tim Settle) are causing problems for offenses. Cole Holcomb has been a spark plug as well and, of course, Ryan Kerrigan plays a role.
The Washington Football Team is now 5-7. It’s not great, but it puts them not only in a position to win the NFC East but maybe even sneak in with a Wild Card spot if they have to.
Alex Smith has the offense running better and they have some stars on that side of the ball. This is a defensive show though, and if that unit continues to improve and put it all together, Washington could be a very interesting team to watch the rest of the way.