Washington Football Team: Takeaways from preseason loss to Patriots

What did we learn from the Washington Football Team’s first preseason game of 2021 as the reigning NFC East champs fell to the Patriots, 22-13?

The Washington Football Team had their first preseason game of 2021. In fact, there was no preseason last year, so this was actually their first preseason game ever as the “Washington Football Team”.

Naturally, this had a lot of people excited. Football is back and fans get to watch their team once more. Not only that but this is a team coming off a division title. Sure, the NFC East wasn’t good last year, but a division title is a division title no matter what. Add on the fact that Washington looks to be much improved in 2021 and we’ve got a recipe for the hype train to pull out of the station in full force.

Washington squared off with the New England Patriots and ended up taking the L with a final score of 22-13. Let’s be honest though, the score doesn’t really matter in the preseason. For one thing, you’ve got starters taking just a few drives, then come the backups come in, then third string, and so on.

What you’re really worried about is individual performance. How did a new acquisition look? Or a rookie? Someone coming off injury or a bad year? What about someone who broke out last year or is set for a bigger role in the new season? I could keep going, but I can’t imagine anyone wants that.

There are so many different things to watch for, no one is really too bothered with the score. You could never look at the scoreboard and still leave with so many takeaways. There is so much to learn about the team with each possession, each play, and each performance.

You do need to be careful when it comes to overreactions though. This is still the preseason. A bad game isn’t the end of the world. More importantly, a good game does not mean someone is a superstar. Especially if they are running against another team’s backups/third-string unit. Feel free to be optimistic though, I always am. And you can definitely still learn a lot.

With that being said, what did we learn for Washington’s first preseason game? Honestly, quite a bit.

Taylor Heinicke isn’t a fluke

Taylor Heinicke had a nice run in the first preseason game. The numbers weren’t crazy for the quarterback (9-for-15 for 86 yards and one carry for four yards), but he was solid. He took care of the ball, made some nice throws and some great plays. Overall, that should get fans excited.

Look let me get this out of the way right out of the gate. Ryan Fitzpatrick is the starter and Ryan Fitzpatrick should be the starter. He’s a veteran with experience and a strong resume. Someone that will sling it down the field and utilize all the weapons Washington has properly.

That being said, there are a lot of people riding the Heinicke train. To be fair, there’s a solid reason for that. Heinicke looked fantastic in his chances last season, including almost leading Washington to an upset victory of the eventual Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card round last postseason.

One great game and a few possessions don’t make a star though. Heinicke needs to prove more than that. Right now, he’s still sort of an unknown entity. With Fitzpatrick you know you’ll get some turnovers, but you’ll also get a lot of passing yards and plenty of touchdowns.

So Heinicke going out there in Week 1 of the preseason and looking strong is a serious positive. Especially considering Fitzpatrick’s age. He might not be around for much longer. And if Washington has a good year (like many are predicting) then they won’t be in line to get a stud quarterback at the start of the 2022 NFL Draft. So it helps to have a potential replacement on the roster already.

Not only that, but Heinicke as the backup might be better than any quarterback on the Washington roster last year (excluding himself obviously). So even if they do have to go to him for some reason, it’s not like the team is completely lost.

Heinicke is exciting. He seems to know how to make plays. But it’s smart to want him to become a more polished player. Fitzpatrick should have the starting spot right now. He should also have a decently long leash. Something Washington needs is a consistent QB1. They have been flying through quarterbacks the last few years. Flip-flopping throughout the season can’t be good for the rest of the roster.

With all that being said, Heinicke starting at some point in the upcoming season shouldn’t really scare any fans. He’s continuing to prove he belongs.