The Washington Commanders squared off with NFC East rivals, the New York Giants, in Week 13. Both teams entered the week over .500 (Washington at 7-5 and New York at 7-4) and fighting for a playoff spot. It was a perfect chance for one team to make a statement. Naturally, that means it ended in a 20-20 tie.
You could argue that a tie isn’t the worst thing in the world. For the Commanders though, it gave us a glimpse at a few of their problems, including one major issue.
The game started off on a high note for Washington. Quickly up 10-0 after one quarter, they had a chance to stomp out a division opponent. Instead, they went into halftime tied 13-13.
New York took a 20-13 lead after three quarters, with the Commanders tying it up in the fourth thanks to a phenomenal touchdown from rookie Jahan Dotson. There was no more scoring the rest of the way, ending the game in a 20-20 tie.
You could point to Washington not having the offensive ability to step on their opponent’s necks when given a nice lead. Or maybe how the defense struggled to stop the run in the first half (although they cleaned that up in the second half).
Quarterback Taylor Heinicke had some bad misses, and the secondary struggled at times as well.
None of those were the most glaring of the issues though. The biggest concern has to be how the game was managed late in the contest. Go back and watch Washington’s last two drives in overtime. Did it really look like they were playing to win the game? Or just playing not to lose?
It appeared as if the coaching staff didn’t trust the offense to score, and didn’t want to turn the ball over. Drive one of overtime saw them attempt a screen pass on third-and-10 (it got one yard). Okay, at least screens to Curtis Samuel have gone for big gains before. Still, this felt like them trying to get a few extra yards for a punt.
Drive two was even worse. On a third-and-10 with under two minutes to go, Washington ran the ball up the middle for five yards. This was 100% a play to run the clock down and give New York as little time as possible on their final drive.
A tie doesn’t end Washington’s playoff hopes. However, it sure was a gut punch to the fans to watch their team accept a tie instead of going for a win. It makes you wonder if the coaches have the confidence in the roster to win those types of games.
Do they not believe Taylor Heinicke can make the big play if needed? If not, why is he starting? Do they not believe the defense could’ve held the not-very-good New York offense for a minute? If not, why don’t they make changes?
The Washington Commanders have a great roster. They need a quarterback (Heinicke is serviceable and I get they are winning with him but let’s not pretend like he’s out there dotting teams up weekly). Outside of that, some offensive line help and a linebacker or cornerback. Nothing else is really shining through as a weakness.
This is a roster that can win a playoff game. So why are you playing for a tie against a divisional rival that’s half a game up on you in the playoff race?