Washington Vs. Cincinnati - Studs and Duds

First of all, before I get into the article, I’d like to send thoughts and prayers out to Bengals’ quarterback Joe Burrow. That was such an unfortunate thing to happen to the rookie signal caller, and I wish him a speedy recovery and hope he comes back stronger in 2021.

...now, onto the game.

The Washington Football Team certainly started slow, as they always do, but turned it on offensively in the second half, while the defense shut down a Burrow-less offense, on their way to a 20-9 victory, and their third win of the season.

Sitting at 3-7, the Football Team is still in the running for an embarrassingly bad NFC East with six games remaining - including a key Thanksgiving day matchup against their division rival Cowboys, who also sit at 3-7 after a victory over the Vikings.

Below are my Studs and Duds of the game, followed by some notes.

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Studs:

Antonio Gibson - The rookie HAD a 100 yards rushing effort until he had two late carries, both of which lost him yardage. Still, he managed 94 yards on 16 carries, with another touchdown. He also caught one pass for 10 yards early in the game.

Montez Sweat - Sweat collected three tackles, a sack, a tackle for a loss, a quarterback hit and two pressures on the day. He currently leads the team with six sacks.

Chase Young - I have never seen a rookie garner as much attention on the edge as Young has gotten over his first 10 games. Despite all the double teams, and coordinators scheming away from him, his impact was still felt. He had three tackles, a pass defended that he almost intercepted, and a massive hit to Borrow that resulted in a fumble that was eventually recovered in the end zone by Darby for a touchback.

Ryan Kerrigan - Kerrigan had three tackles, a sack, a tackle for a loss and a quarterback hit on the afternoon. The veteran EDGE rusher now has 5.5 sacks on the season.

Jonathan Allen - Allen spent a lot of time in the Bengals backfield, and despite not coming away with any sacks(he did have at least a half sack that was negated by a penalty), he recorded three quarterback hits and multiple pressures to go along with three tackles.

Ronald Darby - This was the best overall game I have seen Darby play; not only in Washington, but maybe in his career. The veteran corner was very good in coverage on the afternoon, recording four passes defended and locking his man down most of the afternoon. He dropped an EASY interception in the end zone. He also recovered a fumble that was a touchback, and stopped a Bengals’ scoring drive. On top of all this, Darby tied for second on the team in tackles with six.

Tress Way - Way punted five times for a average of 50 yards per kick, and landed three inside the 20.

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Duds:

Washington first half offense - Just 23 total plays, 10:49 in time of possession and seven points!

Logan Thomas - Thomas dropped an easy pass from Alex Smith early in the second quarter of the game that would have went for nice yardage. He did absolutely nothing in the game, grabbing just two receptions for six yards and showing ZERO ability to create separation.

Thomas Davis Sr. - How this guy even gets on the field at this point is beyond me! He literally looks like he’s playing in mud! His presence in any action beyond special teams is a complete embarrassment.

Dustin Hopkins - Hopkins did nail a 50 yard field goal, but he missed a VERY makeable kick, yet again, from 38. He now has the second worst field goal percentage in the league, and will remain on this list until he’s able to right the ship.

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Notes:

- Morgan Moses looked pretty good on the left side, despite giving up and early sack. I’d consider leaving him there for not only the present, but maybe the future.

- It’s VERY clear to see the upgrade Wes Schweitzer is to Wes Martin at left guard. The veteran lineman played well today, making some key blocks on the afternoon.

- Filling in for injured starter Deshazor Everett, Troy Apke didn’t play poorly, but he dropped maybe one of the easiest interceptions you’ll ever see. At least he was in place this time to have a shot at it...

- Tim Settle continues to make the most of his opportunities, collecting a sack and tackle for a loss on the afternoon. If it wasn’t for the two first round picks playing ahead of him, people would be talking about him being one of the better young defensive tackles in the NFL.

- James Smith-Williams was active today in reserve action, collecting two tackles, half a sack, and two quarterback hits.

- Fabian Moreau saw some increased playing time Sunday, and the fourth year pro recorded an interception in reserve duty. I still question why he’s not playing more.