By Dan Ryans
WASHINGTON–The Washington Football Team hosted the Cincinnati Bengals last night at FedExField. It was a special night for football fans across the DMV, as they got to watch their team play a complete game in person for the first time in almost two years. Let’s say they were not disappointed. The burgundy and gold edged Cincy by a final of 17-13. And the star of the night was none other than the undrafted rookie and preseason sensation Jaret Patterson, who capped off his night with a game-winning one-yard score to put Washington ahead for good. So far, this young running back has exceeded many expectations.
Overall, Patterson had over 100 all-purpose yards on Friday night. He had 16 carries for 71 yards, including the game-winner in the fourth quarter. On top of that, he also recorded 25 receiving yards and had a kick-return for 37 yards. Patterson’s big performance earned him high praise from the entire locker room, with some of his teammates calling him fun, special, and tough to guard. “In high school, throughout college, I always took pride in giving effort and just playing hard to the whistle,” said Patterson after the game. When asked what it was like to have his moment in front of family & friends at the game, he told reporters how truly blessed he was to have this opportunity. “To do it in my hometown, with the team I [rooted] for, it just felt good…I can’t wait to get back, watch the game film, and just see what ways can I get better.” With more reps with the first-team offense and support from his fellow teammates, Patterson should be an easy lock on the final 53-man roster.
Other notes from tonight’s action:
– Ryan Fitzpatrick did not play very well against the Bengals, hitting 7 of 13 passes for 96 yards. While Fitzy took a step back from last week’s game in New England, both Taylor Heinicke and Kyle Allen were excellent. Heinicke went 11 for 13 with 80 yards and was under center for two of Washington’s four scoring drives. Allen hit 2 of 4 with just 23 yards but led Washington down the field for the go-ahead score in the fourth.
– This is a ferocious defense. Cincy’s quarterback team of Brandon Allen, Kyle Shurmur, and Eric Dungey could not get anything going all night against the entire Washington defensive team. WFT held the Bengals to only 13 points and 214 yards of total offense. Specifically, Brandon Allen only had two first downs and went 0 for 6 on third down with 55 yards of offense. If this squad can continue to put up great results on defense, this team should be in excellent shape for week 1.
– Kicker Dustin Hopkins had a rough game against the Pats, missing both field goal attempts. Despite his bad start to the preseason, Coach Rivera stuck with Hopkins for this matchup with the Bengals. This week, whatever Hopkins worked on in practice paid off, as he drilled all three of his kicks tonight. Hopefully, this means we overreacted with our early concerns for the kicker.
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