By Dan Ryans
WASHINGTON–The Washington Football Team lost their season opener to the LA Chargers today 20-16 at FedExField in Landover. The game had some good moments that were overshadowed by many mistakes on both sides of the ball, especially on defense. One thing that’s for sure is that Washington has many things to work on, as the burgundy and gold only have a short turnaround before they face the New York Football Giants on Thursday Night. Here are some of the cool and not-so-cool moments from today:
Not So Cool- Ryan Fitzpatrick’s Hip Injury
Unfortunately for Ryan Fitzpatrick, he didn’t even make it out of the first half. A hard hit midway through the 2nd quarter ended his day. Tomorrow he’ll have an MRI to confirm a right hip subluxation, which is a serious injury. If that is the case, Washington will need to know how serious to determine what treatment he needs and how long his absence will be. With that said, it is a tough blow for the 38-year old veteran quarterback, who once again was trying to make an impact on this young Washington squad.
Cool- Taylor Heinicke Shines
Taylor Heinicke took over in the 2nd and played well. He struggled early in his first drive of the game, with the offense going three-and-out. But later settled in, and his next two drives resulted in a field goal and a touchdown, respectively. The biggest issue for that offensive unit was not converting on 3rd down. Washington was only 3 of 10 in those situations, which will not win you many games. Overall, his numbers were okay (11-15, 122 yards, TD), but it wasn’t a great performance for Heinicke. However, you have to give him a lot of credit for that effort to come in after the Fitzpatrick injury. He led the team downfield, made accurate throws, and ignited an offense that started poorly.
Not So Cool- The Defense
The Washington defense was poor all game. The secondary was slow and did not make an impact on any part of the Chargers offense. Los Angeles had a 3rd down completion percentage of 73.7. Compared to last year’s numbers for Washington when it allowed offenses to convert on 3rd down less than 38% of the time, today’s performance was brutal. Those 3rd down conversions proved to be huge. The Chargers were able to run out the clock, giving the WFT offense no chance at winning the game. For a team that prides itself on playing well defensively, especially under Ron Rivera, it wasn’t very reassuring to see this performance.
Cool- The McLaurin Catch
There are no other words to say about the catch. The way Terry McLaurin leans back, jumps, and awkwardly turns to his right to make a beautiful grab was just unbelievable. It extended a Washington drive that finished with a nice TD throw from Heinicke to Logan Thomas. That touchdown drive, for a bit, gave Washington the lead. If we get more of these plays from McLaurin this season, he will be WFT’s biggest weapon if he isn’t already.
The Sports Insanity Network 