Welcome back Washington fans, it is football season!
Washington picked up where they left off last year, with the novelty of fans being able to enjoy Washington football without waiting for the meltdown.
Despite a comeback attempt by the Giants in the second half, for most of the game Washington looked relatively comfortable, holding a lead of at least eight points.
Washington’s offense
Jayden Daniels continues to be our version of Jalen Hurts, carrying Washington single handed at times.
He looked as poised as ever, whether being sacked, running, completing passes or throwing incompletions.
Indeed, based on passer ratings for their respective games, Daniels pipped Hurts 98 to 94. The apprentice is becoming the master…
Autin Ekeler was not great, but his superb run at the end – bouncing and spinning through bodies to get a key first down – was what we want him for. He brings the magic, and his rotational role keeps him fresh enough to bring it.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt, or ‘Bill’ to his friends, was also slow to get going, but his 82 yards on 10 carries with one touchdown was as good as can be expected. It went a long way to reassuring fans who questioned the trade of Brian Robinson Jr. to San Francisco.
Trade winners?
New signing Deebo Samuel took a bit of time to get going, but by the end of the game, he had truly delivered on his promise. He totalled 77 yards in the air, 19 yards on the ground and a touchdown, contributing 96 yards in total. His touchdown run was a classic bit of Deebo.
In the trades with San Francisco, Washington gave away a 5th round pick for Deebo and got a 6th round pick for Robinson.
This makes the exchange close to being a straight trade. As such, it seems like Washington will come out much better in that deal. I know which of the two players I would rather have on my team. Deebo all the way, if only for his versatility.
The only negative on offense was Terry McLaurin. Two catches for 27 yards, one might question what all the money was for?! The lack of reps between Daniels and McLaurin clearly showed when Daniels and McLaurin failed to hook up on a deep ball, which last year was their calling card.
Those deep balls made all the difference last year, and the failure to hook up this year could have cost Washington. I am sure it will get sorted, but clearly the two of them need more time together in practice.
Washington’s defense
One of the best parts of the game was watching Washington’s defensive line stuff the run.
Last year, Washington was very weak against the run, it was an area that needed much improvement, all the more so with our main rivals having Saquon Barkley on the team. One might argue that Washington is being built to beat Philadelphia, and if so, this game was a good sign.
The pass rush was patchy, but with Russell Wilson under pressure 50% of downs, it is actually on a par with their performance against the Eagles in the Championship game. Good enough.
The weakest link seemed to be the pass defense, which once again, was patchy. For the first half it looked pretty solid, but in the second half, ‘Moon Ball’ Wilson started to connect with his receivers and gave Washington a little bit to worry about.
On balance, it is worth noting that the game and the league is set up to be a passing league, so there is always going to be moment in a game where the other team looks “unstoppable” in the air.
Given the talent of Malik Nabers, you would have to expect the Giants to have their moments.
Final thoughts
As I said at the start, this game was a delightful resumption of the pleasure of watching Washington in relatively stress free games.
This is all the more notable in that while everyone expected Washington to win, the fact is that it was a must-win game. Must-win games against weaker teams under previous coaches were anything other than pleasant to watch, often ending in defeat.
While a win against the Giants was to be expected, it is a measure of the new Washington that they delivered it with relative ease.
The team looked much improved, other than Daniels and McLaurin’s timing being off. Washington currently sit tied second in yards gained on offense, and fifth in yards allowed on defense, an excellent combination.
The only weakness would be the relative lack of points scored. You can put seven missed points down to the failure of Daniels to connect with McLaurin on the deep ball.
The only other negative was penalties. Twelve penalties for 89 yards will not please Head Coach Dan Quinn. But hey, we all need things to improve on, right?!
It is a short week till Green Bay, in what will be a recurring theme of must win games! #HTTR
