The Takeaways, Week 1: Chargers at Washington

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September 14, 2021

by Steve Thomas

Welcome to the start of the 2021 Redskins Washington Football Team WFT Football Team the Team who even cares anymore at this point Washington football season!  For those of you who are new here, The Takeaways is a regular feature we started halfway through the 2017 season in order to cover some of the big-picture items that came of that week’s game – the things you’ll need to know when you’re talking about the most recent Washington game around your office coffee bar, whether they are good, bad, or otherwise.  So, without further ado, let’s get into The Takeaways for this week.

Washington’s defensive front 4 failed at pass rush

Yes, it’s only one game and the team has 22 starters, but the fact of the matter is that the defensive front 4 – supposedly, the strength of the team – was mostly absent on passing downs throughout the contest.  Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert spent the vast bulk of the game under little to no pressure.  Granted, he has a very quick release, but still: Washington’s defensive plan relies on putting the opposing quarterback under regular distress, and that didn’t happen on Sunday.  There’s no cause for alarm, as it was only one game against a non-conference opponent with a greatly improved offensive line.  That having been said, Montez Sweat, Chase Young, Jonathan Allen, and Daron Payne need to do better.  The Chargers featured a rookie at left tackle, and Bryan Bulaga got hurt during the game.  Keenan Allen, who had 9 receptions for 100 yards, was probably going to do Keenan Allen things no matter what, but the utter lack of any pass rush at all for most of the day made things alot easier for Los Angeles’ passing game than necessary. Also, it should have been worse – I counted 6 easy drops by Charger receivers.  I don’t think anyone thought the defensive line would have so little impact on the Chargers passing attack.

The offense performed as expected

If you expected Washington’s offense to take a huge step forward over 2020, you were sorely disappointed.  Personally, I didn’t think that was a reasonable expectation considering the talent on the field on Sunday and their performance during the preseason.  Washington looked better when Taylor Heinicke took over for the injured Ryan Fitzpatrick in the second quarter, but it didn’t equate to significant points scored.  Other than the quarterback, the only significant upgrade who is ready to make an impact is Curtis Samuel, and he’s on injured reserve.  The primary newcomers, Dyami Brown and Adam Humphries, didn’t play poorly but didn’t move the needle either.  The hope going forward is that Ryan Fitzpatrick, when he returns from his hip injury, can morph into FitzMagic often enough to guide the team to a few more wins than last year, but this game gave us no reason to think that Washington’s offense is going to be great this season.  133 passing yards and 126 rushing yards wasn’t good enough to beat the Chargers and won’t be sufficient against other good teams.

Terry McLaurin reminded everyone that he’s an elite receiver

McLaurin made one of the best catches that you’ll ever see from a receiver at any level, an unbelievable effort along the sideline that had no reason to actually be a completed reception.  Unfortunately, McLaurin only had four targets, so his impact on the game was limited, but there’s no doubt that he reminded the entire football world on Sunday that he’s an immense talent.

Antonio Gibson is a much better running back this year

Gibson looks much more like a traditional NFL running back this season than he did at this same time last year.  As everyone knows, he only had 33 carries in college, all out of the shotgun formation and mostly as a zone runner.  Against the Chargers on Sunday, Gibson did a solid job as an interior runner, showed his vision, and was able to hit holes decisively.  He demonstrated on Sunday that he’s greatly improved over last season and has a strong future with the team.  Erase his fumble near Washington’s goal line and he’s then easily the offense’s most valuable contributor on Sunday.  His future is bright and he might just end up being the most important player on the offense going forward.

The officiating was atrocious

I’m a Washington fan, so I’ll take it, but this group of referees were terrible and did everything they could to try to tip the scales in favor of the home team.  There’s no way that Justin Herbert’s called fumble that went through the end zone for a touchback was actually a fumble.  It was abundantly clear and obvious that Herbert’s arm was going forward and that it was a pass.  That’s just one example, but this officiating crew made a number of terrible decisions that ended up having an impact on the game.  Do better, NFL, although I know you won’t.

Bonus Takeaway: Yes, Fed Ex Field barfed up sewage on fans

Has there ever been a more apropos symbol of what this franchise has done to its fans over the last 20 years?  I mean, if this was in a book, it would be literary greatness.  Somewhere, William Shakespeare and William Faulkner were watching and laughing.  If you haven’t seen the footage yet, it’s worth 30 seconds of your time:

It was no cosmic coincidence that the universe decided that that moment, in the middle of game one, was the time for that pipe to burst on the heads of a bunch of unsuspecting Washington fans.  And judging from their reactions, it definitively wasn’t just water.  Incredible.

That’s it for The Takeaways for week one.  I’ll be back with another edition next week after Washington faces the division-rival New York Giants in Raljon.