Burgundy & Gold Reaction: Week 1 Win Not Perfect

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September 12, 2023

by David Earl

Win is a Win

This week was as close to a layup as a team could get for opening the season yet Washington nearly couldn’t close out the win. While the defense did stand firm most of the game, the concern here was the few big plays let up to a depleted team in Arizona. Overall, the defense was aggressive most of the game and the secondary did not seem too out of sync so the positive here is they should be fine once they have a few games played. On the other hand, the offense, specifically the offensive line, has reason for concern. The Cardinals did not impose a fierce pass rush. Also, Arizona’s secondary is not nearly as talented as the next few matchups yet Washington struggled mightily. The offensive line gave up 6 quarterback sacks and contributed to a 3.3 yards per carry average rushing, but it is not entirely on this unit either. The offensive line created quite a few cutback lanes the running backs did not take advantage of while Sam Howell, for some odd reason, looked off targets coming wide open like Dyami Brown down the left sideline on the team’s first drive.

The offensive line did not give me any confidence as they were bullied too many times at the point of attack and the second-level blocking seemed non-existent to me at times. Howell was certainly going through progressions but just either making bad reads or deciding to just play it safe. The lack of a runner with natural patience, vision, and cutback ability is very prevalent, which is why I’d love to see a little more Chris Rodriguez going forward or maybe make a call to the Indianapolis Colts. Enough of my quick observations – what were the fans’ reactions?

Welcome Back

Well, the fans not only showed up but the stadium was nearly full to capacity and not dominated by the opposing fans too. There was a certain air of excitement in the stadium as Josh Harris ushered a new era of Washington football. The fans clearly felt free from a tyrannical leader in the previous owner. When the defense was on the field the stadium was rocking to levels not heard since RGIII’s 2012 rookie season, to levels at which Arizona’s offense was clearly struggling getting plays called at the line. When Washington scored and the music started by the band, the cheering and signing of the fight song drowned out the band entirely which was impressive.

Needless to say, this fan base wants to be back and desires to be what it once was during its Golden Age in RFK Stadium. However, the leash will be short. While the win is great and the fans are happy to be 1-0, the performance Sunday also felt a little the same old Washington. The season is early but the fans’ expectations will be near immediate results of being competitive (at the least) against playoff teams and that game against Arizona was not the encouraging start I am sure many were hoping for against a depleted Arizona team. Ron Rivera and his staff have a tough matchup next week against Denver, but if they were the same home turnout in week 3 against a Super Bowl contender like the Buffalo Bills they will have to show much better in week two. As the game wasn’t as smooth as it probably should have been, It is clear this fan base desires to fulfill their end of the bargain but keeping the interest of these fans will need a much better output than week one. The season is young but the early part of this schedule is not exactly ver forgiving.

Typical Officials

The NFL has a problem and, for as much as I’d like to put all the blame onto the officials, the complexity of the rules does not help. Take the rules for what a catch is anymore – the various aspects of a catch in control and a football move (to name a couple) are compounded by wherher it a catch all the way through the process when coming to the ground or stepping out of bounds. That’s a column all in itself. Sunday, we saw to examples of the officials just making egregious calls. The 11-yard screen pass to Antonio Gibson, which Ron Rivera challenged and lost, clearly showed when his helmet and arms made contact to the ground he was past the first down marker. When slowing down this clip, his left elbow was nearly just past the first down marker thus clearly showing the nose of the ball was across for the first down. It is understandable if this was missed during live action as it was very close but, considering this play was challenged, they had the opportunity to see what we all saw to change the call but did not.

The offensive pass interference might be one of the worst I have seen in week 1 as the defender initiated contact with tight end John Bates just before he broke into his route which appeared to be a comeback. Bates never extended his arms into the defender nor did he slow down to impede his progress but the officials felt differently. This play was textbook in every aspect of the design but, as I personally have become immune to, these officials just continue to take away the team’s momentum during the game. This is far from a Washington dilemma, as it has become common throughout the league year, The NFL seems to view their officials as near-perfect. Here are just a few throughout the league week 1, and this list could easily go on.

 

Sam Howell

Was Sam Howell perfect? Not even close, but was his play a red flag moment that is is not a capable NFL franchise quarterback? No. This entire offseason I have written about, and we on the show spoken to the fact this offensive line was going to be this kid’s Achilles heel. While the offensive line was bullied too much at the point of contact more than I care to see and their second-level blocking was inconsistent, it also was not entirely their fault.

The first drive was a great example of what Howell needs to clean up,. On the 3rd play of the first drive Dyami Brown took an out-and-up route downfield with no one within 15 yards of him. Howell looked downfield at Brown when he broke free but continued through his progressions to Jahan Dotson for a short gain. Whether he just didn’t see this develop or Sam locked himself into reading through all his progressions first, this is the kind of play he must recognize and pull the trigger immediately. Aside from a bad throw or a terrible drop, this play was as easy of a touchdown as he will ever get. As Mark Bullock alluded to above, Howell needs to secure the ball much better when scrambling as these negative plays will be backbreakers against your playoff-caliber level teams.

On the flip side, the pass to Brian Robinson Jr. was a picture-perfect pass threading the ball through the defenders for a touchdown. So, Sunday was a bit of a roller coaster for Sam Howell but his ability to forget the negative plays and move forward is a very encouraging sign for a young quarterback in his second-ever career start. Hopefully Washington does not continue their model of quitting too early on a young quarterback and not quit on him, but rather actually develop Howell over the course of the season. Unless there is an injury or Sam is just absolutely terrible each week, Jacoby Brissett should never see a start in the 2023 season.

Conclusion

Victory Monday always feels great no matter how that game transpired but there were far more concerning aspects from this Arizona game than I care to see happen. The Arizona defense is void of many star players beyond Budda Baker and yet held the Washington offense relatively at bay. Though I did point out bad officiating, the officials were not responsible for 6 sacks, 3 turnovers, and a fumble resulting in an Arizona defensive touchdown. Understanding it is only week 1 and the team needs to knock off the rust, this matchup (with the offensive hype surrounding Washington) should have resulted in a cleaner and more one-sided affair than what we saw. The offensive line especially has got to be ready for the defenses they face in weeks 3 and 4 which we will have an idea of what to expect after the Denver game. They are not in the class of the 49ers or Eagles’ defense, but they do boast playmakers in corner Patrick Surtain II and edge rusher Frank Clark. They are also considerably stronger up front than an Arizona defensive front that created problems from Howell throughout the game. With that potential pressure comes the big-play ability of Patrick Surtain II to take advantage of any duress Sam Howell is under.

Qeek 2 is far from a cakewalk offensively for Washington as their defense will be under pressure by a Sean Payton offense where Russel Wilson graded a 109 passer rating in week 1 against the Las Vegas Raiders. The silver lining here is the Raiders defense also do not have a defensive front like Washington, so there is your wild card matchup. If Washington’s defense can get to Wilson and disrupt their offense then there is hope for a tight game heading into the 4th quarter. With all that said, I will still stick to my earlier prediction of a Denver win 20-18 but I am tempted to say Washington only scores 13.