What a glorious victory!!! I have not enjoyed a victory this much since the magical RGIII rookie season. Beating Dallas always feels special — this was a thanksgiving game that I will remember for a long time. And to top it all, we Swept Dallas for the first time since 2012.
Alex Smith continues to amaze everyone, including me. His numbers were not impressive, but he provides stability and experience to a position that has lacked those things. He knows how to better use the weapons around him, and he read can defenses at a higher level than Haskins and Allen.
Antonio Gibson is emerging into a star running back, complementing Terry McLaurin as another offensive threat. Gibson ran for an impressive 115 yards and 3 TDs. Happy to see Peyton Barber running hard, gaining tough yards. Cam Sims has now earned himself a prominent role on this offense.
Our defense played strong, and our pass defense played better. Our secondary has to be more consistent, but all in all, they only allowed one big downfield play the whole game.
This Washington Football Team has the makings of something truly unique, and as a lifelong fan, there is a level of excitement and honor to be part of this new process.
WFT 41 — COWBOYS 16:
And for the rest of the league…..
NY GIANTS 19 — BENGALS 17:
Massive win for NY, but it came at the high cost of losing Daniel Jones for a few weeks, which is great news for Washington. The Giants have an extremely tough schedule ahead of them to win out the division — harder than Washington’s remaining schedule. The NFC EAST remains up for grabs. The Bengals without Joe Burrow are a different team, but they still made this game competitive.
SEAHAWKS 23 — EAGLES 17:
Carson Wentz continues to struggle and throwing picks in every game. Philly is slowly sinking deep to the bottom of the NFC EAST. Seattle is now on top of the NFC WEST, and next week they play the NY Giants without Daniel Jones and then the NY Jets the following week; two easily winnable games.
STEELERS 19 — RAVENS 14:
RGIII made this first start in years, and it was a sad thing to watch. This version of Robert Griffin is far from the Quarterback that won Rookie of the year back in 2012. The Ravens managed to contain Big Ben for most of the game, but Pittsburgh was more effective in the red zone than Baltimore. The Steelers are now 11-0, and next Monday afternoon, they will have to deal with a motivated Washington Football Team that has a pretty good chance of giving Pittsburgh their first loss of the season.
FALCONS 43 — RAIDERS 6:
The Raiders took a huge step backward by losing this game, and their playoff hopes are now diminishing. Next Sunday, they play the winless NY Jets, and they should win that game to boost their confidence going into a tough four-game stretch to end the season. The Falcons are finishing the season on a hot winning streak under the guidance of highly respected interim Head coach Raheem Morris, who should be a legitimate candidate for the job permanently.
TEXANS 41 — LIONS 25:
Detroit finds itself in a familiar spot, looking for a new Head Coach yet again after firing Matt Patricia and Bob Quinn within a couple of days after losing this Thanksgiving game. The Texans have won two games in a row and seem to be ending the season with solid momentum heading into 2021.
VIKINGS 28 — PANTHERS 27:
Kirk Cousins had an inspired game, throwing for over 300 yards with 3 TDs and zero interceptions. This win was huge and essentially saved their playoff chances. Minnesota has a winnable schedule ahead of them. Carolina is already playing out the schedule and looking forward to 2021.
PATRIOTS 20 — CARDINALS 17:
New England saved their season and gave themselves a lifeline for another week, and although this game was an ugly offensive game, Cam Newton made things happen with his legs and put them in position to win. The Cardinals needed this win to continue their playoff push — next week’s divisional game against the Rams is a must-win for Arizona to remain alive.
DOLPHINS 20 — NY JETS 3:
Finishing 0-16 seems more and more certain for NY, and Adam Gase will inevitably be fired by the end of the season, if not sooner. Miami is in a tight race for a playoff spot, and their remaining schedule is not an easy one.
BROWNS 27 — JAGUARS 25:
Cleveland got pushed around by one of the worst teams in the league. The Browns are 8-3 and very much alive on the playoff race. Next week, they play Tennessee, making for an exciting game featuring two dynamic running backs in Derrick Henry and Nick Chubb.
49ERS 23 — RAMS 20:
The 49ers put themselves right back in the playoff hunt. And even though injuries decimate them, San Francisco is finding ways to win challenging games. But it seems like it might be a long shot for them to win out their remaining five games. Costly turnovers were the story for this Rams team that struggled against an inspired 49ers defense. Jared Goff is gradually playing his way out of LA with his inconsistent play. Goff has to play consistently better for LA to have a chance to win out the NFC WEST.
CHIEFS 27 — BUCCANEERS 24:
Tom Brady struggled for most of the game, and he is the main focus of everyone in sports media when it comes to Tampa bay; however, their defense hasn’t lived up to expectations. Look, Brady makes mistakes and throws interceptions, but he still is a hell of a lot better than most starting quarterbacks in the NFL. The Bucs will be playing for their playoff life in the next 4 weeks. Kansas City played a brilliant game on all sides of the ball, and at 10-1, they are now playing for home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.
BILLS 27 — CHARGERS 17:
Buffalo is still on top of the AFC EAST, but Miami is just one game behind them. The Bills have a tough road to the division title. Anthony Lynn has lost control of this Chargers team. Even after firing Ken Wisenhunt (bad call) and demoting their special teams’ coach, those changes have not resulted in victories or significant improvements. The Chargers have the building blocks in place with players like Justin Herbert and Austin Ekeler to build something special, which is precisely the right time for a new Head Coach to take over next season.
SAINTS 31 — BRONCOS 3:
Denver had to promote Kendall Hinton, a practice squad wide receiver, to starting Quarterback — and it was a disaster; Hinton completed only 1 pass and threw 2 interceptions. New Orleans had their way with Denver, and I was surprised they didn’t run up the score on them.
TITANS 45 — COLTS 26:
Derrick Henry was the difference-maker in this game. He was unstoppable, running for 178 yards with 3 TDs—a huge divisional win for Tennessee, splitting the series with Indianapolis. The Titans are temporarily on top of the AFC SOUTH, but the Colts are breathing down their neck.
PACKERS 41 — BEARS 25:
Aaron Rodgers had a strong performance, throwing 4 TDs and zero interceptions. The Bears were supposed to have a dominant defense, but they were unimpressive for the entire game: no picks, no interceptions, and no pressure on Rodgers. Chicago squandered their 5-2 start of the season and now find themselves virtually eliminated from the playoff race.
Rod Rioja 