To say that I walked away from this game irritated and pissed off would be an understatement. This was the worst loss against Dallas in Washington’s history — it was the most horrific performance I’ve seen from Washington in almost 30 years of closely and faithfully watching this team. So yes, it was the worst game I have ever seen,
The first thing to note is that we came into this game with a massive disadvantage and only 5 days removed from our loss to Philly. The NFL schedule has been playing against Washington for a while now. We are also dealing with the aftermath of players coming out of Covid protocols. Plus, crucial playmakers are not available to play.
I’m officially concerned about the O-line depth — I thought it was solid, but I was wrong; Heinicke wasn’t well protected the entire time he was in the game — He was under constant distress and pressure.
With player absences in mind, not having players on offense like Brandon Scherff, JD McKissic, Logan Thomas, Chase Roullier, Tyler Larsen, and so on — has magnified all the offensive struggles. On top of all that, Antonio Gibson is visibly not 100% from the toe injury he has been battling. And Jaret Patterson has not been able to become the complementary RB that JD McKissic is.
Nevertheless, Dyami Brown had his best game of the season and finally flashed his potential. Also, John Bates had 2 tough receptions and showed grit and determination. Those two were the bright spots in this game.
The defense was in worse shape than the offense; it was depleted of talented playmakers like Landon Collins, William Jackson III, Cole Holcomb, Jamim Davis, Jon Bostic, Daniel Wise, and of course, Chase young.
And to make things even worse, we all saw the sideline altercation between Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne. Nobody knows for sure what really happened or what was said, but I hope it was all about holding each other accountable and not some nonsense — hopefully, this incident doesn’t turn into a bigger mess in the off-season.
Heading into the week 17 matchup against division rival Philadelphia, Washington finds itself at the risk of losing a wildcard spot in the playoffs if they lose this game. They have to get more starters back on offense and defense and find ways to contain Jalen Hurts to have a fighting chance. Beating Philly is the ultimate goal.
WFT 14 — COWBOYS 56
EAGLES 34 — NY GIANTS 10
The Eagles are the beneficiaries of back-to-back games with teams depleted of starters and playmakers. And of course, sports media is falling over to crown them as the most dangerous team in the wildcard race. But it is all nonsense; Philly will be exposed on Sunday. Next week, Philly visits Washington. Advantage, The Washington Football team.
The Giants are a disaster, and Joe Juge, Gettleman, and Daniel Jones have got to go during the offseason. Next week, NY visits Chicago. Advantage, Chicago Bears.
DOLPHINS 20 — SAINTS 3
The Dolphins went from 1-7 and entirely written off by sports media to winning 7 straight games and are now 8-7 with a chance to make the playoffs. A remarkable coaching job by Brian Flores. Next up, Miami visits Tennessee. Advantage, Miami Dolphins.
New Orleans became the latest Covid victim, with about 20 players on the list. To make the playoffs, the saints at 7-8 and with 2 division games left will have to win out and get some playmakers back in the active roster. Next up, New Orleans hosts a healthier 5-10 Carolina team. Advantage, Carolina Panthers.
CHIEFS 36 — STEELERS 10
The Chiefs won the AFC WEST division and are now focused on improving their playoff seed position and getting back some key players in time for the playoffs. Next week, Kansas City visits Cincinnati. Advantage, Kansas City Chiefs.
The Steelers lost a crucial opportunity to make their lives a little easier heading into the last 2 weeks of the season. As a result, they now have to win out and get some help to get into the playoffs, which is not very likely. Next week, Pittsburgh hosts Cleveland. Advantage, Cleveland Browns.
BILLS 33 — PATRIOTS 21
The Bills are officially back on top of the AFC EAST and in complete command to win back-to-back division titles. Josh Allen looked unstoppable and should be in consideration for league MVP. Next week, Buffalo hosts Atlanta. Advantage, Buffalo Bills
New England has lost 2 games in a row, and their division hopes are slipping away. Next week, New England hosts Jacksonville. Advantage, New England Patriots
LA RAMS 30 — VIKINGS 23
The Rams clinched a playoff spot and took first place in their division. And with two weeks left, the division title will probably come down to week 18. Next up, LA visits Baltimore. Advantage, LA Rams.
The Vikings are now considered a long shot to make the playoffs after this loss. Plus, there is talk about Zimmer’s potential firing. Next up, Minnesota visits Green Bay. Advantage, Green Bay Packers.
TITANS 20 — 49ERS 17
The Titans showed they can still beat anybody even without Derrick Henry. At 10-6, they need to win out and hope Indy will lose their next game and the AFC SOUTH title is theirs again. Next up, Tennessee hosts red-hot Miami. Advantage, Miami Dolphins.
The time has come for San Francisco to move on from Jimmy G. — inconsistent QB play has been the crutch for this team for a while now, and it is time to see what Trey Lance can do. Next up, San Francisco hosts Houston. Advantage, San Francisco 49ers.
PACKERS 24 — BROWNS 22
The Packers won the NFC NORTH and are now a win away from securing the top seed in the NFC playoffs. Next week, Green Bay hosts desperate Minnesota. Advantage, Green Bay Packers.
With this loss, the Browns took another major setback and now have to win their last 2 divisional games to get into the post-season. The future of Baker Mayfield will be a significant topic of discussion and speculation if Cleveland fails to make the playoffs. Next week, Cleveland visits Pittsburgh. Advantage, Cleveland Browns.
RAIDERS 17 — BRONCOS 13
The Raiders continue to outlive the diagnosis of their demise — and with 2 back to back wins, they are still pretty much alive for a wildcard spot. Next up, Vegas visits Indianapolis. Advantage, Indianapolis Colts
The Broncos are pretty much on life support now and with 2 divisional games left, the likelihood of Denver clinching a playoff spot is almost unlikely. Next up, Denver visits LA. Advantage, LA Chargers.
BEARS 25 — SEAHAWKS 24
The Bears are eliminated from any playoff contention and are trying to finish the season respectfully and save Matt Nagy’s job. Next week, Chicago hosts the NY Giants. Advantage, Chicago Bears
The Seahawks are finishing their disappointing 2021 season, looking towards regrouping and improving in 2022. However, the future of Russell Wilson will be a subject of much discussion in the off-season. Next week, Seattle hosts Detroit. Advantage, Seattle Seahawks.
COLTS 22 — CARDINALS 16
Indy has become the most dangerous team in the AFC, powered by Jonathan Taylor’s seemingly unstoppable running play. The Colts are one win away from clinching a playoff berth, but the bad news is that unvaccinated Carson Wentz just tested positive for Covid and will most likely be out of their upcoming week 17 game. Next up, Indy hosts Las Vegas Raiders. Advantage, Indianapolis Colts.
The Cardinals have lost 3 straight games, and their hold on the NFC WEST is practically gone. Nevertheless, Arizona has already clinched a playoff spot, and with two games left, they can improve their seed position with some wins. Next up, Arizona visits Dallas. Advantage, Arizona Cardinals.
TEXANS 41 — LA CHARGERS 29
The Texans shocked everyone here and showed they have the building blocks for something more competitive next season. Next week, Houston visits San Francisco. Advantage, San Francisco 49ers.
The Chargers are on the brink of elimination, but if they win out and get some help, they might just sneak in. Next week, LA hosts Denver. Advantage, LA Chargers.
BUCCANEERS 32 — PANTHERS 6
Tampa Bay clinched their division title and are now focused on improving their NFC playoff seeding. Next up, Tampa Bay visits the NY Jets. Advantage, Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Carolina needs to get rid of Matt Rule, Sam Darnold and start over, as simple as that. Next up, Carolina visits New Orleans. Advantage, Carolina Panthers.
BENGALS 41 — RAVENS 21
Cincinnati has pulled away from the rest of their division, but winning the AFC NORTH will come down to many different scenarios. Next week, Cincinnati visits Kansas city. Advantage, Kansas City Chiefs.
Baltimore has lost 4 straight games, and the playoffs are starting to slip away. The Ravens have to win out and get some help along the way. Next week, Baltimore Hosts LA. Advantage, LA Rams.
FALCONS 20 — LIONS 16
The Falcons have come alive as of late and, at 7-8 are still in the hunt for a wildcard spot. Next up, Atlanta visits Buffalo. Advantage, Buffalo Bills.
Detroit is just playing out their regular season schedule and looking into 2022 and the upcoming NFL Draft. Next up, Detroit visits Seattle. Advantage, Seattle Seahawks.
NY JETS 26 — JAGUARS 26
It seems like the NY Jets have finally found a franchise QB and a solid head coach — the future looks promising in NY. Next week, NY hosts Tampa Bay. Advantage, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (rooting for NY).
The Jaguars are in the market for a new head coach, and the list of candidates includes names like former Eagles and Super Bowl winner Doug Pederson and Tampa Bay’s OC Byron Leftwich, amongst many others. Jacksonville needs to find someone with legit NFL experience to groom Trevor Lawrence and not some college hack like Urban Meyer. Next week, Jacksonville visits New England. Advantage, New England Patriots (rooting for Jacksonville).
Rod Rioja 