Washington Looks for Light at the End of the Tunnel Following Loss

Following Sunday's loss to the Giants, there are many questions lingering around WFT and the plan moving forward.

In his second start of the season, Kyle Allen was up and down to say the least. One moment every Washington fan was face-palming his critical fumble recovered by NYG Tae Crowder for a touchdown, the next everyone was screaming "F$%$ yes I knew he was ready for this!" after his last-minute touchdown pass.. in standard DC sports fan fashion.

Before we dive into the details of the game, let me be on record saying this..As long as my quarterback isn't bragging about his stats after a loss (*See Haskins stories from after loss to Ravens*) I am not worried about how Allen plays. This is a rebuilding year. If WFT somehow wins this awful division, that's icing on the cake. Kyle Allen is the embodiment of a place-holder QB...Someone who can help implement Rivera's culture and habits without causing drama or media stories. Much like Alex Smith, Allen just wants to win.

Kyle Allen: 31/42 - 280 yards - 2 TDs - 1 INT - 1 Fumble (Recovered for TD)

Allen made some great plays, and some awful ones as well. The stat-line was as expected.

Let's take a gander at Allen's polarizing plays from Sunday, starting with the game-changing fumble..

Obviously not the best situation when you're tied, in enemy territory, with sub-4 minutes on the clock, then give up a touchdown on a fumble. Very tough scene.

But the thing about guys like Kyle Allen is he's a gamer. He's going to roll with the punches and find a way to make up for mistakes. Immediately after the turnover, we saw #8 lead the team down the field on a 10 play 75 yard drive, taking 2 minutes and 53 seconds off the clock.

Watch #8 toss this dime to Cam Sims to put Washington in a tie-or-win situation with 36 seconds left in regulation:

Just a beautiful throw in a clutch moment. Not to mention a great catch for Cam Sims', a guy who has been fighting to make this team for a couple years now.

Ron Rivera went for 2 after the final touchdown and failed, but we love to see that decision. The last few weeks clock management concerns from DC media started to trickle in the narrative Rivera wasn't playing to win. Safe to say he played to win here.

After the loss, Rivera had this to say about his risky decision:

“The only way to learn to win is to play to win"

This is the mindset he is trying to get the team to play with. There are some who get it, others just aren't there yet.

Speaking of guys who want to win, it seems like Washington is doing anything they can to get Terry McLaurin the ball. He had 10 receptions for 74 yards on the day. Meanwhile Antonio Gibson, yet again, had less than 15 touches on the day (9 rushes-30 yards/4 catches-25 yards).

These 2 are key pieces for the future of this offense. Force feed them every week. Please and thank you.

In his presser, Rivera mentioned for the first time this team may not "have the guys" to compete yet. This can be true, but the division is full of teams without "the guys" to compete.

Dallas is the matchup for Week 7. Good ol' rivalry week. Should be fun, stay tuned.

(AP Photo/John Minchillo)