Close..But No Cigar for Washington, Haskins in Week 15 Comeback Effort

The Seattle Seahawks came to town to matchup with the red-hot Washington Football Team Sunday and two things were abundantly clear;

• Antonio Gibson(turf toe) and Alex Smith(calf) will be needed for Washington to win the division over the next couple weeks.

• Dwayne Haskins showed toughness and a desire to win, but he is not where he needs to be in his development to take control of Scott Turner's offense.

Let's quickly break down Dwayne's passing day

Haskins threw 36/38 completions 10 yards or fewer. 2/6 of his incompletions past 10 yards were intercepted.

It's no surprise that the offense relies on it's playmakers to get yards after the catch, which caters to Smith more than Haskins at this point. The difference between Dwayne and Alex seems to be Alex's ability to lull a defense to sleep with a short and accurate passing game. When the opportunity presents itself, Smith has shown n the ability to hit the deep in-routes or out-routes in critical third down situations.

Haskins was able to hit a variety of big throws in the 4th quarter to bring Washington back from a 20-3 deficit, but protection did not hold up for him and Washington took TWO costly sacks in the final minute down 20-15.

It is important to note Washington lost Morgan Moses left the game at the 8:12 mark in the 4th with a leg injury.

There were several noteworthy achievements from the offense in Week 15 and moving forward:

• Logan Thomas had 13 catches for 100+ yards. Logan Thomas is 3rd in catches and 8th in yards in the entire NFL among Tight Ends.

• JD McKissic is top 10 in the NFL among all players in Yards After Catch (YAC) with 435 Yards.

• Haskins orchestrated a 96 yard drive in the second half. This was the longest drive of the season.

Thomas and McKissic have been critical components of Washington's offense this season, and in many ways Washington has heavily relied on these two with the recent absence of Antonio Gibson. Put these two at the top of the list of Washington's low-cost, high-reward signings from the 2020 offseason.

Since Antonio Gibson's absence in the 1st quarter vs Pittsburgh:

Logan Thomas- 28 Receptions 242 Yards 1 Touchdown

JD McKissic- 29 rushes 127 Rushing Yards

21 Receptions 144 Receiving Yards 1 Touchdown

Defensively Washington proved, once again, the defense is legitimate..Specifically the second half defense which allowed 7 points in the first drive of the 3rd quarter, then pitched a shutout the rest of the game.

Washington is now the best 2nd half defense in the NFL following the Rams loss to the Jets on Sunday, at 6.6 2nd Half Points/Game

This interception in the 4th was a game-changing play for Washington in the 4th. Washington's defense was struggling to get their feet under them in the 1st half.

Props to Jack Del Rio for this play design. Montez Sweat drops into coverage, and it looks like the defense anticipated a Russell Wilson rollout to the right on this one. Montez sees it and crashes Wilson, getting a hand on it and allowing the defense an opportunity for an interception. Classic tip drill folks.

Daron Payne did a great job staying with the play and staying alert. Washington has a lot of high-motor guys on this defense, and Daron Payne is at the top of the list.

To wrap it up, the team played okay given the circumstances. Look for Washington to clinch the NFC East next Sunday with a Ravens Win over the Giants and a couple key cogs potentially returning for Washington vs the Carolina Panthers, a team that just fired its GM after falling to 4-10. If Smith and Gibson cannot go, things could get interesting in the NFC East race for the division.