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PHILADELPHIA — The Washington Football Team showed its grit and resiliency. It showed the ability to compete in a situation where it entered at a clear disadvantage. What it didn’t show was the ability to stop the Philadelphia Eagles‘ offense. Or the ability to fully overcome a number of player losses.
That’s why, instead of a win, it will receive a number of “good job, good effort” comments. A team that prides itself on being a David taking on Goliaths ran out of rocks in their bag Tuesday. Meanwhile, their playoff chances took a major hit with Tuesday’s 27-17 loss to the Eagles.
At 6-8, Washington will need to win its final three games and receive help in order to make the playoffs. The WFT is a game behind Minnesota, New Orleans and Philadelphia for the third and final wild-card spot. But they have now lost to both the Saints and the Eagles.
Washington plays at Dallas on Sunday, followed by a home rematch against Philadelphia and a road game at the New York Giants. A three-game win streak to close the season would be asking a lot given the health of the roster.
Two weeks ago Washington appeared to be in good position to earn a berth. But that’s when injuries and the COVID-19 list started to become key factors. Washington has lost too many players in the past two weeks; starting quarterback Taylor Heinicke and his backup Kyle Allen as well as All-Pro right guard Brandon Scherff were on the COVID-19 list and missed Tuesday’s game.
Other key offensive players such as tight end Logan Thomas and running back J.D. McKissic are on injured reserve. was placed on the COVID-19 list Monday.
Meanwhile, on a key Eagles’ drive late in the game, only one of Washington’s five defensive backs, safety Bobby McCain, was a full-time starter. Corner Danny Johnson was the only other regular contributor.
It added up a rough night for Washington, even though it cut the lead to 20-17 early in the fourth quarter. That was part of the resolve it has shown in the last two seasons. Its first 10 points were set up by turnovers, but the Eagles took control thereafter. The stats suggested it should have been a blowout: Philadelphia outgained Washington 519 to 237.
Washington hung around because that’s what it does. It’s bounced back after a 2-6 start. It took a matter-of-fact approach in dealing with the player losses. But reality bit them hard Tuesday. They’ll need to get a lot of their players back and hope they can parlay that into a strong finish.
Troubling trend: The injuries. That’s not really a trend as much as it is bad fortune, but Washington can’t keep anyone healthy. They really missed safety Kamren Curl and Kendall Fuller, both on the COVID-19 list. Curl excels at covering tight ends. Philly’s Dallas Goedert caught seven passes for 135 yards. Fuller has played exceptionally well in the second half of the season. During the game, they lost corner William Jackson III (ankle), safety Landon Collins (foot) and end Daniel Wise (knee). Washington was thin to begin the game — it just can’t keep overcoming those types of player losses.
QB breakdown: It’s hard to knock Garrett Gilbert‘s performance. He had just signed with Washington on Friday, giving him three practices before playing in a game. He underthrew Terry McLaurin on a 46-yard completion. McLaurin made the catch and Washington eventually kicked a field goal, but with more time together perhaps Gilbert hits him in stride for a touchdown. Gilbert made a couple nice throws on a touchdown drive in the fourth quarter, one to tight end Ricky Seals-Jones on an out route and then to tight end John Bates on a third-and-1 bootleg in which he had to alter his arm angle to throw back slightly. Gilbert is a limited quarterback, but he was put in an almost unwinnable situation and probably did as well as one could expect.
Pivotal play: Washington had just cut the deficit to 20-17 and the Eagles faced a third-and-6 with 8:13 remaining. That’s when quarterback Jalen Hurts threw a screen to receiver Jalen Reagor. Reagor took advantage of Washington’s depleted secondary to race 34 yards to the Washington 19-yard line. On the next play, Hurts connected with Greg Ward for a touchdown. That all but ended the game, as Washington was unable to threaten again.