The 2021 NFL Season began with high expectations for the Washington Football Team, but injuries and a significant loss of play on defense ended up derailing the team’s aspirations.
In the end, the team finished with the same number of wins as the previous season, but with the feeling that there were many things that could have been done better.
The 2021 season of the Washington Football Team
When this team took the field for its first game of the season, which was hosting the Chargers, expectations were high. Ryan Fitzpatrick would be leading the offense to give stability to the position, the defense was positioned to step up after a good job in 2020 and the intention was to retain the NFC East title. All that began to go wrong that same week with Fitzpatrick’s injury and an unfavorable result against Los Angeles, which defeated them 20-16.
Beginning in week 2, the starting QB job fell to Taylor Heinicke, and his lack of experience was apparent. After helping his team win agonizingly against the Giants came a very bad game against the Bills and then another very close victory against Atlanta. Despite the problems they were showing on both sides of the ball, the team was 2-2 and at least it seemed that the playoffs could come.
Then came one of the weirdest sequences in history. This team lost four games to go 2-6, then won four to get back to 6-6, and then lost another four to drop to 6-10. The season closed with a win over the Giants to drop to a 7-10 record that moved them into third place in the NFC East.
This streak was full of interesting things: The first four-game losing streak included pretty logical results against the Saints, Chiefs and Packers, and then within their four wins there were at least a couple of upsets, especially when they beat the Buccaneers. The second four-game losing streak included two setbacks against Dallas and another two against the Eagles, defining both teams’ passage to the postseason.
Within all this tumult of results there was everything on an individual level: Taylor Heinicke divided the fans, since some see him as the possible franchise QB that the team has sought for decades and others simply see him as a temporary solution in what someone else arrives.
Players like Terry McLaurin (77 receptions, 1,053 yards, 5 TDs) and Antonio Gibson (258 carries, 1,037 yards, 7 TDs) gave the team brilliant moments on the offensive end, and Jonathan Allen was the most important piece of the team on the offensive end. defensive side. 2020 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Season Chase Young suffered an injury that limited him to just nine games this year.
And well, one of the great stories within the team was the arrival of Sammis Reyes, who became the first Chilean player to participate in the NFL. The tight end had no catches, but he did make appearances on special teams, recording two tackles in 11 games he played.
Washington’s 2021 season MVP
WR Terry McLaurin
The third-year receiver had another solid season, which is hard to believe considering that for the second year in a row Washington used four different quarterbacks. Despite not being strong at the position, McLaurin had his second consecutive year with at least 1,000 yards and was the only player in the receivers-running backs group to start all 17 games for his team.
McLaurin has 3,090 yards and 16 TDs in his three professional seasons, so he is a player who continues to establish himself within the NFL. The impression remains that with a solid QB his numbers would be much higher.
The best moment of his 2021 season
There is no question that the Washington Football Team’s best game was the week 10 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With the game up 23-19 and eleven minutes to play, the offense took the ball and led a very dominant drive that consumed 10:28 of the clock and ended with a touchdown. That series was, without a doubt, the highlight of the season for Taylor Heinicke and the entire team.
The worst moment of this season
The worst night for this team came in Week 16 when they were humiliated by the Dallas Cowboys in the Sunday Night Football. Dallas beat them 56-14 and it was a full blown thrashing. That game, by the way, killed any hope Washington had left that they could make the playoffs:
What is expected in the 2022 season?
The third year of the Ron Rivera era looks like one of many question marks. The first is who will be the QB of the team, since it is a fact that Taylor Heinicke is not a superstar. With offensive pieces like Terry McLaurin, Antonio Gibson, Logan Thomas and Curtis Samuel, it is urgent to find a QB who will give stability to the offense. In fact, that should be their priority: find a QB that elevates the offensive game, and they should not rule out any option.
Then there’s the matter of signing Brandon Scherff, their starting guard who is coming off playing under the franchise tag. Washington has money in the salary cap, so they can think about signing him and also adding a QB and a couple more pieces.
Another aspect to follow will be the recovery of Chase Young, since he will be one of the key pieces in this team’s defense for 2022, and it will be an important year because it will also be the first with his new (and now definitive) name. .
The Washington Football Team bids farewell with a 14-19 record and one postseason appearance. That must be the base on which the new Washington team is built.
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Washington Football Team 2021 NFL Season Analysis