WATCH: Can Hot WFT Rally To Win NFC East Over Cowboys?
The Washington Football Team beat the Seattle Seahawks Monday night, 17-15, on a national stage, and in dramatic fashion. This was not the kind of game Washington fans are used to seeing their team win, especially against a Seattle team that has knocked it out of the playoffs in two of its last four appearances
Three wins in a row for Washington is not a fluke. This team is improving. The roster depth is producing benefits. The quarterback is quietly becoming a franchise leader.
Most importantly - and surprisingly - the defense is playing lights-out without two of its biggest stars (Chase Young and Montez Sweat).
In its last four games against Denver, Tampa Bay, Carolina, and Seattle, Washington held its opponent under 300 total yards. Throw in the game before Denver, against Green Bay, the trend almost continues as the Packers had gained 304.
Quarterback Taylor Heinicke played well again, completing 27 of 35 passes for 223 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. That interception wasn't a bad throw, merely a ball misplayed by the receiver and deflected into the arms of a defender.
It didn't hurt, either, as two plays later, Washington's defense got the ball back on a fumble recovery.
Could it be this team is getting hot just at the right time? It's a long season, the first-ever NFL 17-game season, so a lot can still happen. Washington is just 11 games into it, but things are looking up for a franchise that needs something good to happen to it.
Washington won the NFC East in 2020 with a 7-9 record. It will most certainly surpass the seven-win mark with six games still to play.
Current East leader, 7-4 Dallas, is in a nosedive, losers of three of its last four, and dealing with internal COVID-19 protocol issues that could derail the season even further.
If WFT can remain hot, and if the defense can continue to perform well, then a repeat of NFC East champions is not out of reach.