Clocked! Washington Hogs The Ball, Beats Seahawks

The WFT entered this NFL week in 12th position in the playoff race ... and the WFT is now seventh.

Taylor Heinicke and the Washington Football Team did some growing up on “Monday Night Football,” registering a 17-15 win over the visiting Seattle Seahawks in large part by playing keep-away.

The Seahawks needed a win to stay alive in the NFC playoff race but instead dropped to 3-8. The Washington Football Team jumped to 5-6 with the win, and yes, that keeps the WFT in the postseason conversation.

But the real numbers that defined this night?

Washington's time of possession: 41:40.

Seattle's time of possession: 18:20.

"It meant a lot,'' coach Ron Rivera said of the effort and the win, just because of the way these guys fight, just how resilient they are."

Seattle had zero answers how to get the ball and how to keep it, let alone how to push it (often enough) into the end zone. Russell Wilson and his offense remains out of sync …

But make no mistake: Landon Collins and the Washington defense was among the reasons for that lack of sync.

Washington - which snaps a seven-game "Monday Night Football" losing streak - picked up a third straight win, following up victories over Tampa Bay and Carolina. Head coach Ron Rivera oversaw a Washington bunch with just enough on offense (led by Heinicke but featuring Antonio Gibson with his 111 rushing yards and J.D. McKissic with TDs on the ground and in the air) and with just enough playmakers on defense, too.

McKissic, however, was injured in the game and was carted off. Kicker Joey Slye also exited with a hamstring, causing the WFT to have to scramble in that department.

Heinicke completed 27-of-35 passes for 223 yards and three touchdowns.

In fairness to Wilson, he did through two TD passes, including a last-gasp effort that tightened the game at the end.

But the better team here was the WFT, and that's been the case now for three straight weeks. Washington, as was the circumstance about this time last year under Rivera, is growing up, with the winning streak contributing to another stat oddity: The WFT entered this NFL week in 12th position in the playoff race ... and the WFT is now seventh.

And maybe climbing. While maybe growing.

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