Washington Goes 0-4 In The Red Zone, They Lose 24-10 In Green Bay
Washington came into Green Bay with a 2-4 record. They got embarrassed at home last week and looked to bounce back. At times it looked like they could.
What if I told you they only allowed Aaron Rogers to pass for 247 yards? I’m sure you would assume WFT could have made it close or possibly won. Not the case.
But they held GB to only 57 rushing yards. I’m sure that was enough to be competitive, right? Not the case.
While the defense held their own and gave the offense everything they needed, it was not enough.
The Red Zone Became the Dead Zone
Coming into Sunday’s game, Washington was 10-16 in the red zone. That 62.5% was 14th in the league. Unfortunately, they decided to lay an egg in the red zone this week.
The first trip ended in a blocked FG. After that, it was two turnover on downs inside the five-yard line. They could have kicked two FGs and made it 21-13. The last trip was just a bad throw by Heinicke that was intercepted.
The lack of a big running back and Logan Thomas being out is really hurting the red zone offense. One of the trips that ended on downs should have been a rushing touchdown by Heinicke. But he was called down because he gave himself up where he was just diving for the goal line.
The offense put up 430 total yards, 235 passing, and 195 rushing. That is the most yards in a game all season and the most since week 10 of 2020.
The Defense Took a Step In The Right Direction
This was the best game the defense had played all season. Overall they played with more energy and put pressure on Rogers most of the afternoon. Jonathan Allen had two sacks and continues to look like the best player on the defense this season.
Landon Collins played his first game at linebacker and it was his best game of the season. He had seven tackles and one fumble recovery. He clearly played better running downhill and making the tackle rather than chasing guys down the field. Don’t get me wrong, he is still really slow but he will have more of an impact at LB.
Green Bay’s 304 yards is the lowest amount of yards Washington’s defense has allowed all year.
Takeaways
Like I said earlier, this offense is lacking a red zone threat. When Logan Thomas is healthy they have one. But without him, it’s gonna remain tough to score inside the red zone.
The defense looks like they are getting it together. Moving Collins to LB was a smart move and while he is inexperienced, St-Juste is the physical corner the defense needs.
Heinicke can make plays but makes a lot of head-scratching decisions. He should’ve had a rushing touchdown on back-to-back plays but bad calls kept him out. Overall he was not bad but didn’t get it done in the red zone.
Next week Washington travels to Denver to face the Broncos before the bye week. If Washington wants to stay in the NFC East race they need a win before the bye. If they don’t get one, it might be time to look at draft position.
