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The first loss in the Josh Harris era was an ugly one. It was the type where you want to throw away the tape, simply turn the page, and move on to the next week. With a huge divisional game vs. the Eagles on deck, there is no time for Washington to feel sorry for themselves. As we pick ourselves up off the turf, let's get right to this week's studs, duds, and hat tips.
Studs:
a. Josh Harris - Yes, I was one of those people who turned the television off yesterday. After the Sam Howell pick-six to make the game 30-0 in favour of Buffalo, I just couldn't do it anymore. I had to walk away because I just wasn't having any fun. That said, at no point after turning off my television did I contemplate not watching next week's game. After a performance like yesterday under our previous owner, I seriously would have thought long and hard about it. Harris has instilled a newfound level of hope regardless of the outcomes on the football field this year and that in and of itself is a major victory.
Duds:
Where do we start?
a. Defensive Line - against a legitimate Super Bowl contender, we certainly needed our premiere players to show up. Through the first two weeks of the year, the defensive line lived up to their billing as being one of the best units in the league. Yesterday, they did their best disappearing act and failed to show up. The interior of Payne and Allen were largely not even talked about the entire afternoon. Worst of all, they went up against O'Cyrus Torrence, a rookie interior OL for Buffalo several of us were clamoring for to be selected with our second round draft pick this past April. Here's hoping Quan Martin turns into a standout player with time...
b. Eric Bieniemy - obviously, a very pass-heavy attack against the Bills with a QB entering his fourth career NFL start was too tall an order on Sunday. Part of me is starting to wonder if EB if throwing Howell to the wolves to determine if he truly is someone we can lean on at QB heading into 2024 and beyond. An eye towards the future and figuring out who #14 truly is might be a bigger priority for the organization in a year where an ownership change is going to instantly give the franchise a year of grace from the fanbase.
c. Offensive Line - we are going to have to seriously start giving guys like Cornelius Lucas a try - it certainly can't hurt. Andrew Wylie has been a disaster for three straight weeks to say the least. The fans knew in the offseason that we didn't do enough to protect Sam Howell and help set him up for success. The front office on the other hand seems to feel it is okay to risk losing him to injury at some point before the season is over. This is the reality of the situation.
d. Ron Rivera - you are 2-0 going into Sunday and have an opportunity to write a different script. Instead, we get more of the same old, leaving fans to believe that we aren't ready to take the next step. Sunday was just another piece in the long list of evidence that Rivera has run his course in DC.
e. Sam Howell - 4 interceptions, holding onto the ball too long, you name it. It was definitely a come back to Earth moment for #14. It happens. The real test will be seeing how he responds next week in Philly and beyond.
Hat Tips:
a. Brian Robinson Jr. - the only player who showed a bit of juice and gave the offense a certain level of momentum was Brian Robinson. Our best offensive plays seemed to happen when the ball was in his hands. On the day, he finished with 70 rushing yards on 10 carries. One is led to believe that involving him more heavily in the offensive gameplan gives us our best chance at success, but Eric Bieneimy might have other ideas...time will tell if EB will show any flexibility.
That's it for this week - who did we miss? Do you agree/disagree?
Let's see if the burgundy and gold can rebound and come up with a bit of magic in Philadelphia next week.
Studs:
a. Josh Harris - Yes, I was one of those people who turned the television off yesterday. After the Sam Howell pick-six to make the game 30-0 in favour of Buffalo, I just couldn't do it anymore. I had to walk away because I just wasn't having any fun. That said, at no point after turning off my television did I contemplate not watching next week's game. After a performance like yesterday under our previous owner, I seriously would have thought long and hard about it. Harris has instilled a newfound level of hope regardless of the outcomes on the football field this year and that in and of itself is a major victory.
Duds:
Where do we start?
a. Defensive Line - against a legitimate Super Bowl contender, we certainly needed our premiere players to show up. Through the first two weeks of the year, the defensive line lived up to their billing as being one of the best units in the league. Yesterday, they did their best disappearing act and failed to show up. The interior of Payne and Allen were largely not even talked about the entire afternoon. Worst of all, they went up against O'Cyrus Torrence, a rookie interior OL for Buffalo several of us were clamoring for to be selected with our second round draft pick this past April. Here's hoping Quan Martin turns into a standout player with time...
b. Eric Bieniemy - obviously, a very pass-heavy attack against the Bills with a QB entering his fourth career NFL start was too tall an order on Sunday. Part of me is starting to wonder if EB if throwing Howell to the wolves to determine if he truly is someone we can lean on at QB heading into 2024 and beyond. An eye towards the future and figuring out who #14 truly is might be a bigger priority for the organization in a year where an ownership change is going to instantly give the franchise a year of grace from the fanbase.
c. Offensive Line - we are going to have to seriously start giving guys like Cornelius Lucas a try - it certainly can't hurt. Andrew Wylie has been a disaster for three straight weeks to say the least. The fans knew in the offseason that we didn't do enough to protect Sam Howell and help set him up for success. The front office on the other hand seems to feel it is okay to risk losing him to injury at some point before the season is over. This is the reality of the situation.
d. Ron Rivera - you are 2-0 going into Sunday and have an opportunity to write a different script. Instead, we get more of the same old, leaving fans to believe that we aren't ready to take the next step. Sunday was just another piece in the long list of evidence that Rivera has run his course in DC.
e. Sam Howell - 4 interceptions, holding onto the ball too long, you name it. It was definitely a come back to Earth moment for #14. It happens. The real test will be seeing how he responds next week in Philly and beyond.
Hat Tips:
a. Brian Robinson Jr. - the only player who showed a bit of juice and gave the offense a certain level of momentum was Brian Robinson. Our best offensive plays seemed to happen when the ball was in his hands. On the day, he finished with 70 rushing yards on 10 carries. One is led to believe that involving him more heavily in the offensive gameplan gives us our best chance at success, but Eric Bieneimy might have other ideas...time will tell if EB will show any flexibility.
That's it for this week - who did we miss? Do you agree/disagree?
Let's see if the burgundy and gold can rebound and come up with a bit of magic in Philadelphia next week.
