Burner’s Burning Questions: Grades, Predictions, Evals, Questions, 2020 Season
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Welcome to our look back at the Ravens game and the weekly prediction for the next game – this week it is the Rams at home. Following the loss last Sunday, the WFT fell out of first place and is actually one game out of last place. To be honest, we didn’t expect the first place status to last. The Ravens were not kind at all to the WFT on Sunday, but it is time to move on to game five. Today, we bring you the latest set of grades and evals and we’ll see how the WFT fared last Sunday. We’ll also take a look at this Sunday’s game against the Rams.
It sure would be nice to talk about a victory next week. Let’s get right to the grades, evals, and prediction for this week.
Upcoming Dates
- Days until the virus passes: Hopefully, very soon
- Days until the Rams game: 3
- Days until the Giants game: 10
- Days until the Cowboys game: 17
- Days until the Bye: 24
Week Four: Grades and Evaluations
Offense:
BBQ had to go back and edit this portion of our weekly blog. The Dwayne Haskins benching changed everything, so let’s talk about the offense in the Ravens game.
The offense struggled in the first half once again and put the team in a major hole that it could not fully climb out of in the second half. That’s the story for this offense thus far in 2020. Sure, the second half was better and the team made a late run, but again, it was too late to make a difference. Haskins is now benched and reports suggest that he will be inactive against the Rams. Is his brief stay in Washington nearly over? Possibly. Sure, he threw for more than 300 yards in the game, but Haskins has fallen way short of many benchmark the coaches set for him. As a result, the offense has suffered.
Terry McLaurin, Geron Christian, Chase Roullier, Morgan Moses, and Antonio Gibson had a very good day. J.D. McKissic, Logan Thomas, and Peyton Barber struggled. It’s Kyle Allen time and we will obviously being grading the offense after his insertion into the lineup on Sunday.
BBQ Grade: D
Defense:
The defense has allowed thirty or more points for the third game in a row. Yes, some of that comes from the offense and special teams giving this unit shorter fields to work with at times, but the defense needs to see some improvements as well. The defensive line play on Sunday wasn’t bad, but missing Matt Ioannidis and Chase Young was painfully obvious. The linebackers struggled mightily – the only exception was Jon Bostic. The secondary was bolstered by the interceptions from Kendall Fuller. Otherwise, the secondary was lackluster, especially Landon Collins.
BBQ Grade: D
Special Teams:
Tress Way was a bit underwhelming against the Ravens – not bad by any means, just a bit off from what we normally see. Dustin Hopkins missed a 54 yard field goal and while kickers will occasionally miss from fifty yards or more, Hopkins has also missed a forty-eight yarder and an extra point this season. He needs to connect from fifty and beyond on occasion, so this is a concern going forward. There are no kick returns or punt returns to speak of in the Ravens game.
BBQ Grade: C
Coaching:
The offensive coaching scheme was actually quite good once again, but poor execution in the first half and a couple of times in the second half doomed the offense. The defense allowed thirty points or more for the third straight game. The special teams play was rather average and nothing to get excited about.
Grade: C-
Let’s take a look at week five.
Week Five: Rams at WFT
Site: FedEx Field, Landover, MD
Time: 1:00pm, EDT
Television: FOX
The WFT will continue to play in an empty home stadium and is facing another stern test on Sunday. Quarterback Kyle Allen takes over as the signal caller and all eyes will be focused on his performance. The offense is able to have a decent first half and the defense is able to stymie Jared Goff for much of the game. A two touchdown rally in the fourth quarter propels the Rams to a slim victory. The WFT falls to 1-4 and the finger pointing continues.
BBQ Prediction: Los Angeles 28 Washington 24
BBQ Record: 2-2
There is the latest game prediction for this season. We’ll post game grades next week and a prediction for the Giants game.