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Washington 17, Bengals 13: Dominant D As Championship Backbone

The truth about the way the Washington roster is built? While there is added weaponry on offense, one of the handiest ways to win football games is to batter, out-run and overwhelm the other team with defense.
Mike Fisher|
Washington 17, Bengals 13: Dominant D As Championship Backbone
Washington 17, Bengals 13: Dominant D As Championship Backbone

There are critics of NFL preseason football - lots of them, and we don't necessarily excuse ourselves from the pack - who will tend to poke fun at the final score of the Washington Football Team's 17-13 win over the Cincinnati Bengals on Friday night in D.C. 

But the truth about the way the Washington roster is built? While there is added weaponry on offense, starting with new/old quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, one of the handiest ways to win football games is to batter, out-run and overwhelm the other team with defense.

The WFT in 2021 can batter, out-run and overwhelm the other team with defense.

Yes, Washington accomplished some things on offense here. Fitzpatrick found tight end Logan Thomas early on for a big play, on his way to completing seven of 13 passes for 96 yards. Running back Antonio Gibson rushed for 28 yards in the first half, while undrafted rookie Jaret Patterson solidified his role on this roster, and maybe in this rotation.

He amassed 133 total yards, scoring WFT's lone touchdown on a short run, catching three passes and returning a kickoff 37 yards.

Said coach Ron Rivera of Jaret Patterson, who used the words "explosive" and "dynamic'' to describe the kid: "That’s what you’re looking for. You’re looking for those guys that step up and make plays."

Meanwhile, another rookie, receiver Dyami Brown, flashed ...

And maybe most important to the WFT offense, Washington’s first-half points (part of a 6-3 halftime lead) came courtesy of two field goals off the foot of too-often-shaky Dustin Hopkins’ field goals.

Taylor Heinicke played QB in the first half, too, during which time he completed nine of 11 passes for 62 yards.

Maybe the WFT has multiple QBs who can play. But again, it is this defense - the backbone of the NFC East title last year and the backbone still - that might be able to turn around games as well as any club in football.

Rookie DB Benjamin St-Juste? He did it.

Established veteran Landon Collins? He did it.

And, as long as we are featuring the DBs - and why not? - Troy Apke pitched in.

In the end, the WFT established that they have quality quarterbacking, a "discovery'' in Patterson and a kicker working toward rewarding Rivera's faith ... oh, and a defense that, if any of those things fail, can still win Washington a lot of football game.

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Mike Fisher
MIKE FISHER

Mike Fisher - as a newspaper beat writer and columnist and on radio and TV, where he is an Emmy winner - has covered the NFL since 1983, is the author of two best-selling books on the NFL.

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