Can Washington Defense Live Up to 2021 'Out of Whack' Expectations in 2022?
The best in the league. If not, then Top 5. No matter what, at least Top 10.
That’s what the Washington Football Team defense was supposed to be in 2021. A talented, expensive, defensive-minded team led by a focused head coach.
But it didn’t happen. Like most WFT plans in a 2021 that ended 7-10 and out of the playoffs, the defense underachieved and ultimately crumbled.
When Ron Rivera was asked this week to evaluate his team's performance, he repeated some very familiar words.
“Initially, if you want to talk about pure football, I think the one thing was expectations. Everybody’s expectations across the board was probably a little out of whack,” Rivera said. “One of the biggest things that we tried to do was we tried to show what we were capable of, instead of trying to just go out and play football.”
While the offense was reeling from the loss of quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick and the absence of wide receiver Curtis Samuel, the defense was similarly not carrying its weight early in the season.
When defensive end Chase Young was injured and lost for the season, a noticeable improvement in the on-field product was pointed out by the media and fans alike. Linked, potentially, to an issue Rivera had identified before the injury, and reiterated again as the regular season came to a close.
“We were popping gaps when we were trying to make plays instead of staying home and just knowing the play doesn’t care who makes it,” Rivera said. “We had a nice stretch, where as a team we played the way you’re supposed to.”
That stretch led to a four-game winning streak including victories over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Las Vegas Raiders, two teams in the NFL Playoffs.
The lessons learned in a disappointing campaign only take hold if those receiving them are willing to accept the changes required to get better. Rivera said he thinks the players and coaches in the organization are on the same page moving forward, but acknowledged there can be difficulties when the culprit isn’t isolated to one area, or individual.
“The thing that’s tough, is if it’s one guy it’s easy, because you replace him,” Rivera said. “If it’s a mixture, that’s a little different. That’s a little difficult to work on.”
Whatever it is, the team will have all offseason to plan and strategize about how the execution on the field will be more in line with what’s drawn up in the scheme.
With talented players like Young, Montez Sweat and others returning from injuries and a season littered with failures, the opportunity to re-set and grow from year-to-year presents a powerful opportunity.
A chance to live up to 2021 expectations, in 2022.
