Chiefs 2021 Opponent Overview: Washington

The Week Six matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Washington Football Team pits two teams against each other who have faltered early. For many different reasons, each squad has not lived up to their 2021 expectations. Both Kansas City and Washington are 2-3. Moreover, the wins they have got have not come easily.

The strength of the Chiefs (offense) and the strength of Washington (defense) are each learning that they need to readjust their strategies. If those changes do not take place, the playoff aspirations for each of these teams could become difficult to achieve. Which version of Washington will the Chiefs see on Sunday?

Today, we will be giving our own view of the Washington Football Team entering their matchup with the Chiefs. What can Kansas City expect from their offense and defense? Let’s kick it off by jumping into the Washington Football Team offense.

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Heinicke Heroics

Both of these teams have gone through their fair share of changes at quarterback. While the Chiefs have found a stable leader in Patrick Mahomes, Washington has been riding the quarterback carousel more often in recent years. Since the start of 2018, nine different quarterbacks have started a game for Washington (Alex Smith, Josh Johnson, Colt McCoy, Mark Sanchez, Case Keenum, Dwayne Haskins, Kyle Allen, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Taylor Heinicke).

The last name of the list and their current starter, Heinicke, has done everything he can to help stabilize the position. You can quickly see how he affects the Washington Football Team offense. Heinicke displays a fearless moxie when dropping back to pass. This daring confidence can also lead to highlight reel plays while throwing on the run, taking off to run or avoiding sacks. Mentally, he is not afraid to throw the ball up high or into traffic. Fitting it into tight windows is not too tough of a task for the Old Dominion product. Finally, his emotion and drive carry over to the rest of the offense. The skill players are able to feed off of his determined style. Washington currently has immense confidence in him as their guy.

Sometimes, this fearlessness can cost Heinicke. He has thrown six interceptions in five career starts for Washington. On the other hand, working through his progressions can be hit or miss throughout the course of games. Staring his primary target down can both help or hurt Washington greatly. Kansas City should not take Heinicke for granted though. And they will not of course. But, Heinicke is certainly capable of playing the hero role if need be for the Washington Football Team.

Underappreciated Skill

The skill players in the Washington Football Team offense are certainly recognized. However, that is not to the extent that it should be. Let’s start at the running back position.

Antonio Gibson has a tough, hard nosed running style. This is pretty impressive, given his slightly microscopic size for the position. He will run you over. Or, Gibson will use his patience to make defenders look foolish. The Memphis product was used more as a wide receiver in college than he was at running back.

Nonetheless, he has already gained 4.4 yards per carry across his first 20 career NFL games, including 4.7 yards per carry for the 2020 season last year. Gibson’s other half at running back is JD McKissic. He is used more as a receiver. In just 21 games with Washington, McKissic already has 93 receptions. And it does not just come on dump off throws. He can run seam routes, wheel routes or routes to the flats.

The Washington wide receiver and tight end positions are full of guys who slipped through the cracks. Terry McLaurin is one of the most dangerous younger receivers in the league. Yet, he slipped to the third round in the 2019 NFL Draft. McLaurin is sure-handed to come up with any catch, especially the most difficult ones. He is truly a threat to all three levels of the field.

Veterans Adam Humphries and Ricky Seals-Jones have found a career resurgence with the Washington Football Team this year. And even with that, the team is still waiting for youngsters Dyami Brown, Dax Milne and Cam Sims to further progress and emerge. Lastly, Curtis Samuel could open up the offense even more once he gets healthy.

Back To Earth

Last season, Washington won the weaker NFC East division due largely to the play of their defense. From the defensive line to the linebackers, this front seven suffocated opposing offenses and made them feel uncomfortable. This Washington defense did two things extremely well. In fact, they were near the top in two of the more important categories for NFL defenses. That would be turnovers and points allowed. In 2020, the Washington Football Team defense ranked fourth best in points allowed (329) and tied for the fifth most takeaways (23). They also registered the fifth most sacks (47).

Fast forward to this season, and the Washington Football Team has not been scaring anybody. This group has allowed the second most points (155) and sixth most total yards (2,039) in the NFL through the first five weeks. Their four takeaways are tied for the fourth lowest in the league. Additionally, they have registered just nine sacks (tied for third lowest in the league).

The dynamic defensive end duo of Chase Young and Montez Sweat have been less impactful this season. They can still take over a game at an instant. Though, that has been missing up to this point. Washington’s secondary has largely failed when being heavily tested in pass coverage. Only newcomer William Jackson III has allowed less than half of the passes he has faced to be completed against him. Kamren Curl and Kendall Fuller have taken steps back. Meanwhile, the team is still taking it slow with rookies Benjamin St-Juste and Jamin Davis.

Be on the lookout for more FPC Chiefs articles throughout this week. For more great sports and NFL content, stay tuned to Full Press Coverage.

– Braden Holecek is the Kansas City Chiefs managing editor for Full Press Coverage. He covers the NFL. Like and follow on Follow @ebearcat9//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js Follow @FPC_Chiefs//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js and Facebook.