{"id":96079,"date":"2020-10-13T18:37:07","date_gmt":"2020-10-13T22:37:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=96079"},"modified":"2022-02-02T18:43:40","modified_gmt":"2022-02-02T23:43:40","slug":"washington-football-team-defensive-struggles-continue-vs-los-angeles-rams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2020\/10\/13\/washington-football-team-defensive-struggles-continue-vs-los-angeles-rams\/","title":{"rendered":"Washington Football Team Defensive Struggles Continue vs Los Angeles Rams"},"content":{"rendered":"

After a tumultuous week for the <\/span>Washington Football Team<\/a>, with the benching of <\/span>Dwayne Haskins<\/a><\/b>, coach <\/span>Ron Rivera<\/a><\/b> hoped that Washington could go on a run with four NFC games on the horizon, beginning with Sunday’s game against the <\/span>Los Angeles Rams<\/a>. However, the game did not go as planned as Washington fell 30-10 at FedEx Field. Despite the heroic return of <\/span>Alex Smith<\/a><\/b> following an injury to <\/span>Kyle Allen<\/a><\/b>, Washington did not get the spark they needed as Smith was sacked six times and the offense had negative six yards of offense in the second half.<\/span><\/p>\n

In addition to the dismal offensive performance, the highly-touted Washington defense allowed 30 or more points for the fourth consecutive game. While a few of these games could be attributed to the offense, the Rams thrashed Washington in the first half and made plays in the second half when the rain came down. Washington has had question marks in the secondary throughout the season, with the suspect play of <\/span>Landon Collins<\/a><\/b> and <\/span>Troy Apke<\/a><\/b>. The linebacking corps also struggled in coverage. Both units must improve in the future if Washington wants to avoid a repeat of previous years: a defensive collapse late in the season.<\/span><\/p>\n

Defensive Struggles Continue for Washington Football Team in 30-10 Loss<\/b><\/h2>\n

Big Plays Continue<\/b><\/h3>\n

Washington was torched by the Rams on big plays on Sunday.<\/span> Allowing just four 25+ yard plays in the first four games, Washington allowed four in Sunday’s game alone. <\/span><\/a>This has been a theme for Washington this season with the huge third-down play by <\/span>Jalen Reagor<\/a><\/b> in Week 1, and the 50-yard touchdown run by <\/span>Lamar Jackson<\/a><\/b>. On Sunday, <\/span>Robert Woods<\/a><\/b> was left wide open for a 56-yard touchdown early in the second quarter. Later, <\/span>Gerald Everett<\/a><\/b> found himself wide open for 40 yards, and <\/span>Cooper Kupp<\/a><\/b> beat <\/span>Kamren Curl<\/a><\/b> on a 49-yard gain. <\/span>Cam Akers<\/a><\/b> capped off the game with a 46-yard run.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Washington entered the game with 4 plays of 25 yards or more allowed this season. They've allowed 4 such plays today.<\/p>\n

— John Keim (@john_keim) October 11, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n