Way back when the season started the last six-games looked to be a daunting prospect. Surely it could derail a Playoff campaign. No worries, Mate. The train wreck happened well upstream. There’s nothing left now to injure except more players and draft position. As imposing as the schedule looked back then the truth is that it has been overtaken by events. The combined record of the remaining teams is 37-32-1. (.528) Hardly impressive. But, the first test is probably the hardest: Denver is coming to town a very legitimate Super Bowl contender. What remains after that is a Dallas team that thinks it’s legit; a Giants team that has driven the Ownership to apoplexy; a Minnesota team without a Quarterback; and two tilts with an Eagles team that looks every bit as lost as it was in 2023. Such a pity Washington is not in position to do anything but spoil someone else’s fun.
A Merciful Bye
After the loss in Madrid to the enigmatic Dolphins a break was surely needed. No. Not so much for the players. Rather, the fanbase was in desperate need to have a respite from the incessant losses. The late Ken Beatrice said seemingly on a daily basis that more football games are lost than are won. That one was lost. Most of the games in this string were simply won by the other team. Football is all about the horses on the field. Washington’s are mostly in street clothes.
Football people have a baseline of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder that is higher than your average person. Dan Quinn was asked on his weekly NFL Radio interview what he did to unwind during the Bye. The answer was a nervous chuckle. Host Pat Kirwan then told him, “You didn’t do anything but grind it the whole time. I know you.” It was a not so subtle reminder that effort is never the issue in the NFL. Everyone tries their darndest. Work equals Force times Distance. Shove on the rock with all your might. If it doesn’t move then zero work was produced. Some people in the League just have more cooperative rocks to work with than others.
Surely a rest helped the mood and mindsets a little. And, for a week the fanbase had options other than watching the team with one eye covered. But, thinking it was a magic tonic from Gandalf the Wizard is not productive. By the way, Denver is coming off of a Bye Week also.
Denver
No coach has ever won the Super Bowl with two different franchises. The closest to it are Weeb Ewbank and Don Shula. Shula won the NFL title in pre-Super Bowl 1968 with Baltimore. Then his Dolphins won back-to-back titles in 1972 and 1973. Weeb Ewbank won two consecutive titles with the Colts in 1958/1959. Then he won the infamous Super Bowl III with Joe Namath and his Jets over the Colts…and Don Shula. Sean Payton wants to change the answer to this trivia question. He won one Super Bowl with Drew Brees while coaching him for 14-years. In some respects it seems to be a bit of under-achievement.
Payton cut his coaching teeth under Bill Parcells. Let’s translate: He learned to be a hard-ass at a tender age. Parcells was a rough as they came. One of his favorite acts was to walk up to a player after a loss and tell him, “We can lose without you being here.” It was brass knuckles stuff. Sean Payton learned the schtick well.
He inherited a complete dumpster fire in Denver. Russell Wilson had come to town and laid waste to the landscape. Draft picks were gone. Cap space was gone. Cutting Wilson would result in a “Dead Money” hit that should have crippled the franchise for years. Payton and Wilson uneasily co-existed for one year before the “Eject” button was pushed. With it went the last of Russ’ Hall-of-Fame hopes. The rebuild went full steam ahead.
The emphasis was on Defense. Right now the Broncos have the #3 Defense for both yards and points. They have almost twice the number of sacks than the WFT: 25 to 49. The front four is terrific…as is the Secondary. Perhaps the best Cornerback in the League is Patrick Surtain who returns tonight. Not lost in the conversation is Nik Bonitto. The Linebacker has 9.5 sacks and 9-Tackles for Loss. This will not be a good day to hold onto the ball waiting for a Receiver to break open.
Denver’s Offense is just about dead middle of the pack: 16th for points and 13th for yardage. The young QB Bo Nix is quite functional. He has 18 TDs to only 8 INTs. But, he does get sacked a bit more than optimal. Basically it’s a sack every 19 drop-backs. He’s run the ball 50-times for 4.2-yards per carry. But, the runs seem to come at crucial junctures. This is a team that has won nearly one-half of their games in fourth-quarter comebacks with four such events. Nix is a big reason for that success.
McLaurin Returns
Yes. You read that correctly. “Scary Terry” is going to be in the lineup tonight. If not enthused by the news it is totally understandable. The needs of this team are many. One Receiver won’t matter at this point. But, it may have made a big difference earlier. Much like Major Marcus Reno showing up after Custer’s Last Stand was in the books, Terry showing up now won’t change the outcome.
It’s a pity. McLaurin was the good guy in a bad organization for years. Just as the org was getting cleansed and launching out on a better fortune it was his turn to get that last good contract. It’s hard to remember at times, but a football roster is a collection of independent contractors. “Fighting for Old DC” is all well and good. But, the Benjamins in the wallet are a business negotiation. There’s a script for getting that last contract. Terry followed it. Then he got hurt as is often the case. Then the other good Receiver has been hurt. And, never mind…you know the deal from there. McLaurin’s “Good Guy” image has taken a bit of a hit from those who don’t fully understand the realities of professional football. It’s a great game, but a lousy business to be in.
The Guys in the Desert
Vegas oddsmakers have this game as Denver being 6.5-point favorites. The more intriguing number is the Over/Under at 42.5. Denver is no scoring machine averaging just 20.6-points per game. Washington is points-challenged also. And, it’s going against a top-shelf Defense. That sounds like a recipe for a fairly low-scoring game. Yes, Washington’s Defense is porous. But, they played their best game against Miami after Dan Quinn took over the play calling.
Somewhere out there is a Tout talking about the “Home Dog” on Sunday Night.
Game Information
NBC had a chance to “Flex” this game out of Prime Time. But, they declined.
Sunday, Nov. 30 (8 p.m. ET) Northwest Stadium
Seahawks @ Commanders—8:20 p.m. ET, NBC
TV: Mike Tirico (play-by-play), Cris Collinsworth (analyst), Melissa Stark (sideline)
D.C. Radio: Bram Weinstein (play-by-play), London Fletcher (analyst), Logan Paulsen (analyst) BIG 100 WBIG-FM
