Talk Commanders

Washington Football Team’s matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs will honor nearly 100 alumni at FedEx Field, while also paying a special tribute to one of its greatest stars and beloved players who was taken from us too soon at the age of 24. Sean Taylor was brutally murdered in 2007, during a robbery at his home. His family will join the team on-field for a pre-game ceremony in which Taylor’s contributions to the team will be remembered alongside the retirement of his jersey number, 21. This will mark only the third time in the team’s 89-year history that a jersey number will be officially retired.

Washington is in Atlanta for this showdown of 1-2 teams that are struggling near the bottom of every statistical category. By the numbers, the Falcons have the slight edge overall with their 18th ranked defense going up against the WFT’s 22nd ranked offense. On the other side and more of a shock is that the WFT’s defense is ranked 30th in the NFL. But they might get some help since Atlanta’s offense is 28th ranked. If it feels like two lousy teams facing each other on this Sunday, the numbers don’t lie, they are lousy teams at the moment and for Washington, they are under-achieving. They aren’t even bottom of the barrel in matchups today because the Dolphins face the Colts.

Where do we go from here? The three outcomes on the standings for the Washington Football Team is 2-1 with a win, 1-2 with a loss, or 1-1-1 with a tie. This game against the Buffalo Bills has them with the same record and the same possible outcomes — win, lose, or draw.

Washington hosts this game against the division rival NY Giants at FedEx Field for a Thursday Night showdown. The WFT will already have a new look with Taylor Heinicke as the starting QB after Ryan Fitzpatrick had a hip subloxation and was placed on the IR.

When you have a first game after you make the postseason, you have to capitalize to get the season started on the winning side. Ryan Fitzpatrick will get the start for the Washington Football Team in this one at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland against the visiting Los Angeles Chargers.

Where do we go from here? Tonight marks the final pre-season game of the year for the Washington Football Team and a 15 day period of only intra-squads before the team opens the regular season on September 12. There are so many unanswered questions as to who will make the cut on the final roster for the WFT.

The final roster cuts are due on Tuesday, August 31 for all teams, and there is always the taxi practice squad for some who fail to make the cut. Coaches will have those bubble players out there tonight to make final assessments.

It is always an anxious time leading up to cutdown day. A great play in the final preseason game could go a long way in swaying the specialty coaches as well as head coach Ron Rivera. The team probably has their decisions made on the starting-11 on both sides, and just need to pencil up special teams, and the depth charts.

This game tonight is against the neighbors to the north, the Baltimore Ravens. They are the team that moved from Cleveland twenty-five years ago. Yes, it is hard to believe it has been that long. They have a 241–185–1 record since coming to Baltimore and more importantly two Super Bowl Championships in that span which is two more than the team from Washington. Slowly over the years, allegiances have shifted for some fans to the team that has had more recent success, and it is no different with the two cities and the baseball teams. Maybe one big difference was that the Washington football franchise never tried to block Baltimore from gaining a team or tried to profit off of their TV territory.

Soo @DeionSanders called the NFC East "garbage" on @espn yesterday.

1. Last year was bad. Doesn't mean this year will be the same.
2.He's got other things to worry about before cutting down a division he almost surely hasn't studied close.
3. His headset/mic was brutal.

— Chris Russell AKA The Rooster (@Russellmania621) August 27, 2021

Washington of course last year got a taste of postseason success again after they won the NFC East crown. We will see what Rivera has up his sleeves for this season. Rivera always seemed like a “defense first” coach with the mantra that defense wins football games. The WFT ranked 13th overall in stopping the run, and 2nd overall in stopping the pass. Rivera says he wants to improve on both.

One guy who flashed in the second half: DL Daniel Wise. Can play both end and tackle; had pressures from both spots. Has progressed… Not sure if he'll make it or not, but it should be close. If nothing else, worth having on PS.

— John Keim (@john_keim) August 22, 2021

Yes, an emphasis will be on players who can pressure the quarterback to add to Chase Young and Montez Sweat who are the havoc wreakers.

But of course all eyes will be on the quarterbacks to see who starts tonight, and most expect Ryan Fitzpatrick to be under center for the opener with Taylor Heinicke as the backup, and Kyle Allen as third string.

There you have it from the head coach on the starting QB or as some call it around here QB1. Maybe we will find out who that is before the season opener on September 12 against the Los Angeles Chargers.

Here are your Vegas lines from the Caesar’s on this link.