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The Washington Football Team was unable to secure the NFC East title on Sunday, falling to the Carolina Panthers by a score of 20-13. Washington head coach Ron Rivera never held a lead over his former team, as the Panthers jumped out to a quick start and never looked back. Steven Sims muffed a punt in the first quarter, which led to Carolina's first touchdown of the game, and second-year quarterback Dwayne Haskins turned the ball over a total of three times in the opening half. He completed 14 of 28 passes for 154 yards and two interceptions before being pulled for Taylor Heinicke in the fourth quarter.
The Panthers didn't have to do much on Sunday to down Washington, but they played with energy, took advantage of every opportunity they were given and came away with the win. Teddy Bridgewater threw for 197 yards, one touchdown and one interception, but he did make some nice plays downfield. Curtis Samuel finished with 106 yards on five catches and also led the Panthers in rushing yards with 52 on seven carries.
Why the Panthers won
Samuel is looking to lock up a multi-year extension this upcoming offseason, and he helped himself in a major way in Week 16. Whether it was breaking free in the secondary for big gains, breaking the ankles of defenders or fighting for extra yards, he proved his worth as a versatile offensive weapon that could be a go-to threat.
What the Panthers did on defense this week was also something that directly led to a Carolina victory. The four first-half turnovers were incredibly important, but Shaq Thompson was all over the field and led the Panthers with nine total tackles, and then rookie Derrick Brown stood out by batting down two passes at the line of scrimmage. This young unit has a ton of potential.
Why Washington lost
Washington fans probably felt like they were watching more of a funeral than a football game this week. Not for Washington's playoff hopes, but for Haskins. The former No. 15 overall pick threw for just 154 yards and two interceptions on Sunday as he struggled to see the field, failed to recognize open receivers and then threw passes either too high or too low when he did see an open man. It was especially notable that Heinicke came in and found much more success than Haskins did, as he completed 12 of 19 passes for 137 yards and a touchdown.
If Alex Smith can't go in the season finale next week, then expect Heinicke to get the start, not Haskins. The former Ohio State star was stripped of his status as captain earlier this week due to off-field issues, and it doesn't seem likely that his future is here in Washington.
Turning point
When Heinicke was inserted into the lineup, it felt like the game was over. But the former undrafted signal-caller out of Old Dominion then led an impressive drive that appeared to have resulted in a 12-yard touchdown pass to Logan Thomas on fourth down. However, the score was called back due to a holding penalty, and Heinicke then failed to hook up with Antonio Gandy-Golden on the ensuing fourth down from the Panthers' 22-yard line.
Washington's defense did force a three-and-out to get the ball back on the Panthers' next possession, however, and Heinicke led an eight-play, 91-yard drive that resulted in a J.D. McKissic touchdown, but Washington was unable to recover the onside kick and had no timeouts remaining to stop the clock. In all, the final score looked much closer than the game actually was.
Play of the game
The first quarter was pretty even until Sims muffed a punt that directly led to the Panthers' first touchdown of the game. It was a huge shift in momentum that carried Carolina to a huge first half and ultimately a win.
Credit former CFL star Brandon Zylstra for jumping on the ball in the end zone, which we found out last week is actually much tougher than it looks.
What's next
Washington will try to win the NFC East next week in the regular-season finale against the Eagles in Philadelphia, while the Panthers close out the season at home against the New Orleans Saints.
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