The Washington Football Team will face the Atlanta Falcons at the Mercedes Benz Superdome on Sunday. Both teams have 1-2 records coming into the match-up.
Washington were pounded by Josh Allen and the Bills this past Sunday at Highmark Stadium in Buffalo. Allen racked up 350-plus yards passing to go with his five touchdowns – four of them passing, and one of them on the ground.
The WFT defense that was so talked about in the offseason, seemed to have no answers.
The Falcons edged the New York Giants 17-14 in East Rutherford on Sunday. Atlanta scored twice in the last five minutes to notch their first victory of 2021. Matt Ryan completed 27 of his 36 passes for 243 yards and two touchdowns.
Washington and Atlanta have not faced each other since 2018. Atlanta hammered Washington 38-14 that day.
The Falcons have won the last six in the head-to-head, and quarterback Ryan has never lost a start against WFT (5-0). He has 8 touchdowns and 1,294 yards in those five games. He was also intercepted six times.
As a point of fact, Taylor Heinicke’s only start as a member of the Carolina Panthers, was against the Falcons. He lost 24-10, and was intercepted three times.
WFT Defense Has Been Offensive
Coming into the 2021 season, the Washington defense was expected to dominate. Inexplicably, they have now allowed 92 points through just three games – 29th in the NFL.
Washington are 31st in Total Yards allowed. They are 29th in Pass Yards allowed, and 25th in Receiving yards allowed. They are 32nd in takeaways.
That’s last, or close to last, in everything that you don’t want to be last in.
Chase Young and his defense need to get off the snide, if Washington expect to compete in 2021.
Atlanta Offense Has Been Offensive Too
Luckily for Washington fans, Atlanta’s offense isn’t faring much better than the WFT defense.
Even with last week’s win over the Giants, Atlanta’s offense is at the bottom of the league in most of the major categories.
They have scored just 48 points through three games – 29th in the NFL. Atlanta’s offense are 27th in Total Yards. They are 25th in Pass Yards, and 28th in Receiving yards. They are 23rd in takeaways.
Game Coverage
The game is on Fox, with Kevin Kugler, Mark Sanchez, and Laura Okmin as the announcers team.
Odds
The Falcons were a 0.5-point favorite to open the week. But you can find anything from Atlanta -1.5 to Washington -1.5 right now. It’s pretty erratic at the time of posting.
Of betting note? WFT are now 0-3 against the spread in 2021.