The 2020 season is here, and we have you covered as the Washington Football Team progresses through its inaugural campaign under head coach Ron Rivera.
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The Washington Football Team will be without defensive end Chase Young (groin) and wide receiver Steven Sims Jr. (toe) on Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens.
Young, who has lived up to the expectations of being the No. 2 overall pick, suffered the injury in the first half against the Cleveland Browns and did not return. Young did not practice all week, and on Friday, head coach Ron Rivera said the rookie pass-rusher will be monitored "day-by-day" moving forward.
"We'll see how he ends up Wednesday, Thursday, Friday," Rivera said. "We'll have him listed wherever we believe he's best fitted. We'll watch him as he practices. The most important thing is to see how he looks the next day. You can tell how he looks in practice, but how he reacts to the strain and stress of work, you don't know till the next day."
Sims appeared on the injury report last week after hurting his toe in Arizona, but ended up playing 23 offensive snaps and returned kicks and punts against the Browns. However, Rivera said that Sims' injury became "a little more re-aggravated," in that game, so the team decided to keep him out of practice this week to give him a chance to heal properly."
"He's valuable to who we are," Rivera said of Sims, who has six catches for 130 yards this season. "He's our specialist and he's also one of our slot receivers. We just feel that now is an opportunity to let him rest it."
Washington will also be without linebacker Cole Holcomb, who will miss his third straight game with a knee injury, and have four players listed as questionable: Terry McLaurin (thigh), tackle Morgan Moses (hip), linebacker Kevin Pierre-Louis (illness) and Ryan Anderson (ankle).
McLaurin appeared on the injury report Thursday and did not practice Friday, putting his availability for the Ravens game in jeopardy. McLaurin has been by far the team's best offensive player, so losing him would be significant, especially with Sims already being ruled out. Should McLaurin sit, fourth-round rookie Antonio Gandy-Golden would most likely make his first-career NFL start.
Recent and long-term history indicates Moses will play Sunday. He was listed as questionable entering Week 3 but played every offensive snap in his 83rd consecutive start. He was also a full participant in practice Friday.
The Ravens, meanwhile, have eight players listed as questionable, including several starters. The full injury report can be found, HERE.
The Washington Football team held practice at Inova Sports Performance Center in Ashburn, Virginia, on Oct. 2, 2020. (Elijah Walter Griffin Sr./Washington Football Team)
QUICK HITS
-- Rivera believes Gibson is ready to break out: Rookie Antonio Gibson is averaging 4.5 yards per carry, and he's tied for the NFL lead with 12 broken tackles despite carrying the ball just 31 times.
Still, Rivera believes that Gibson can do more, and he expects to see the third-rounder showcase his full skillset soon.
"I think he's really close," Rivera said. "I think we saw glimpses the last few weeks, we really have. It's funny, too -- it's not just him breaking out, but it's us breaking out as offensive coaches and understanding what he does best and where to put him. We're just learning."
-- DL coach praises Settle, Smith-Williams: The absence of Matt Ioannidis will place larger responsibility on reserves Tim Settle and James Smith-Williams, but defensive line coach Sam Mills III is confident the duo will perform up to expectations against the Ravens.
On Settle: "I'm very confident in Tim. Tim has played pretty well the last couple weeks. The biggest thing I've noticed -- Tim is not replacing Matt. Tim is playing a little bit more, but other guys have got to step up around Tim also. So, as a collective group we're going to have to replace Matt, not just one person. It's not all on Tim. Tim will be fine. Tim is an NFL player who knows how to play this game at a high level. He'll just get more opportunity and I look forward to him taking advantage of that opportunity."
On Smith-Williams: "Well, James first and foremost -- the intelligence jumps out. He's got a unique way that he approaches the game. It's not really like a rookie. Sometimes we forget that James is a rookie because he's got an old soul. He can play inside and outside, so he can do a lot of different things for you. You can play him in different packages. We're just excited to give him those opportunities. That's what happens in this league. You hate to lose guys, you really do. But you also get excited for young guys to get opportunities."
-- Wright in line for first NFL start: Undrafted rookie Isaiah Wright played 29 offensive snaps against the Browns, and he should have an even bigger workload in the absence of Sims. Wright flashed in Cleveland, catching four of his six targets for 24 yards, but he'll be going up against perhaps the best cornerback duo in the league in first-team All-Pros Marcus Peters and Marlon Humphrey.
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INJURY REPORT
You can find the injury report for the Washington Football Team's matchup against the Baltimore Ravens, HERE.
