With the Washington Football Team in its bye week, here's a look back at the Top 5 plays that happened over the first eight weeks.
DeAndre Carter ties a franchise record.
The momentum had just swung all the way in the Atlanta Falcons' favor during Washington's Week 4 matchup. With two minutes left in the first half, Matt Ryan drove his offense 75 yards downfield to put Washington in a halftime deficit for the third time in four weeks.
The good news was that Washington got the ball back to start the third quarter, and it didn't need to wait long for DeAndre Carter to give it a shot in the arm.
Carter caught the kick one yard into the end zone and took off in the middle of the field. He made one defender miss at the 16-yard line before following a lane created by his blockers and sprinting for a 101-yard touchdown that gave Washington a 19-17 lead.
The return, which earned Carter NFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors, tied a franchise record and was the longest in the NFL since the 2020 season.
Ricky Seals-Jones delivers a highlight reel touchdown.
The name Ricky Seals-Jones was likely an unfamiliar one to Washington fans heading into the 2021 season, but it didn't take long for them to learn what the tight end could do.
The situation was dire for Washington in Week on Thursday Night Football against the New York Giants. There was just under five minutes left to play, and Washington faced the threat of going down 0-2 and 0-1 in the NFC East.
That anxiety was abated in short fashion, though, and all it took was two plays. First, Taylor Heinicke delivered a pass to J.D. McKissic, who turned up the sideline and breezed past defenders for a 55-yard gain. Now Washington was set up at the Giants' 19-yard line, and Seal-Jones took care of the rest with a toe-tapping touchdown that gave the team a 27-26 lead.
Antonio Gibson blows past the Bills defense.
There weren't many things swinging Washington's way at the start of its Week game against the Buffalo Bills. Its first three drives ended a punt, a fumble and an interception, while Buffalo had jumped out to a 21-0 lead.
Finally, with just under 11 minutes left in the second quarter, Washington had some good fortune, and it came from Antonio Gibson. Heinicke dumped the ball off to the second-year running back, who had blockers in front of him and plenty of room to work with. He ran by one defender after the other before getting in a foot race with Tre'Davious White. Gibson dove at the 5-yard line and got just enough air to hit the pylon for the score.
The play was Gibson's first touchdown of the year, and it's the longest play allowed by Buffalo's No. 1-ranked defense.
Jonathan slams Daniel Jones.
Jonathan Allen has been Washington's most productive pass-rusher this season. He has sixs sacks so far, which is tied for the most among all interior defensive linemen, and he has the second-highest pass-rushing grade among interior defenders behind Aaron Donald, per Pro Football Focus.
There's no shortage of subjectivity when choosing his best sack of the season, but his second against the Giants is certainly a top candidate.
Daniel Jones, who had already been sacked twice, had the Giants' offense lined up at its own 32-yard line facing a third-and-three. Allen ripped past the Giants' left guard, giving him a clear path to Jones. The best part about the play: Allen slammed the quarterback to the ground for a seven-yard loss.
Bobby McCain picks off Patrick Mahomes.
Washington had put Patrick Mahomes under duress throughout the first half in its matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs. It led to the Chiefs turning over the ball two times and Washington taking a 13-10 lead.
With 23 seconds left in the first half, Washington had one last surprise for the former MVP.
The Chiefs were lined up at Washington's 20-yard line and looking to retake the lead, but Mahomes fumbled the ball and heaved up a desperate throw to avoid taking a sack from Chase Young and Khaleke Hudson. It was an easy grab for Bobby McCain, who got his first pick of the season and kept Washington on top.
There were multiple reasons why the play was a success, but it all stemmed from the pass-rush taking advantage of Mahomes' mistake and McCain being in the right place at the right time.
