Carolina 20, Washington 13 — December 27, 2020
The Washington Football Team fell behind 20-0 in the second quarter on their way to falling to the Carolina Panthers 20-13 at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland.
Steven Sims Jr. fumbled a punt at the WFT 12-yard line which was recovered by Carolina’s Brandon Zylstra in the end zone for an early 6-0 Panthers’ lead at 1:42 of the opening quarter.
Mike Davis’ one-yard run and Teddy Bridgewater’s 14-yard touchdown pass to Robbie Anderson put Washington in the hole, down 20 points at halftime.
Washington starting quarterback Dwayne Haskins completed 14 of his 28 passes for 154 yards, but was also intercepted twice, sacked twice, and lost a fumble, compiling a QB rating of 36.9.
Coach Ron Rivera subsequently pulled Haskins, opting for Taylor Heinicke, who had recently been signed to merely serve as the Covid quarantine quarterback. Heinicke responded to his opportunity completing 12 of 19 passes for 137 yards, including a 29-yard touchdown pass to J.D. McKissic for a QB rating of 102.3.
Curtis Samuels had the biggest day for Carolina, catching five passes for 106 yards and rushing seven times for 52 yards, including a 45-yard run. Teddy Bridgewater completed 19 of 28 for 197 yards and one touchdown.
Robbie Anderson’s seven receptions gained 39 yards and D J Moore’s five receptions earned 37 yards.
Washington’s J D McKissic gained 77 yards from his eight receptions and Logan Thomas had 63 yards from his seven receptions, while Antonio Gibson gained 61 yards on ten carries.
Shaq Thompson led the Carolina defense with five tackles, four assists and one tackle for a loss. Jeremy Chinn totaled six solo tackles and assisted on two more.
Washington sacked Bridgewater four times as Cole Holcomb, DaRon Payne, Chase Young and Montez Sweat all pitched in one apiece. Holcomb led all Washington with 11 tackles (6 solo and 5 assisted). Kamren Curl collected eight tackles (six solo, two assisted), and intercepted one pass, returning it 12 yards.
The loss dropped Washington to a 6-9 record, while the Panthers gained a game to 5-10.