By Matthew Paras - The Washington Times - Thursday, August 12, 2021

Coach Ron Rivera wanted to see consistency in Washington’s preseason opener against the New England Patriots. He got it. Sort of. 

Washington came up short in Thursday’s 22-13 loss, but it did manage to put solid drives together, even if the team failed to capitalize fully on some opportunities. Ryan Fitzpatrick, making his debut in a Washington uniform, led the offense down the field for two drives. Chase Young, the reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year, looks like he could be a candidate to bring home more hardware this year. 

Here are some key takeaways: 

Quarterbacks settle in

Throughout training camp, Fitzpatrick looks the most comfortable when he targets guys he can trust. That again was the case Thursday when Terry McLaurin, Logan Thomas and Adam Humphries — seemingly his favorite targets in practice — hauled in all five of Fitzpatrick’s completions. Across two series, Fitzpatrick went 5-of-8 for 58 yards and led the offense each time into New England territory. Fitzpatrick’s flashiest throw came when he delivered a 24-yard strike to Thomas under pressure as the pocket collapsed. 

Both times, Fitzpatrick’s offense failed to convert points. Washington punted on fourth-and-1 from New England’s 41-yard line — a situation it perhaps goes for in the regular season — and then Dustin Hopkins missed a 40-yarder wide left (more on that later). 

Backup Taylor Heinicke had an impressive night, looking much better than he had in recent practices. Rivera said last week he was unconcerned about Heinicke’s struggles in camp — saying that practice didn’t translate best to Heinicke’s skill set because of the way the quarterback can extend plays outside the pocket and use his legs. 

In an actual game, Heinicke took advantage of the live setting. He was quick, decisive and found a rhythm. Heinicke entered with 3:06 left in the first and finished out the first half with 86 yards on 9-of-15 passing. He led Washington’s first touchdown drive, setting up a goal-line score from running back Peyton Barber. 

Even third-stringer Steven Montez had his moment. The undrafted Colorado product produced a 15-play, 92-yard drive in the fourth quarter that almost resulted in a tie. After hitting running back Lamar Miller for a 4-yard touchdown in the end zone, Montez threw a perfectly placed pass to 2020 fourth-rounder Antonio Gandy-Golden on the two-point conversion that was initially ruled as a completion — only for the play to be overturned upon replay.  

Still, it was an impressive response from Montez, who threw an interception earlier in the fourth quarter. Montez completed 17 of 24 passes for 108 yards, a touchdown and an interception. 

Young hype

The preseason can be the perfect time for fans to get caught up in hype that doesn’t translate to the regular season. But with Young, the hype is very well justified. 

Young was a force against the Patriots’ offensive line, none more so than when he used a swim move to drive past left tackle Isaiah Wynn and demolish quarterback Cam Newton. At first, the play looked like a forced fumble — only for officials to rule Newton got the pass out just before the hit. Regardless, the play showed a jump in Young’s play: “Immediately notice Chase Young’s hands have improved from last year!” offensive line guru Duke Manyweather tweeted. 

The play even prompted a funny reaction from Rivera, who used to coach Newton on the sideline. 

“I wanted to yell, ’Look out!’ but he’s on the other team now,” Rivera said on the television broadcast. 

Young only had 7 ½ sacks as a rookie, but that number could be much higher in 2021. 

Time to worry about Hopkins?

Look, there’s no sugarcoating Hopkins’ rough performance Thursday: He went 0-for-2 and the misses were bad. Real bad. 

On his first 40-yard attempt, Hopkins sailed it wide left from a distance that usually NFL kickers have no problem with. Later on, from 50 yards, Hopkins’ miss was even more off the mark: The 30-year-old seemed to hesitate on his windup, shanking it wide, wide left. 

Hopkins has been a fixture in Washington for six years — a luxury given how much teams have trouble finding a reliable kicker. But this isn’t the first time that Hopkins has struggled. He went through a concerning stretch last season in which he opened the year 12-of-17 on field-goal attempts. 

Rivera resisted bringing in competition for Hopkins then — the kicker rebounded in the following weeks. But who knows if Rivera will maintain the same level of faith again after these latest misses. 

Rookies (and a veteran) get run 

Washington’s starters played for only two series — with the exception of a few names. Notably, first-round linebacker Jamin Davis and right tackle Sam Cosmi played far past the first quarter, taking snaps with the second unit. 

Davis manned the middle as the team’s Mike linebacker, calling plays and making checkdowns. Cosmi handled his assignments well, often in one-on-one coverage — including two-time Pro Bowler Matt Judon. 

The other player to get extended playing time Thursday was veteran Wes Schweitzer. The 27-year-old opened the game as the team’s starting left guard — where he’s competing with Ereck Flowers to start — and then shifted to the right side when Heinicke entered the game. Schweitzer played the entire first half, showing the position flexibility that Rivera often desires. 

• Matthew Paras can be reached at mparas@washingtontimes.com.

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