It’s been a rough month for the District’s sports fans, from Alex Ovechkin’s broken leg to losing streaks by the Wizards and Commanders. This Thanksgiving, many of those fans undoubtedly will be giving thanks that November is nearly over.
Every loss hurts for District and DMV diehards, but Ovechkin’s injury likely provided the worst sting for the Capitals’ faithful. The 39-year-old was breaking NHL records almost every night en route to the best goal-scoring start of his 20-year career.
The hot start came crumbling down last week when Ovechkin collided with Utah defenseman Jack McBain, knocking the Russian to the ice in obvious pain.
Ovechkin did not return. The bad news arrived a few days later when the Capitals announced that their captain would miss 4-6 weeks with a fractured fibula.
The injury will delay Ovechkin’s chase of Gretzky’s all-time goals record, which he was on pace to break in February.
The Capitals are still in the playoff hunt, even after losing their first two games without the future Hall of Famer. With 29 points through their first 21 games, the squad is on the boundary of the playoff picture and fighting to regain the top spot in the Metropolitan Division.
The Commanders understand the feeling.
After an Ovechkin-like hot start to the season, the Commanders came crashing down to Earth this month. After beating the New York Giants on Nov. 3, coach Dan Quinn’s 7-2 group sat on top of the NFC East and looked like a serious playoff contender.
Things change fast in the NFL.
A three-game losing streak has the players and fans in burgundy and gold reconsidering their team’s progress.
“We all have to look ourselves in the mirror and figure out what we can do better,” wide receiver Terry McLaurin said Sunday, minutes after scoring a potential game-tying touchdown, only to watch kicker Austin Seibert miss the subsequent extra point.
Now 7-5, the Commanders hold the third and final wild-card spot in the NFC. They’ll have to fight and scrap the rest of the season, including in rematches against the Cowboys and division-leading Philadelphia Eagles, to reach the postseason.
The Commanders have looked rough this month, but no team can compare to the woebegone Wizards of the NBA. An array of new additions, including fresh-faced rookies and seasoned veterans, haven’t led to new results on the court.
The team lost 11 straight games to start November as they plummeted to the bottom of the standings. The Wizards have looked like the worst team in the league during their streak, recording five losses of 20 points or more.
The Washington Spirit women’s soccer team added to the misery on Saturday with a heartbreaking loss in the NWSL championship game.
The last-minute losses by the Commanders and the Wizards’ overall ineptitude don’t compare to the heartbreak of the Spirit, who came up just short after an unlikely postseason run.
The Spirit needed an own goal in extra time to defeat Bay FC in the first round of the postseason and penalty kicks to escape Gotham FC in the semifinals.
The squad, led by superstar Trinity Rodman, couldn’t find a way to win the most important match of the season, though.
The Spirit dominated possession in Sunday’s championship match against the Orlando Pride, but Washington couldn’t find the back of the net. The Spirit attempted nearly three times as many shots, but the Pride only needed one goal — a strike by Barbra Banda in the 37th minute — to secure the title.
“Honestly, I think we made one error and we got punished for it,” Spirit defender Casey Krueger said after the game. “Again, they have world-class players, and they finished, and they deserved to win.”
But for fans looking for silver linings, there are reasons to be optimistic.
Ovechkin could return after the NHL’s Christmas break. If he steps back onto the ice against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Dec. 28, he would still have a solid chance to break Gretzky’s record this season.
If Ovechkin maintains the incredible pace he had to start the season, he’d surpass the Great One on March 15, according to ESPN’s research group. If he regresses to his career averages, he’d break the record against the Columbus Blue Jackets on April 12 in the second-to-last game of the season.
Despite the disastrous display this month, the NFL’s Next Gen Stats still give the Commanders a 60% chance to make the postseason. The path to the playoffs continues on Sunday — the first day of December — with a home game against the 3-8 Tennessee Titans.
Optimism for the Wizards requires more forethought.
Rookies Alex Sarr, Bub Carrington and Kyshawn George have looked like potential building blocks for the future with strong starts for the Wizards. The trio has combined to average 28.2 points, 14.5 rebounds and 9.8 assists per game to start the season.
The team is not built to contend this season, but general manager Will Dawkins has repeatedly said this is a yearslong rebuild. Each loss brings the Wizards closer to a top pick in next year’s draft, which could bring teenage phenom Cooper Flagg to the District.
“I know we’re not winning every game,” guard Malcolm Brogdon told the Athletic. “But we’re taking baby steps.”
The 2025 campaign will likely grant the Spirit another shot at contention.
All 11 players who started in Saturday’s championship match are under contract for 2025. Midfielder Croix Bethune, the NWSL’s Rookie of the Year despite missing the season’s final two months, will add some extra firepower after she returns from a torn meniscus.
“I really do believe that we’ll go one better next year,” defender Esme Morgan said on Saturday.
• Liam Griffin can be reached at lgriffin@washingtontimes.com.
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