WFT is escaping Vegas with its playoff hopes still intact, which originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Those traveling to Las Vegas usually want to make sure they leave Las Vegas with whatever they brought with them.
For the Washington Football team, the thing they wanted out of Sin City with was their winning streak. After a thrilling 17:15 win at Allegiant Stadium, they can say they did just that.
In a competition marked by a lack of explosive games and an excess of mistakes, it was Taylor Heinicke’s fourth quarter interception that almost turned out to be the real turning point. While standing 14-12, the brave but battered quarterback attempted to track down Terry McLaurin but was picked up instead.
After the turnaround, Derek Carr and the hosts made their way into field goal territory to prepare a Daniel Carlson kick on a point.
From there, Heinicke had another shot with the ball. Like a player who suffered from a poker or blackjack table but had a few chips left to work with, he sought redemption.
He found it too.
With a series of completions to everyone from John Bates to Adam Humphries and Antonio Gibson – plus a handover to Curtis Samuel – Washington methodically switched to the 31-yard line. New kicker Brian Johnson then stepped on, drilling his own 48-yard field goal to bring Ron Rivera’s club forward at 17-15.
From then on, Jack Del Rio’s defense was able to hold up for the last 32 stressful seconds.
The win is massive for Burgundy and Gold, climbing to 0.500 at 6-6 instead of falling to 5-7. Their postseason hopes are getting more legitimate week by week, and now they’re starting their NFC East matches to end the year with something to play for. That didn’t seem possible in the farewell week last month.
Washington arrived in Vegas with something very valuable. Unlike many before them and many more to come, they managed to keep it during their stay. Your heater lives on to see another Sunday.
