The Takeaways, week 18: Washington over the Eagles
January 6, 2026
By Steve Thomas
Congratulations to Washington winning a game, even though it was one that hurt their draft status and it was over an opponent who was clearly not at full strength. This game still meant something to both the players and the coaches, and it was good to see Washington turn things around, somewhat, and finish the season strong at 5 – 12. The final Takeaways for the 2025-26 season are below.
Washington finishes the season strong
Honestly, I couldn’t care less whether Washington ends up with the fifth, sixth, seventh, or eighth pick. That’s for the offseason, not right now. Either way, a good player will be available at Washington’s spot. I’d much rather see the team finish strong and act like they care, and that’s what happened in week 18, with a solid, if unremarkable, 24 – 17 victory over the Eagles. Yes, I realize that the Eagles were essentially playing their second stringers for the most part, but who cares. It was nice to see the team finally get a victory after a horrible season of nonstop losing. They played like it still mattered, and that’s what’s important. So do yourselves a favor and don’t worry about the team’s draft status – wherever they end up, a good player will still be there. For now, celebrate the fact that Washington got a win over last year’s Super Bowl champs to finish the season on a high note.
Congratulations to Bobby Wagner
In what could possibly be his last game, both here in DC and in the NFL in general, Wagner was able to get to 2000 career tackles in this contest, joining Ray Lewis and Washington’s own London Fletcher in one of the most elite circles in defensive statistics. Certainly, Wagner has slowed down this year and not looked great in pass coverage, but let’s all give that stuff a rest for a day and congratulate one of the NFL’s greats on a momentous occasion. Regardless of whether he is back with Washington next year, it was great seeing him accomplish this achievement.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt surpasses his draft status
He didn’t have a good game this week against the Eagles, with 13 carries for just 29 yards, which is 2.2 yards per carry, but he finished the season with 805 yards in 173 carries, for 4.7 yard per carry. That’s outstanding for a seventh round draft pick. I’m not sure that he’s going to end up being a franchise back, but that’s a great rookie year and something he can build upon. Croskey-Merritt needs to focus on consistency next, because he went through long stretches of the season with minimal production, coupled with a few long gains to boost his numbers. I’d like to see him improve next year to the point that he’s legitimately gaining 4.5 yards on each carry. But next year aside, he has reason to be proud of his rookie performance.
Josh Johnson gets a rare victory and looked . . . okay . . . in the process
Johnson has obviously been in professional football for what seems like forever, and has played for literally almost half the league, but he’s only had 11 career starts, including this week. This game obviously meant something to him. He went just 14 for 22 for 131 yards, a 63.6% completion percentage, with 1 touchdown and 1 interception, for a quarterback rating of 76.1, plus a fumble. That isn’t great, but he’s a third string quarterback, not a starter. His performance did improve in the fourth quarter. Johnson probably won’t be back in DC next year, given his history, but I’m happy that he was able to put a victory on his record.
Jake Moody is worthy of competing for the job next year
Moody went 1 for 2 in this game, missing a very short kick but making a 56 yarder, and went 3 for 3 in extra points. No, missing a kick of less than 30 yards isn’t good, but if you look at his time in Washington objectively, he’s actually been good. That was actually the only field goal he missed in Washington this seaso . I’m not saying the guy is the next Dustin Hopkins, but I think he proved that he belongs and deserves a shot in training camp next season. Considering the string of dreck this team has signed at kicker over the years, he’s at least earned that much.
That’s it for this season, folks. Enjoy the offseason drama.