The Washington Football Team is, at 7-9, the worst team in the playoffs. But that’s not how Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians sees it.
As Arians gets ready to coach against Washington on Saturday night, he noted that Washington has a winning record when Alex Smith is the starter, as will be the case this week.
“We’re not playing a 7-9 team. We’re playing a 4-1 team. When Alex Smith plays they’re a 4-1 team,” Arians said on ESPN. “We’re not playing Dwayne Haskins. We’re playing Alex Smith.
Arians actually understated how much better Washington’s record was with Smith during the 2020 season: Washington went 5-1 in games started by Smith, 1-5 in games started by Haskins and 1-3 in games started by Kyle Allen.
It’s unsurprising that Arians doesn’t want his team thinking of its opponent as a 7-9 team. No playoff opponent can be taken for granted.