Cowboys Zack Martin Possible Return and Ron Rivera 'optimistic' about Alex Smith's chances...

The Washington Football Team can clinch a playoff spot with a win in Week 17, so it's easy to understand why they'd want their best option at quarterback available. They're not there yet, but Washington coach Ron Rivera is encouraged by Alex Smith's chances of playing Sunday night against the Eagles. Philly announced Monday rookie Jalen Hurts will start vs. the Football Team. "He was very close last week," Rivera said of Smith, via the Washington Post's Nicki Jhabvala. "I thought he had an exceptional day on Friday, but it's always about how that person feels the next day and he felt it was still grabbing him a little bit. ... This week, I'm optimistic about the opportunity." Smith's calf injury left him listed as questionable on Washington's final injury report before its game against Carolina, and though he was a full participant in Friday's practice ahead of the Week 16 game, he didn't end up suiting up. Dwayne Haskins started in his place and struggled mightily, completing 14 of 28 passes for 154 yards while throwing two interceptions and losing a fumble before he was benched for Taylor Heinicke in the fourth quarter of Sunday's 20-13 loss. Heinicke was noticeably better than Haskins, injecting life into Washington's offense with a mini-comeback effort that came up short. Heinicke went 12 for 19 for 137 yards and a 29-yard touchdown pass to J.D. McKissic in the fourth, and he'll start Sunday if Smith can't go, Rivera said. Washington's best chance lies in Smith's availability. With Smith, it's as much about his ability to complete passes as it is about Smith not making fatal errors, something that doomed them Sunday. "It's about controlling the game, managing the tempo, protecting the football," Rivera said of Smith's impact. "If you look at the games we won, you'll notice that our turnover ratio obviously is better ... and the ball has been consistently spread [to multiple receivers]." Washington will need Smith doing exactly that, and avoiding a turnover differential like the one it posted Sunday (4-2). Protecting the ball will be paramount to beating Philadelphia, which demonstrated its own issues with maintaining possession in a loss to Dallas on Sunday. Perhaps most importantly, the Football Team is going to want to take a moment to enjoy the moment. After all, no one saw Washington in a win-and-in Week 17 game back in October. This channel (((Law Nation))) primarily consists of NFL Film Session + Breakdown and Reviews of complete NFL Games and Quick Film Sessions. Plus, other sports talk and information around the world. Join Membership Here https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4CWCCF4_yxNFcnO5rvUbjQ/join |||||Help Grow The Nation||||| ☕️ Paypal: https://www.Paypal.Me/LawNation (Donate Here!) 💲💳 https://Cash.Me/$LawsNation Be a patron for Law Nation and support more videos like this! https://www.patreon.com/LawNation ***************************** Follow FTFN on twitch here: http://twitch.tv/ftfn Subscribe And Like On All Social Media Accounts Follow Me on Facebook https://Facebook.com/LawsNation Follow Me on Twitter https://twitter.com/LawsNation Follow Me on Instagram https://www.Instagram.com/LawsNation Follow Me on Twitch https://www.twitch.tv/LawsNation Follow Me on Anchor https://Anchor.fm/LawsNation Follow Me on Tumblr https://LawNation.tumblr.com/ Follow Me on YouNow https://www.YouNow.com/LawNation Follow Me on DailyMotion https://www.dailymotion.com/LawNation For business inquiries: LawsNation@Gmail.com (Business inquiries only. All others will be ignored.) ***My Equipment*** https://amzn.to/2t8nTtL Lenovo Idea Centre 510 All-in-One Desktop 8GB RAM, 1TB HDD, Instrumentals : EpidemicSound | https://www.epidemicsound.com/referral/0lp2di/ *Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. No copyright infringement intended. ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS* And remember you're listening to nothing but the best!!