Washington has yet to score on its opening drive this season

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The Washington Football Team is known as the Washington Football Team for the first time this season. The Washington Football Team isn’t known for starting fast this season.

As noted by the Associated Press, Washington hasn’t scored on the opening drive of any game this season. On Sunday night against the Eagles, Washington could make it 0-for-16.

“We’ve been a second half team all year, and that’s what gets you beat,” running back J.D. McKissic said, via the AP. “We know we can’t do that. We can’t come out in the second half every time . . . we’ve got to start early, man.”

They haven’t, and they’re still one win away from winning the NFC East, with what would be a record of 7-9. In 2014, the Carolina Panthers — also coached by Ron Rivera — won the NFC South at 7-8-1, then won a wild-card game against the Cardinals, and then gave the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks all they could handle in the divisional round.

“I wish it were one thing you could point to,” offensive coordinator Scott Turner said, per the AP. “It’s not. It’s been a variety of different things. We’ve had turnovers. Over the course of the year, we’ve gotten stopped on the one on fourth down, we’ve had sacks that have derailed drives early. . . . And then, we turn around and we’re probably one of the best teams in the league on the first drive of the third quarter.”

Last year, Washington scored only twice on opening drives. The Associated Press explains that no team has failed to score on its opening drive since at least 2000.