Already known as being one of the NFL’s worst venues, FedEx Field became an even stinkier place to see quality football on Sunday when a pipe burst while the Washington Football Team hosted the Los Angeles Chargers.
Soaking a section of fans with the liquid, which was first identified as sewage, the pipe burst occurred while the home team was losing 20-16 to the Chargers in a sloppy Week 1 matchup that saw the return of backup Taylor Heinicke following an injury to Washington starter Ryan Fitzpatrick and the teams combine for 14 penalties.
As it turns out, it could have been worse as the liquid that soaked the lucky Washington fans was rainwater, not sewage, a spokesperson for the team confirmed to ESPN’s Washington reporter John Keim. Per the team employee, the wet fans were upgraded to suite level for the rest of the game and given dry Washington Football Team gear.
“The leak came from a storage tank filled with rainwater. We gave the fans in the section the option to move to a suite for the rest of the game, and we’re going to give them tickets to a game of their choice in the future,” the WFT spokesperson told Keim.
“Enjoying the game” might be a bit of a stretch as second-year quarterback Justin Herbert was outstanding for the Chargers as he threw for 337 yards and a touchdown while leading an offense that went a ridiculous 14-of-19 on third down against a Washington defense that’s supposed to be the strength of the team thanks to Chase Young.
On a positive note for Washington, Heinicke provided a spark when he entered the game after Fitzpatrick left the game with a hip injury and was able to hit speedster Terry McLaurin along the left sideline in a highlight-reel play in the third quarter.
“I didn’t really get to see it clearly,” Heinicke said. “I believe I was on the ground at that point, but he’s an amazing player. Every time we can try to get the ball in his hands, I think it’s a good thing.”
It seems likely Heinicke will draw the start when the Giants travel to Washington for Thursday Night Football.
“I think that gave a little bit of a spark when we needed it,” Washington coach Ron Rivera said of Heinicke’s play. “It was good to see. We gave ourselves an opportunity. We just have to protect the ball better.”
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