Euphoria! (Washington Week 13 Analysis)

Down goes Pittsburgh! 

Down goes Pittsburgh! 

After being punched in the mouth early, Washington makes the unthinkable happen and pulls the upset against the then undefeated (11-1) Steelers. Arguably the organization’s most impressive win in years. The Football Team is now on a three-game winning streak and tied for the top spot in the NFC East at 5-7.

An underdog has nothing to lose but everything to gain

Washington walked in their house and then took over their house. Pittsburgh should be ashamed of themselves for taking Washington Football lightly. We all seen the TikToks videos…pathetic. 

This win is Washington’s first win against the Steelers since 1991, snapping a 6 game losing streak against the organization.

Cough cough…In 1991, Washington finished the year 14-2 and won Super Bowl XXVI. 

Will they win the Super Bowl this year? Now that’s thinking with a glass full to the rim and a straw overflows it. A man can dream, right?

If you are a defensive fan of the NFL then the first few drives were to your standard and above. Neither Pittsburgh or Washington was able to make it past the 40-yard line causing punt after punt. The tale of the story is that Washington defense line is not to be played with.  The secondary remains suspect.

Washington held Pittsburgh’s 3rd down efficiency at an unimpressive 40 percent. According to the Wolves of the defensive line, Baltimore exposed Pittsburgh’s offense and their key was to study the game tape. The line did exactly what they needed to do by ruining the so-called “2.3 second out” that Rothlisberger possesses. Pittsburgh’s plan to run so many short crosses was denied by Washington all night long. The drops by Pittsburgh alone was one of the most pitiful outings of the game. 

Chase Young makes another huge play on the goal line. You would think after Young murdered Burrow at the goal line, opposing teams would stop going for it on 4th. Pittsburgh ran five plays at Washington’s 1-yard line and failed to get the TD. The final pay was stopped by Chase Young. 

Unfortunately, Washington was unable to capitalize and Pittsburgh took a 14-0 lead late in the second quarter. A missed tackle from Kendall Fuller allows Ben to torch Washington for a 50-yard bomb to James Washington. 

Washington could not afford to be down by 14 leading into halftime and their prayers were answered with a clock malfunction from the refs. The play is truly bizarre because as a fan you see Washington with no energy and there is 7 seconds left to kick a FG. The clock is restored and Washington goes into halftime down 14-3.

Huge kudos goes out to Montez Sweat for causing the interception caught by Bostic to solidify the win. This is Sweat’s second week in a row where he is responsible for an interception. Last night’s pick was an interception that was long overdue. The amount of dropped passes from the Steelers were abysmal and the tipped passes were fingertips away from a Washington defender. The late interception could have not happened at a more perfect time. Pittsburgh blew their timeouts early and Washington capitalized. 

“We were the better defense tonight. We played w/ more passion”- Chase “Croptop Assassin” Young 

Offense

Once again, the first half offense from Washington was a big “WOOF”! There was no mobility or ability to create. Smith’s zero interest to look more than 10 yards down the field did not help either. Antonio Gibson goes down early and it seems as if the Washington offense was going to be lack-lustered all game. But as always, when it is close to the start of the second half, the offense comes alive. 

Alex Smith finished the game completing 67 percent of his passes for 296 yards and a passing TD that tied the game at 17 even. Not too sure what was said in the locker room during halftime but his energy was completely different in the second half. With Antonio Gibson out with a leg injury, Smith had to think outside the box and get other receivers involved because Pittsburgh was not going to let Terry in single coverage. 

The blood oozing out of Smith’s leg was very daunting to see but it didn’t stop the veteran QB from taking Washington to the PromiseLand. Thank you Alex for your dedication and inspiring play, you are an inspiration to us all. 

“I ain’t got time to bleed”-Predator

Pittsburgh absolutely shut down Scary Terry and Gibson went down with an injury early so we needed anyone to step up for those 200 yards missed, roughly. Why not three?

Logan Thomas caught 9 receptions for 98 yards and a TD. Cam Sims played phenomenal and helped Washington convert on 3 third-down conversions including a one-handed first down catch late in the fourth to give Washington more leverage. Sims caught 5 receptions for 92 yards. Sims was put back into the lineup a couple of weeks ago and Washington could not be happier with his recent performances. McKissic was the number 3 receiver catching 10 balls for 70 yards. A career-high for the young versatile star. 

Barber is a machine and will continue to keep his legs moving. Washington should not be using him on 1st and 10 but he is very valuable in a 2nd or 3rd and short. 

McLaurin was held to only 2 catches for 14 yards. Very uncharacteristic for Scary Terry but on the bright side he only needs 23 more yards to break 1,000 receiving on the season. He will break that easily next week.

RiverBoat Ron

“This is up there. In spite of some decisions I made today, they played their asses off. This really does rank up there because of the fact we beat them in Pittsburgh. … Real proud of them.”- RiverBoat Ron 

Since RiverBoat Ron has joined the organization, it has not been the easiest for him. From ringing the cancer bell to QB changes, we the fans have had a question mark on some of his choices. Ron is not someone who needs validation for his moves and he is going to make them. He told organizational fans that we will see the benefits of his decisions later in the season and he’s stuck to his promise.

Overall this was a great win and Washington should be very proud of themselves. Washington Football over Washington Redskins any day of the week! Short week and we play San Fransisco. How long will this play be consistent?

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