Game Preview, Week 13: Washington at Pittsburgh
December 5, 2020
by Steve Thomas
Washington is officially on a winning streak. Yes, you heard me right. In our world, winning two games in a row is a big deal and something to celebrate, and improbably, the Redskins this should still the name WFT this acronym is dumb The Team barf Washington has put itself in a position to compete to win the NFL’s worst division in a generation, the NFC East. A win is a win, I suppose, even if the reward is getting pounded at home in a wild card game. The immediate problem is that the next three weeks are a gauntlet, beginning with the league’s best team, the 11 – 0 Pittsburgh Steelers. Fortunately for our beloved Washington No Names, Pittsburgh’s schedule was thrown into chaos when the NFL moved its week 12 game against the Baltimore Ravens from its originally scheduled Thanksgiving Day timeslot, to Sunday, then Monday, then Tuesday, and finally Wednesday as a result of a coronavirus outbreak in the Ravens franchise. This gave the NFL no choice but to move this game to Monday, where Washington has historically been . . . how do I put this . . . a total disaster. Whether Washington has improved enough and the Steelers have suffered enough to give our boys some remote, fighting chance remains to be seen. At first glance, this game seems like a blowout waiting to happen. Our game preview begins below.
Game time & location: Monday, December 7, 2020, 5:00 p.m. ET, Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, PA; gates open at 3:00 p.m.
Television: Fox
Television announcers: Kevin Burkhardt, Daryl Johnston, Pam Oliver
TV broadcast map: click here
DC-area radio: The Team 980
Washington radio network: click here
Steelers radio network: click here
Satellite radio: XM: 225 (Pittsburgh broad.) Sirius: 135 (Wash. broad); internet: 831 (Washington broad.)
Redskins roster: click here
Redskins depth chart: click here
Steelers roster: click here
Steelers depth chart: click here
All-time head-to-head record vs Steelers: 42 – 33 – 3 (last 10: 3 – 7; streak: 0 – 6)
Last meeting: L, September 12, 2016, 16 – 38
Early odds: Steelers, -10.5
3 KEYS TO THE GAME
Survive Pittsburgh’s defense
The Steelers have been absolutely brutal on opposing quarterbacks and passing offenses. They lead the NFL in sacks, quarterback knockdowns, total quarterback pressures, pressure percentage, quarterback hurries, and hurry percentage. They’ve also had among the fewest missed tackles in the league. No team has scored 30 points against them all year, with (strangely) only the Philadelphia Eagles getting close, with 29. The point is that this game represents the biggest challenge of the year for the Washington offense. There’s no room for anything less than perfection this week.
Keep Pittsburgh’s receivers in check
Pittsburgh’s defense isn’t the only problem. Their receiver corps can be big-time dangerous, specifically JuJu Smith-Schuster, Dionate Johnson, and Mr. Touchdown, Chase Claypool, who’s scored 8 times this season. This isn’t a game in which Washington will be able to overcome mixups and blown coverages in the secondary. Washington needs perfection in order to have a chance at a win.
Limit turnovers
One of the big reasons why the Steelers have been so successful this season is their turnover ratio, which is the best in the league at +12. They lead the NFL in interceptions. Washington, on the other hand, has one of the worst turnover margins in the league. That isn’t a recipe for success, and Washington will have essentially no chance to win this game if Alex Smith throws interceptions or the team suffers fumbles. This is another area in which Washington will need to be perfect.
3 KEY MATCHUPS
T.J. Watt vs. Morgan Moses and . . . another tackle
Steelers edge rusher Bud Dupree suffered a knee injury against the Ravens, which is certainly terrible for him but a huge break for Washington. Watt and Dupree, who are the Steelers two outside linebackers in their 3 – 4 defense, have a total of 17 sacks between them and represent a big part of Pittsburgh’s ability to stress a quarterback. As of this writing, it isn’t entirely clear who Washington is going to start opposite Morgan Moses, and for that matter, whether Moses will be on the left or right side. Regardless, it goes without saying that if Watt is allowed to go crazy and torture Alex Smith, it’s going to be a long night for Washington. Keep a close eye on how well Washington’s two starting tackles, meaning Moses and somebody, do on this matchup.
Diontae Johnson and JuJu Smith-Schuster vs. Kendall Fuller and Ronald Darby
As I mentioned above, Johnson and Smith-Schuster are the Steelers’ two talented and productive outside receivers. They don’t have a particularly successful run game, so Johnson and Smith-Schuster are critical to Pittsburgh’s success. Fuller and Darby need to have good days and limit the big plays against these two receivers in order to keep Pittsburgh out of the end zone.
Alex Smith vs. Minkah Fitzpatrick
This matchup may seem a bit unusual, but Fitzpatrick is the Steelers 2019 First Team All-Pro free safety who also happens to have 4 interceptions this season. Smith is going to be playing a cat and mouse game with Fitzpatrick all day, trying to fool the safety with his eyes and play-action in order to allow Washington’s receivers to get open and to keep Fitzpatrick from adding to his interception total. As I said above, turnovers are particularly important this week. Watch for how well Smith is able to manipulate Fitzpatrick or whether he is in the middle of multiple pass defenses, because it will be a pretty good indicator for the success or failure of Washington’s offense.
OFFICIAL INJURY REPORT (active roster only) (starters in bold)
LP – limited practice FP – full practice DNP – did not practice
NIR – not injury related Q – questionable O – out
D – doubtful NL – not listed
| Washington | Steelers |
| DE R. Anderson, knee; Thurs: LP; Fri: FP; Sat: FP; game: Q | DE T. Alualu, NIR; Thurs: DNP; Fri: FP; Sat: FP |
| T M. Moses, groin; Thurs: LP; Fri: FP; Sat: FP; game: Q | G D. DeCastro, NIR; Thurs: DNP; Fri: FP; Sat: FP |
| S D. Everett, ankle; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP; Sat: FP | TE E. Ebron, NIR; Thurs: DNP; Fri: FP; Sat: FP |
| T C. Lucas, ankle; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP; Sat: FP | DT C. Heyward, NIR; Thurs: DNP; Fri: FP |
| WR T. McLaurin, ankle; Thurs: NL; Fri: LP; Sat: FP; game: Q | CB S. Nelson, knee; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; Sat: DNP; game: D |
| QB B. Roethisberger; NIR, knee; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; Sat: FP; game: Q | |
| T A. Villanueva, NIR; Thurs: DNP; Fri: FP; Sat: FP | |
| LB V. Williams, NIR; Thurs: DNP; Fri: FP; Sat: FP | |
| RB J. Samuels, quad; Thurs: DNP; Fri: FP; Sat: FP | |
| K C. Boswell, hip; Thurs: NL; Fri: NL; Sat: DNP; game: Q |
TEAM STATISTICS
Washington:
From a statistical perspective, Washington’s offense is slowly climbing out of the very bottom dregs of the NFL into merely the bottom third. They are 24th in points, 26th in total yards, 24th in passing yards, 20th in rushing yards, and 23rd in rushing yards per attempt. They’ve also risen up the ranks in time of possession and are now ranked 15th. Washington’s star wide receiver, Terry McLaurin, has 963 receiving yards, which is 5th in the NFL, and 69 receptions, ranked 11th. Rookie running back Antonio Gibson is now averaging 4.6 yards per carry.
Defensively, Washington is ranked 7th in points surrendered, 4th in total yards surrendered, 2nd in passing yards, 15th in rushing yards, and 17th in rushing yards per attempt. They have 36 sacks on the year, which is second in the NFL behind the Steelers. Washington in a part of one of the worst divisions in recent NFL memory, and they’ve had bad games against good teams, so to a certain extent, these statistics should be taken with a grain of salt, but the fact of the matter is that Washington’s defense has produced when looked at in total throughout the season.
Record: 4 – 7 (1st) (Away: 1 – 4; AFC: 1 – 2)
All-time franchise record: 607 – 610 – 28
Offense
| Offensive rankings | 24 (points) / 26 (total yards) / 26 (yards per game) / 28 (yards per play) / 24 (passing yards) / 24 (passing yards per att.) / 20 (rushing yards) / 23 (rushing yards per att.) |
| Points for | 241 |
| Yards per game | 325.3 |
| Passing
|
389 att (17th); 257 comp; 66.1% comp per. (16th); 6.8 Y/A; 2405 net yds; 11 TD; 9 Int |
| Passing leader | Smith (155 att (32nd), 1067 yds (33rd), 69.0% comp perc (5th), 3 TDs / 5 Int, 81.3 QB rating (26th) |
| Receiving leader | McLaurin (963 yds (5th), 102 tgts (5th), 69 rec (11th), 3 TDs, 14.0 YPC) |
| Rushing | 285 att (21st); 1173 yds; 4.1 Y/A; 106.6 Y/G (19th); 16 TD |
| Rushing leader | Gibson (139 att (14th), 645 yds (13th), 11 TDs, 4.6 Y/A (20th), long 40) |
| Sacks surrendered / rank | 35 / 30 |
| Ave time of possession / rank | 30:15 / 15 |
| 3rd down conversion rate / rank | 39.73% / 24 |
| TD percentage in red zone / rank | 58.33% / 22 |
Defense
| Defensive rankings | 7 (points) / 4 (total yards) / 4 (yards per game surrendered) / 5 (yards per play) / 2 (passing yards) / 13 (passing yards per att.) / 15 (rushing yards) / 17 (rushing yards per att.) |
| Points against | 243 |
| Yards per game surrendered | 309.5 |
| Opponent’s passing | 343 att (2nd); 222 comp; 64.7% comp perc. (13th); 7.0 Y/A; 2141 net yds; 16 TDs; QB Rating 88.5 (7th) |
| Opponent’s rushing | 297 att (15th); 1264 yds; 4.3 Y/A; 9 TDs; 114.9 Y/G (15th) |
| Sacks / rank / Sack leader | 36 / 2 / Sweat (6.0) |
| Tackles leader | Bostic (76) |
| Int / rank / Int leader | 10 / 13 / Fuller (4) |
| Opponent 3rd down conv rate / rank | 37.93% / 10 |
| Opponent TD percentage in red zone / rank | 48.39% / 1 |
Special Teams
| Kick returns | 20.3 Y/R (22nd), 24 returns, long 46 yards (14th), 0 TDs |
| Punt returns | 4.9 Y/R (30th), 23 returns, long 19 yards (24th), 0 TDs |
| Kick return defense | 27.7 Y/R (29th), 6 returns (2nd), 0 TDs |
| Punt return defense | 5.6 Y/R (8th), 23 returns, 0 TDs |
| Punting | 48.6 Y/P (5th) |
Turnovers (lost by O / recv’d by D / net / rank): 18 / 13 / -5 / 26
Penalties (total accepted # / rank): 57 / 5
Steelers:
The Steelers offense is not nearly as productive as its defense, but it has still scored 317 points, significantly more than Washington, and are 2nd in the NFL in time of possession and 1st in turnover margin at +15. This is a pass heavy offense that already has 435 attempts on the year, with is 5th-most in the league. Lead running back James Conner is averaging a pedestrian 4.4 yards per attempt.
Pittsburgh’s defense is absolutely brutal. They lead the NFL in points surrendered, with just 188, passing yards, sacks, and interceptions. They aren’t quite as successful against the run, as they have allowed 4.4 yards per attempt, which is ranked 19th, and have allowed 105.7 rushing yards per game, which is ranked 8th.
Record: 11 – 0 (1st); Home: 6 – 0; NFC: 3 – 0)
All-time franchise record: 652 – 552 – 21
Offense
| Offensive rankings
|
7 (points) / 22 (total yards) / 22 (yards per game) / 25 (yards per play) / 16 (passing yards) / 28 (passing yards per att.) / 26 (rushing yards) / 29 (rushing yards per att.) |
| Points for | 317 |
| Yards per game | 246.5 |
| Passing | 435 att (5th); 294 comp; 67.6% comp per. (11th); 6.5 Y/A; 3722 net yds; 25 TDs; 6 Int |
| Passing leader | Roethlisberger (431 att (2nd), 2800 yds (14th), 67.5% comp per. (15th), 25 TDs / 6 Int, 99.0 QB rating (12.0)) |
| Reception leader | Claypool (611 yds (32nd), 74 targets, 45 rec, 8 TD, 13.6 Y/C) (24th); Johnson (583 yds, 94 targets (12th), 57 rec, 4 TDs, 10.2 Y/C); Smith-Schuster (572 yds, 84 targets, 66 rec (15th), 6 TDs, 8.7 Y/C) |
| Rushing | 285 att (21st); 1090 yds; 3.8 Y/A; 99.1 Y/G (25th); 10 TDs |
| Rushing leader | Conner (145 att (11th), 645 yds (12th), 5 TDs, 4.4 Y/A (23rd)), long 59 yds) |
| Sacks surrendered / rank | 10 / 1 |
| Ave time of possession / rank | 32:18 / 2 |
| 3rd down conversion rate / rank | 45.96% / 6 |
| TD percentage in red zone / rank | 65.0% / 11 |
Defense
| Defensive rankings | 1 (points) / 3 (total yards) / 3 (yards per game surrendered) / 3 (yards per play) / 1 (passing yards) / 3 (passing yards per att.) / 8 (rushing yards) / 19 (rushing yards per att.) |
| Points against | 188 |
| Yards per game surrendered | 298.9 |
| Opponent’s passing | 363 att (8th); 198 comp; 54.4% comp per. (1st); 6.6 Y/A; 2125 net yds; 16 TDs; QB Rating 71.5 (1st) |
| Opponent’s rushing | 266 att (5th); 1163 yds; 4.4 Y/A; 6 TDs; 105.7 Y/G (8th) |
| Sacks / rank / Sack leader | 41 / 1 / Watt (11.0) |
| Tackles leader | Williams (56) |
| Int / rank / Int leader | 16 / 1 / Fitzpatrick (4) |
| Opponent 3rd down conv rate / rank | 37.5% / 8 |
| Opponent TD percentage in red zone / rank | 55.56% / 8 |
Special Teams
| Kick returns | 23.1 Y/R (11th), 19 returns, long 49 yards (12th), 0 TDs |
| Punt returns | 11.0 Y/R (6th), 26 returns, long 57 yards (5th), 0 TDs |
| Kick return defense | 20.8 Y/R (8th), 25 returns, 0 TDs |
| Punt return defense | 9.6 Y/R (21st), 22 returns, 0 TDs |
| Punting | 44.9 Y/P (21st) |
Turnovers (lost by O / recv’d by D / net / rank): 11 / 23 / +12 / 1
Penalties (total accepted # / rank): 60 / 9
* Statistics courtesy of www.pro-football-reference.com, www.nflpenalties.com, www.nfl.com, www.teamrankings.com, www.espn.com, www.sportingcharts.com