Washington Football Team studs and duds from upsetting the unbeaten Steelers.
Early in the 2020 NFL season, the Washington Football Team didn’t have an issue playing hard. However, first-year head coach Ron Rivera and his team were struggling to find success. And when they were forced to turn to Alex Smith at quarterback due to circumstances, no one would’ve given them a chance to make a late-season run, especially if that included beating the 11-0 Pittsburgh Steelers. But on Monday evening at Heinz Field, that’s exactly what happened.
Despite the Steelers leading late, Smith and the Football Team continued to show a ton of grit and determination, as they have all year long, as they came up with key drives and even more critical stops. With two fourth-quarter field goals, they moved ahead 23-17 and held on in the final seconds to pick up the win that moves them to 5-7 and handed Pittsburgh its first loss of 2020.
Suffice it to say that this is the biggest upset yet in the 2020 season. But with that, Washington is still alive for the playoffs as a potential NFC East champion and is playing impressively down the home stretch. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the studs and duds for the Washington Football Team in the unexpected win.
Washington Football Team Stud No. 3: Logan Thomas, TE
One of the biggest surprises of the 2020 season as a whole has been the effectiveness of tight end Logan Thomas in the Washington offense. He’s not necessarily been consistent but he has flashed throughout the year in big ways. And one of those flashes was definitely against Pittsburgh as he came up with arguably his best game of the year.
Thomas was second only to J.D. McKissic in receptions with nine but he also caught all of his targets and ended the contest with a game-high 98 yards and a touchdown. The Steelers had no answer for him all over the field and Thomas delivered. While the offense has questions, it appears as if Ron Rivera may have unlocked something with Thomas at tight end.
Washington Football Team Dud No. 3: Secondary
If there’s one area where the Washington Football Team really needs to examine on the defensive side of the ball, it’s the secondary. The defensive line is littered with former first-rounders and impact players and the linebackers are playing well but the secondary has some holes. And those holes were exposed by the Pittsburgh passing offense.
Whether it was James Washington, Diontae Johnson, Eric Ebron or JuJu Smith-Schuster, the Steelers pass-catchers all seemed to have a big game, even if Big Ben wasn’t at his best in this game. Moreover, the Football Team secondary allowed a number of big plays, most notably a 50-yard touchdown pass to Washington. That needs to be shored up for this defense to reach its peak.