Chase Young starred in a must-win moment for Washington

Washington Football Team rookie superstar Chase Young did it all in a must-win game.

Flashback to Week 11 — the Washington Football Team was desperate. They were 2-7 and coming off two losses that could have very easily been wins. In fact, three of their last four games were losses. All three of those losses were against teams that Washington could have (and probably should have) beat in the New York Giants (twice) and the Detroit Lions.

2-7 was not a good place to be, even in the terrible NFC East. They needed someone to step up, and quite a few answered the call. Quarterback Alex Smith had some solid games, Antonio Gibson broke out at running back, Logan Thomas and Cam Sims emerged as weapons, and Terry McLaurin continued to be a star.

Meanwhile, the entire defense seemed to rise to the occasion. Three weeks later and Washington was on a three-game winning streak and up to 5-7 after beating the 11-0 Pittsburgh Steelers. The Giants lost earlier in the day in Week 14, so Washington had a chance to take over first place in the division with a win over the San Francisco 49ers.

Once again the defense took over, particularly rookie Chase Young.

The second-overall 2020 draft pick has been fantastic all year long. However, the stats weren’t showing it all that much. 4.5 sacks and two forced fumbles in 10 games is decent but it wasn’t winning over anyone that wasn’t actually watching the games. Even some Washington fans seemed disappointed (even though if you were watching it was clear how much Young was impacting the game).

No one is going to question his talent anymore though. In a must-win, the rookie stepped up big time.

Chase Young answered the call when Washington needed him most.

Young finished with six tackles (one for loss), one sack, two pass deflections, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery. Oh, and that fumble recovery was for a touchdown — I’m sure you all know that by now, though.

That fumble recovery was a perfect reminder that Young is a freak of nature. A man that size (6-5, 264 pounds) should not be able to scoop and score like that. Unnatural.

The defensive end was making plays all game. It seemed like every time Washington needed a spark, Young was there.

Needing a stop on third down early in the game with momentum undecided? He got a sack. Down 7-3 and looking to keep some momentum after settling for a field goal on the last drive? He got a tackle for loss and forces a fumble (that Da’Ron Payne scooped up).

Now you’re down 7-6 and Smith just threw an interception right before the half, giving San Francisco a chance to extend the lead? He scoops up a fumble (that Payne forced this time) and takes it 47 yards for a touchdown, giving Washington their first lead of the day. As mentioned earlier, Young added a few more tackles and two pass deflections as well.

In the end, Washington won the game 23-15. It was another dominant performance by their defense that included some fantastic plays by the likes of Kamren Curl, Jon Bostic, Payne, Montez Sweat (give him the elite tag), James Smith-Williams, Kevin Pierre-Louis and a few others.

However, it was Young that stood out. It was Young that always seemed to make the big play right when they needed it. He was the spark plug. It was the type of game that reminded everyone that not only was Chase Young the number two overall pick in the 2020 draft, but he was regarded as one of the best prospects the NFL has seen in a long time.

When Washington needed someone to step up, the rookie took the over. At 6-7, Washington is now in first place in the NFC East. They are on a four-game winning streak and look like a legitimately solid team.

Oh, and Chase Young basically has Defensive Rookie of the Year wrapped up at this point. It should be a whole bunch of fun to see what he does to clinch it in the last few weeks of the season.