Rookie star takes aim at 49ers
Led by Chase Young, Washington’s defensive line poses problems for SF
After watching a relentless Chase Young throw Pittsburgh’s blocking schemes into disarray for much of the night Monday, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin strolled over to Washington’s rookie during a stoppage to deliver a message.
Tomlin playfully explained to Young why he hopes to never wind up coaching a player like him.
“I don’t ever want to lose enough games to get a guy like you,” Tomlin told Young. “You’ve got to lose 14, 15 games to get a guy who looks like you.”
Young, Washington’s hypedup, second overall pick from this year’s draft, got a good laugh out of Tomlin’s crack. Young also got the last laugh when he and his teammates pulled off the stunning 23-17 win over the previously unbeaten Steelers.
Young’s dominance Monday was put on display by the analytics crowd: Of his 24 pass-rush
“You’ve got to lose 14, 15 games to get a guy who looks like you.”
– Mike Tomlin, Steelers coach, to Chase Young of the Washington Football Team.
chances on throws by Ben Roethlisberger that took more than 2.1 seconds, Young had an impressive 17 percent win rate.
A win rate like that against a quality opponent shows part of the reason why Washington’s pass rush has produced the third-most sacks in the NFL (38).
As for Young, after a sluggish transition from college football stardom at Ohio State to glorified NFL rookie, he finally seems to be hitting his stride.
Three reasons for 49ers’ optimism
UNPROVEN UP FRONT » Washington has given up the fourth-most sacks in the NFL (38), which means the 49ers may have an easier path to Alex Smith on Sunday. The Steelers constantly harassed Smith, sacking him three times and getting 10 hits on him. But, the unit has proven to be very effective in the run game — Pro Football Focus ranks Washington sixth best in run blocking, even though Washington averages just 101.5 yards on the ground ( just 24th best). ROOKIE SENSATION SIDELINED » Antonio Gibson, a third-rounder from Memphis, may not be able to suit up Sunday. Gibson suffered a toe injury early in Monday’s win over the Steelers
and was quickly declared out. He was later diagnosed with turf toe. Gibson is the fourth-highest graded running back in the NFL at 83.2, according to Pro Football Focus. If Gibson can’t go, the lead duties may fall to veteran Peyton Barber, who managed just 23 yards on 14 carries against the Steelers’ sixthranked rush defense. BETTER LATE THAN EARLY » Washington has sputtered early on while giving up the sixth-most points in the NFL in the game’s first 30 minutes, permitting an average of 15.4 points before halftime. It’s why Washington has trailed at halftime in all but two of its 12 games. However, it seems the halftime speeches by Ron Rivera and halftime adjustments by defensive coordinator and former Raiders coach Jack Del Rio must be working. WFT has given up the least amount
of second-half points than any team, a paltry 6.3 points on average.
Three reasons for 49ers’ pessimism
A MOTIVATED ALEX SMITH » Smith is now 36, seven years removed from a mutual parting with the 49ers in the form of a trade to the Chiefs that cleared the way for San Francisco’s Colin Kaepernick Era. Smith is too much of a gentleman to express any bitterness over the way his time with the 49ers ended. But we can assume he’d love nothing better than to beat the 49ers, one of just two teams he’s never won against — the Chiefs are the other. Smith, a shooin for Comeback Player of the Year for merely returning to the field, has been at least an adequate part of Washington’s ascent to the top of the weak NFC East
this season. He was more than pedestrian Monday while leading Washington to an upset over the Steelers — Smith went 31 of 46 for 296 yards and a TD. FREQUENT FLIER AT RECEIVER » Terry McLaurin figures to be busy Sunday. As usual. No receiver in the league gets a bigger share of his team’s yards through the air. McLaurin’s TAY (Team Air Yards) percentage is 43.18 percent of Washington’s total passing yards. McLaurin, who averages nine targets per game, is eighth in the league in receiving yards (977) and ninth in the NFC in receptions (71).
EMERGING FORCE AT TIGHT END » Now with his third team in three years while playing his second NFL position, Logan Thomas has certainly taken the circuitous route to pro football relevance. Drafted as a quarterback out of Virginia Tech by the Cardinals in 2014, Thomas switched to tight end and played in relative anonymity with the Bills and Lions the last three years. Washington, though, saw something and signed him to a two-year, $6.145 million deal and he’s rewarded them with a breakthrough year. Thomas has become a favorite target of Smith and his 43 catches are now ninth in the league among tight ends. Thomas played a huge role in the upset win over Pittsburgh, catching a season-best nine passes for 98 yards, including a game-tying 15-yard TD catch in the fourth quarter.