Rookie star Young shows why he was second overall pick
After watching a relentless Chase Young throw P it t sbu r g h’s blo ck i n g 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 play fully 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, Washing ton’s hyped, 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 a stunning 23-17 win over the previously unbeaten Steelers.
The signature play from Washington’s upset victory came on the culmination of a ferocious goal line stand in the first half. After the Steelers were set up with a first-and-goal from the 1, Young and fellow defensive linemen Montez Sweat, Jonathan Allen and Da’Ron Payne (all first-round picks as well) stonewalled Pittsburgh on three straight plays. Then, on fourth down from the 6-inch line, Young showed a national television audience why there’s been such a fuss made about him.
Young was a blur while using a quick inside burst from his right end spot to speed past a blocker, then dive headfirst to make a sprawling tackle while keeping running back Benny Snell just short of the end zone.
No one should have been too surprised by Washington’s goal- line stand, though. Its defense is ranked No. 2 in red-zone scoring percentage (48.4).
It turns out Young and Washington were just getting started, too. The stranglehold on the Steelers offense intensified in the second half as Washington held Pittsburgh to just 21 rushing yards and one field goal.
If the tape didn’t already show it, Young’s dominance Monday was put on display by the analytics crowd. Young had an impressive 17% win rate on his 24 pass-rush chances on throws by Ben Roethlisberger that took more than 2.1 seconds.
A win rate like that against a quality opponent shows part of the reason Washington’s pass rush has produced the thirdmost 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 >> While Washington’s offensive line has shown promise, it’s still considered a work in progress. Washington Football Team 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 proved 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 (24th best). Left guard Wes Schweitzer from San Jose State is one of the bright spots. He’s earned a very solid grade of 70.0 by Pro Football Focus.
ROOKIE SENSATION SIDELINED >> Antonio Gibson, a third-rounder from Memphis who seized control of the starting running back spot earlier this season, 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. The analytics crowd can tell you not having him available would be damaging to Washington’s offense. Gibson is the fourth-highest graded running back in the NFL at 83.2, according to Pro Football Focus. He’s been a revelation while running for 659 yards (14th in the league) and 11 touchdowns (third in the league). 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’ sixth
ranked rush defense. BETTER LATE THAN EARLY >> It’s been nearly a season-long tale of two halves for Washington, which has started slowly in most of its games. 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 — both of its halftime leads have come against the Cowboys. 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. How else can we explain how Washington’s able to flip the switch so consistently in the second half? WFT has given up the least amount of second-half points, a paltry 6.3 points on average. Its dominance is only growing as WFT has allowed just 2.0 second-half points during its current three-game winning streak.
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. And, who’s doubting the determination of a man who endured 17 surgeries in two years so he could play again after nearly losing his life and his leg after a catastrophic injury? Smith, a shoo-in 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 passing for 296 yards and a touchdown.
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% of Washington’s total passing yards. That’s the top mark of any receiver in the NFL. McLaurin, who averages nine targets per game, is eighth in the league in receiving yards (977) and ninth in the NFC in receptions (71). Still, McLaurin is coming off by far his worst statistical game of the season as he faced constant double teams against the Steelers and finished with just two catches for 14 yards. Look for Washington to get McLaurin much more involved this week.
AN E M E R G I NG
FO R C E AT TIGHT END >> L ogan Thomas, with his third team in three years while playing his second NFL position, 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 twoyear, $6.145 million deal and he’s rewarded them with a breakthrough season. Thomas has become a favorite target of Smith, and his 43 catches are ninth in the league among tight ends. Thomas played a huge role in the upset victory over Pittsburgh, catching a season- best nine passes for 98 yards, including a game-tying 15yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter.