Every second counts - WFT win in Pittsburgh

This was the one we were waiting for.

The victory on Monday night, against a Pittsburgh team with an unblemished record of 11-0, might well be the green light to shout from the rooftops, “this Washington Football Team must be taken seriously”.

We are in Year One of Ron Rivera era, and the expectation was for the team to demonstrate some tangible improvements. This conservative forecast has now been surpassed by a hungry young roster for whom the word “quit” does not feature in the D.C dictionary.

The much-vaunted defensive first rounders truly showed their worth at Heinz Field and the decision to make this a dominating group through successive drafts is looking a very smart move.

The sack total surprisingly did not match the sheer energy and ferocity of Young, Sweat, Allen and Payne. Big Ben tends to stay upright for the Steelers, but consistent pressure and another awe-inspiring touchdown stop from Chase Young, were the key to this against the odds win.

At half-time, the beautiful ending to this story remained unlikely.

Pittsburgh had taken advantage of a sloppy Washington performance and key moments seemed to be going the Steelers way. Alex Smith was checking down and not much was happening on the offensive side of the ball for the team in crisp all-white uniforms.

An example of culture. The much maligned, and almost certain to be cut TE Jeremy Sprinkle, somehow failed to retrieve a fumble that most of us armchair fans would make. It was the worst of many bad moments in a first half that led to a 14-3 lead for Pittsburgh.

But it was the same Sprinkle who in the second half made a telling contribution tackle on special teams. Again, the preaching of team and collective responsibility is shining through.

Tackle Morgan Moses described the new training regime in Washington: “not a single second is wasted” and the benefit of this approach could also be seen in the heroics of converted TE Logan Thomas and WR Cam Sims.

Logan has been a revelation for the burgundy and gold in 2020 and the business of a very cap friendly two-year deal is astute as you can get. Finishing with 9 receptions for 98 yards and the game-tying touchdown, Thomas has improved game-by-game and plays big and plays strong.

Initial reaction to the off-season signing was “could Logan be a TE3 but play to a TE2 level”? Are we now looking at a guy about to hit his stride into TE1 level? If Logan keeps up this level of performance, we are into WFT breakthrough player of the year category.

Now, not many would have predicted a WFT win pre-game and even less so if you had been told star receiver Terry McLaurin would only make 2 catches of 6 targets for a paltry 14 yards. Terry still blocked well and was generally putting himself on the line but has been dealing with a practice limiting injury and this might have been a significant factor in the low-key numbers.

Enter Cam Sims, who stepped up to the challenge with five big receptions for 92 yards. Sims is 6ft5 and his yards after catch was awe-inspiring to watch.

The last time I saw this much clutch in D.C was from the great Pierre Garçon and it was fantastic to witness a long-time training camp sensation translate that ability to the field.

The win came at a cost as is the way in the NFL.

Antonio Gibson has excelled as a rookie RB in 2020 but exited early in Pittsburgh with what later diagnosed as Turf Toe. This is a big blow for Washington, as Gibson has been a key explosive figure in the Scott Turner offense.

My own feet remain firmly on the ground, but a win on Sunday vs San Francisco and Kyle Shanahan, might just have even my optimism go into overdrive.

Make every second count.