Washington Football Team Week 13 reality checks vs. Steelers
By Tim Payne
3. The Reality Is, Alex Smith left a lot of big plays on the field against Dallas.
Smith missed two wide-open touchdowns to Isaiah Wright and had several other plays where he turned down an open Terry McLaurin to take a check-down. It didn’t appear that he was seeing the field particularly well against Dallas or Cincinnati.
Historically, Alex Smith is the epitome of the “game manager” moniker. He doesn’t tend to make dangerous plays, but he also rarely makes aggressive plays to stretch the field.
Smith’s passing yardage in the last two games was 149 and 166, respectively. That’s not going to be enough to get it done against Pittsburgh. Smith is going to have to force the issue to stretch the field, or the running game and screen game will be futile against the Steelers’ solid defense.
My Prediction: The Steelers are known for their acumen as a bend-don’t-break unit that doesn’t give up big plays. And, this game will not be much different.
Smith will not have enough time in the pocket to push the ball down the field often, and he won’t take the few opportunities he gets. Smith will go 28-of-38 for 201 yards and one TD on the day.