Washington Football Team Week 13 reality checks vs. Steelers

Dec 29, 2019; Arlington, Texas, USA; Washington Football Taam defensive back Jeremy Reaves (39) reacts during the second quarter against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 29, 2019; Arlington, Texas, USA; Washington Football Taam defensive back Jeremy Reaves (39) reacts during the second quarter against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports /
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Aug 20, 2020; Ashburn, Virginia, USA; (L-R) Washington Football Team offensive coordinator Scott Turner and head coach Ron Rivera look on during drills on day twenty-three of training camp at Inova Sports Performance Center in Ashburn, Virginia. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 20, 2020; Ashburn, Virginia, USA; (L-R) Washington Football Team offensive coordinator Scott Turner and head coach Ron Rivera look on during drills on day twenty-three of training camp at Inova Sports Performance Center in Ashburn, Virginia. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports /

4. The Reality Is, creativity is a must, both offensively and defensively.

Beating top-tier teams in the NFL usually involves a handful of things going well. Sometimes, the turnover battle goes the way of the underdog. Sometimes, a special teams score or a controversial penalty breaks the way of the lesser team.

But more often than not, upsets happen when the underdog brings an unexpected level of creativity and execution to the game.

Scott Turner and Jack Del Rio have both shown flashes of creativity in their play calls. Will they dial up the right combinations this week against Pittsburgh? They’ll need to out-coach their Steeler counterparts in order to keep this game close.

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Turner needs to go back to the “fumblerooski” well, and Del Rio needs to scheme Chase Young into favorable matchups to make game-changing plays.

My Prediction: Del Rio will be motivated to have his defense put on a show against a Pittsburgh offensive that isn’t as explosive as people tend to think. Look for another destructive performance by Chase Young.

Turner will struggle to get into a play calling rhythm as Pittsburgh will largely be successful in keeping them behind the sticks all afternoon.