Washington Football Team studs and duds from Week 13 win over Steelers

Washington Football Team Dud: First half offense

This has been a problem for Washington all season. They have trouble getting going early. For 29 minutes of the first half, the team was held scoreless and had minimal offensive success. They managed to get three points before the half, but that was the only drive where the team looked like a competent offensive unit.

Part of it can be explained by the fact that they were playing the Steelers defenses which is arguably the best stop unit in the league. But this has been a trend for Washington, and it’s a troubling one they’ll need to correct.

If Washington wants to play better on offense early, they’re going to have to have Alex Smith play better. He needs to get the ball out of his hands quick. The team also needs a player aside from Terry McLaurin to step up and be a downfield threat right away. Cam Sims eventually did that, but until that happened, the Washington offense was bottled up.

There is a silver lining to this dud. Even despite another game that saw the team struggle immensely before halftime, the players and coaches were able to will the team back into the game and compete. And not only that, they earned a victory.

This is a well-known problem for Washington and they’ll need to adjust to make sure this doesn’t sink their ship down the stretch of the season. On Monday, this was certainly a dud though, and that statement shouldn’t surprise anyone who has watched Washington play this year.