Washington Football Team studs and duds from Week 13 win over Steelers
Washington Football Team Stud: The second-half adjustments
This has been said ad nauseam, but the difference between Jay Gruden’s Washington teams and the one of Ron Rivera is that under Rivera, the team is able to make effective second-half adjustments. Under Gruden, that never happened.
This game was a perfect example of halftime adjustments having a massive impact on Washington. In the first half, they lost Antonio Gibson for the game, and for much of the first half, they couldn’t do get much from the running back position.
After halftime, the team started to utilize J.D. McKissic much more, and that was massive for the team. McKissic provided a huge boost in the passing game down the stretch, and he caught 10 passes for 70 yards. He was a huge presence on the team’s game-tying touchdown drive and all it took was getting him on the field more.
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The team also used Peyton Barber enough to keep the Steelers defense honest, but the real reason he was in the game was to convert in short-yardage opportunities. He was able to do just that when called upon and added a touchdown.
The running back situation was just one example of the adjustments the team made. They also made changes in the receiving game to get their pass-catchers open when it became clear that the Steelers were focused on stopping Terry McLaurin. On defense, it was all about attacking downhill to stop the run and jumping the short passes after halftime.
Ron Rivera, Scott Turner, and Jack Del Rio deserve a ton of credit for what they’ve been able to do this season. They don’t have an easy job, but they have made a lot of progress with this squad very quickly. Let’s hope Washington can continue to be a good second half team because if they are, it’s indicative of good coaching.