Records aside, Washington’s matchup with Steelers is closer than you might think

Everyone looks at the 11-0 Pittsburgh Steelers and automatically assumes that they are going to have a cakewalk when it comes to doing away with the 4-7 Washington Football Team this upcoming Monday night. Rightfully so, too; Pittsburgh is unscathed so far this season, and they have been at the top of their game in nearly every facet, with the offense clicking under Big Ben Roethlisberger, and the defense as dominant as it has been in recent memory.

However, on paper at least, this matchup against Washington appears to be a bit closer than some would choose to believe based on the eye test. While Washington may get labeled as one of the worst teams in the league — again, rightfully so — thanks to their place in the lowly NFC East, their league rankings are not too far off from where Pittsburgh currently is.

Based on the numbers, the Steelers’ overall offense is better, with the passing numbers from Big Ben being the biggest disparity between Pittsburgh and an Alex Smith-led Washington team. However, Antonio Gibson has seen the Burgundy & Gold reach a higher rushing ranking, and the defenses are at least comparable, though we might disagree with Washington’s ranking there.

That’s where this game could really take a turn — on the defensive side of the ball. It’s been said over and over again that Washington’s defense, particularly the passing defense, is among the very best in the NFL this year, but a lot of people choose to ignore one key thing when touting that stat. Throughout the first half of the year, Washington regularly trailed big at the half, which coaxed their opponents into running the ball as much as they could through the final two quarters in order to play it safe and drain the clock. This led to Washington having a high-rating in pass defense, but anyone who watched them through the first two-quarters of games knows that they have as many holes in the secondary as anyone else.

With that being said, over the past few weeks, Washington’s defense has absolutely stepped up, particularly in the second half of games. While they are giving up on average 16.8 points per game over the last six games, they have tightened up in the second half, allowing single-digit points in five of those six games. It’s clear that they are getting comfortable, both as the games gets into the late stages, and as the season continues to roll on.

How they’re going to contend with this, though, is a different question…

That’s what a league-leading defense looks like. Whether or not Alex Smith and Scott Turner are going to be able to devise a plan to get past the Steelers’ dominant D on Monday night is a big question, but you can bet that they will have their hands full all week trying to draw up schemes that will work.