Just a few days ago, word came down that the Pittsburgh Steelers’ dominant linebacker Bud Dupree had torn his ACL and would miss the remainder of the 2020 season, starting with the Week 13 game against the Washington Football Team. You hate to see a player lost to injury, especially when he is playing on the franchise tag, but it was unequivocally a break for Washington when they need everything they can get to upset the undefeated Steelers.
Now, they may be getting their second big break as well. Pittsburgh’s longtime kicker Chris Boswell is listed as ‘doubtful’ to play after sustaining a hip injury in practice on Saturday. At the moment, it looks like backup kicker Matt Wright will take his place, marking this the first time since 2018 that someone other than Boswell has kicked for the Steelers.
Is this a big deal? Maybe, maybe not. Ultimately, it could be if Washington holds true to their game plan.
In order for Ron Rivera and his squad to find success on Monday, their defense is going to need to step up in a big way, most importantly in the red zone. They’ve been great inside their own 20-yard-line thus far, allowing opposing teams to score only 48% of the time this year. Typically, this ‘bend-don’t-break’ style of play from Jack Del Rio and his defense ends with a field goal attempt, which you can absolutely live with, especially when the offense you’re facing is as potent as Pittsburgh’s.
So what happens if the team you’re playing has little trust in their kicker, and you continue to put them in a position to settle for an FG?
(*insert Adam Sandler “This is how I win” GIF from Uncut Gems here*)
That all adds up to a potential recipe for success for the Washington defense, IF they are able to hold stout in the red zone and make it be a problem for the Steelers. Of course, there is also a scenario that we’ve seen play out before, where Washington is off its game defensively, and the FG kicker is less of a factor as Big Ben and the offense rack up points throughout the evening. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen on Monday, and we can look back and be proud of this prediction in a day’s time.
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