When the 2020 season began, it was widely assumed Ben Roethlisberger would be the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year.
One of the top quarterbacks in league history, Roethlisberger appeared in just two games in 2019 before an elbow injury that required the reattachment of three ligaments in his right elbow shut him down for the rest of the season.
That, however, was before Alex Smith made his comeback attempt with Washington. Smith suffered a broken leg in a November game in 2018 against the Texans that nearly cost him his leg -- and his life -- after infection set in.
After 17 surgeries, it's a miracle Smith is even walking again, let alone playing in the NFL. Monday, Smith and Roethlisberger will face each other at Heinz Field as the Steelers (11-0) host Washington (4-7).
Roethlisberger's comeback at 38 while leading the Steelers to a team-record start, has been tremendous. But even he is in awe of the 36-year-old Smith's comeback.
"I believe there were some life-threatening things thrown out there," Roethlisberger said. "I can’t imagine the things he has gone through, and I know him a little bit and am just proud of the way he’s been able to get back on the field and play, first and foremost, to be able to walk again. To get back on the field and play and play well, you have to tip your cap to him because that takes determination. It takes perseverance, passion, love for the game. It’s a pretty awesome story."
Smith is a fan of Roethlisberger, as well.
"He's a Hall of Fame player," Smith said. "The thing that has impressed me so much through the arch of his career is how much he's developed. As time has gone on, he's do it so many different ways. When he was a young guy, he made so many ad-lib plays and so many with his legs, the pump fakes, breaking tackles.
"In the last five years or so, to see how prolific he's become from the pocket and how that part of his game is, how elite it is, with his age and how many games he's played and last year, he had the elbow problems and surgery and rehab and then to come out firing, it says a lot about him. You can appreciate that from afar."
They'll get a close look at each other in this game.
The Steelers would like to keep it as just a comeback story for Smith and not a true fairy tale, such as allowing him to add to his accomplishments by handing them their first loss and keeping Washington alive in a ridiculously poor NFC East playoff race in which all four teams are below .500. A win by Washington would keep it in a tie for first place in that division.
To do that, they'll certainly have to play better than they did last Wednesday in a 19-14 win over the Ravens. The Steelers looked disjointed in a game that was moved three times because of COVID-19 issues with Baltimore, especially on offense. That game also forced this game to be shifted from Sunday to Monday at 5 p.m.
They dropped a number of passes, generally made uncharacteristic mistakes and lost Bud Dupree to a season-ending ACL injury in the process.
This game will mark their first without Dupree, who has 19.5 sacks in the past two seasons, with rookie Alex Highsmith and former undrafted rookies Ola Adeniyi and Jayrone Elliott expected to pick up the slack.
"I don’t know if you can scheme around somebody as explosive as Bud is," Keith Butler said. "He’s certainly got some God-given talent that other guys and most people don’t have in the National Football League. In order to continue getting pressure on the quarterback, we need for Alex Highsmith to step up, and we need for Ola to step up and Jayrone, all three of them. We need for them to stay up so we don’t have a drop off even when T.J. (Watt) comes out."
Watt leads the NFL with 11 sacks, but he and Dupree played off of each other so well, helping push each other to get better. It's helped make Watt a leading candidate for NFL Defensive Player of the Year, an award for which he finished third in 2019. They'll need more of that from Watt down the stretch.
And he'll get some help returning. Stephon Tuitt was activated Saturday from the Reserve/COVID-19 List and is expected to play in this game after sitting out against Baltimore.
The Steelers could have clinched the AFC North title had the Browns lost against the Titans in Tennessee Sunday. The Steelers also could have clinched a playoff spot with a loss or tie by the Raiders, Colts or Dolphins. None of those happened as all four of those teams won Sunday..
Even so, with five games remaining, including this one, the Steelers are assured of being in the playoffs for the first time since 2017 with one more win or tie. That's why Roethlisberger hasn't been concerned about winning Comeback Player of the Year.
He'll cede that to Smith and go after a bigger prize. And to do that, he knows he can't just be Comeback Player of the Year, he has to be the rock on which the Steelers lean, especially during this current stretch, which has them playing three games in 12 days starting with the win over the Ravens last week.
"Just try and be there for them, communicate with them, answer questions just like I said really be there and communicate," Roethlisberger said of his role. "I think with these three games in 12 days lots has been made of it. Lots has been made of last week’s schedule getting pushed around, and kind of by the end of it, I turned from being upset because you were so dialed it to just it being funny like OK whatever now.
"Like whatever they tell us to do, just go play. When guys see you take that mindset and that approach of listen, whatever you say we are going to go do it, I think that can help. I think guys need to see me, see you go out there and be like, 'OK, he’s not upset about it. He’s just going to take this attitude and this mindset of let’s go play ball.' That’s kind of what I’ve tried to do for the guys over the last couple of days before leading up to the game. Now it’s like, 'Hey listen, these are the cards we were dealt.' We just have to play ball and just try and lead by example in that way."
THE ESSENTIALS
• Who: Steelers (11-0) vs. Washington (4-7)
• When: 5:02 p.m.
• Where: Heinz Field
• Forecast: 31°, mostly cloudy
• TV: WPGH, Fox (national)
• Radio: 102.5 WDVE, ESPN Pittsburgh
• Streaming: Steelers Nation Radio
• Satellite: Sirius XM 88, online 826
• Boxscore: NFL Game Center
• Media notes: Steelers | Washington
THE INJURY REPORT
Steelers: CB Steven Nelson (knee, doubtful), QB Ben Roethlisberger (knee, questionable), K Chris Boswell (hip, doubtful) -- downgraded Sunday
Washington: WR Terry McLaurin (ankle, questionable), DE Ryan Anderson (knee, questionable), OT Morgan Moses (groin, questionable)
THE KEY VARIABLE
The Washington passing game goes clearly through second-year wide receiver Terry McLaurin. , who's listed as questionable with an ankle injury but was a full participant in practice Saturday and is expected to play. He is fourth in the NFL in terms of target share with 27.3 percent of the team's pass attempts going to him. His 983 receiving yards account for 40 percent of the team's passing yards.
His 983 receiving yards are 625 more than running back J.D. McKissic's 338, which rank second on the team. And they are 718 more yards than the next closest wide receiver, Cam Sims, who has 13 catches.
The Steelers will be aware of McLaurin no matter where he might line up.
"You've got to know where he's at," said Joe Haden. "It makes it easier for us because glaringly he's the No. 1 receiver on the team. It helps us always knowing where the deep threat is, always knowing who they want to get the ball to. As a secondary, we always know who is the top target, who is the next guy, the third-down-and-distance (guy). With him, he's getting the ball all the time. We have to know every time, every play where he's at."
The Steelers used Haden in shadow coverage in his first two seasons with the team, but they now trust their secondary as a whole to be better capable of shutting down a No. 1 receiver. In fact, their pass defense now leads the NFL, allowing just 193.2 yards per game.
They have limited Houston's Will Fuller to four catches for 54 yards and a touchdown, Cleveland's Odell Beckham to two catches for 25 yards, Amari Cooper of Dallas to five receptions for 67 yards, Cincinnati's Tyler Boyd to six catches for 41 yards and Jacksonville's D.J. Chark to four catches for 41 yards.
The Steelers also have some inside information on McLaurin, a third-round draft pick last year out of Ohio State. Ike Hilliard, the Steelers' wide receivers coach, held the same position with Washington last season.
"Ike Hilliard coached that group a year ago. We have kind of an intimate understanding of the development of those guys, at least from his perspective," Mike Tomlin said. "That’s probably been helpful in getting to know them some. Again, they’re not a group that we play all the time, so that 1-on-1, that knowledge, that intimate knowledge is helpful to us."
McLaurin averages 14.0 yards per catch, as well, far higher than Washington's 10.3 yards per reception, which ranks 28th in the NFL. In fact, take his numbers out of Washington's passing game and the rest of the team averages just 8.49 yards per catch, which would be a full yard lower than any other team in the league.
So, if they can keep McLaurin under wraps, Washington's passing attack would be somewhat toothless.
That will be easier said than done. McLaurin has at least 60 receiving yards in every game but one, that coming against the Rams when he faced Jalen Ramsey's shadow coverage.
He's comparable to the one No. 1 receiver this season who did give them fits, Tennessee's A.J. Brown, who had six catches for 153 yards and a touchdown against them.
"He has it all really," Tomlin said. "He’s good after the catch. He’s got good top-end speed. He makes the combat catch. He’s strong. He’s a tough tackle."
THE HISTORY LESSON
Three Rivers Stadium was a bland cement bowl. But it was Pittsburgh's bland cement bowl. And in 2000, the Steelers hosted Washington in what would be the final game of the stadium's history.
Dec. 16, 2000, the Steelers found themselves at 7-7 after an 0-3 start. They still had a chance to make the playoffs after missing out in 1998 and 1999, but they weren't going to host a playoff game, not with the Titans destined to finish 13-3 and the Ravens 12-4 in the final year of the AFC Central Division.
That meant their upcoming game against Washington would be the final event at Three Rivers Stadium, which had opened in 1970 and been the home of the Steelers through four Super Bowl championships.
The Steelers wanted to send the stadium out in style. And they did just that.
Washington struck first, as Jeff George engineered a drive that stalled at the Pittsburgh 14, leading to an Eddie Murray field goal and a 3-0 lead.
The Steelers tied the game at 3-3 on a Kris Brown field goal with 10 minutes remaining in the second quarter, then Hank Poteat returned a punt 53 yards for a touchdown and a 10-3 Steelers' lead with 5:12 left in the first half.
Chad Scott then intercepted George at the Washington 38 with 3:02 remaining in the half, and the Steelers turned that into a 3-yard touchdown run by Richard Huntley that put them ahead 17-3.
The Steelers defense continued to make things tough on Washington in the second half, and Huntley scored on a 30-yard run in the fourth quarter to put the game away, much to the pleasure of the 58,183 in attendance at the final game at Three Rivers Stadium.
The Steelers limited Washington to 271 yards, recorded three sacks and five turnovers in the game, intercepting George twice and recovering three fumbles.
Jerome Bettis had 104 rushing yards on 25 carries, while Huntley gained 56 yards on seven rushing attempts. Bobby Shaw led the Steelers with three receptions for 71 yards as Kordell Stewart threw for just 175 yards in the game.
Earl Holmes had 13 tackles for the Steelers, who got 1.5 sacks from Jason Gildon. Dewayne Washington also had an interception, as the Steelers closed out their old home in style.
KARL ROSER / STEELERS
T.J. Watt and the Steelers defense will try to extend their consecutive games played with a sack streak to an NFL-record 69 games.
THE MAIN MATCHUP
The Steelers need one sack today to match the 1999-2003 Buccaneers at 69 consecutive games with at least one sack. That is the longest such streak in NFL history since the sack became an official statistic in 1982.
Given his propensity to dump the ball off to running backs -- Smith's average air yards per throw is 4.7 yards from the line of scrimmage, the lowest in the NFL by far -- it might be surprising to some to know that Smith has been sacked 15 times in his five appearances this season. That includes just three starts.
Smith has been sacked on 8.8 percent of his pass attempts this season. Only the Eagles' Carson Wentz (9.8) and Jets' Sam Darnold (9.2) have higher percentages.
Once the blueprint for spread quarterbacks, Smith isn't just coming off a major leg issue, he's also getting up in age and isn't anywhere near as elusive as he once was.
Of course, with Dupree now out, along with inside linebacker Devin Bush, who was lost in a Week 6 win over the Browns, some might wonder if the Steelers can still generate enough pass rush to get to Smith consistently.
What was the best defensive front in football is now missing two major pieces, though it still has Watt, Cam Heyward and Tuitt.
"Bud has such a big impact on our team, not just from a playmaking standpoint, but from a leadership role as well," said Watt, who also leads the NFL 17 tackles for a loss. "I feel like Alex is going to do a great job with that, but we are going to have to lean on Ola to step up and have some big time playing for us."
It's similar to when the Steelers lost Bush, like Dupree a former first-round draft pick. Former undrafted rookie free agent Robert Spillane stepped in to fill that void and has made some big plays, but the Steelers also traded for Avery Williamson and have used Marcus Allen as their dime linebacker.
The trade deadline has passed, so the Steelers won't be acquiring a veteran player via that route. So, if Highsmith, a third-round pick this year, can show he can do the job, it will be his.
The Steelers lead the NFL with 41 sacks entering this game -- Washington is second with 36 -- but the Steelers have done it differently than they have in the past. While they were blitz-heavy in their first two games this season -- sending more than four pass rushers over 60 percent of the time -- Butler has backed off since. The Steelers are now blitzing 41.5 percent of the time, though some of that is skewed by the fact that when they're in their base 3-4, if both outside linebackers rush, it's considered a blitz.
Without Dupree coming off the edge opposite Watt, the Steelers might be more inclined to dial up more blitzes by the inside linebackers and nickel cornerback Mike Hilton.
"We do rush four, but occasionally we will still blitz," said Butler. "We are not the Blitzburgh that we used to be, but we certainly are not far from it."
That might not be a bad idea against Smith. He's completing just 58 percent of his passes when blitzed this season -- as opposed to 71.8 percent when he sees just four rushers -- and has thrown three of his five interceptions despite having nearly 100 more passes in regular rush situations.
The Steelers have had some success against Smith, as well. They are 4-2 against him, having sacked him 17 times in those six games, nearly three per game.
"We respect his resume, what he’s capable of," said Tomlin.
THE TEN DATA POINTS
• Smith has two touchdown passes and two interceptions in three starts since taking over as Washington's quarterback. He's averaging 235 yards passing per game, and that includes a start against the Lions in which he threw for 390 yards without throwing a touchdown pass in a loss.
• The Steelers are allowing opposing teams to complete an NFL-low 54.5 percent of their passes against them this season. No other team is allowing a completion percentage of less than 62 percent. The Steelers have held eight consecutive opponents under a 60 percent completion percentage.
• Washington running back Antonio Gibson leads all rookies with 11 touchdowns. Chase Claypool is second with 10.
• Benny Snell is averaging just 3.7 yards per touch this season -- rushing and receiving. But in the games in which he's touched the ball at least 10 times, he's averaged 5.6 yards per touch.
• Six of the 16 touchdown passes allowed by Washington this season have been to opposing tight ends.
• Despite being second in the NFL, allowing 194.6 yards per game, Washington has allowed six passing plays of 50 or more yards this season, the most in the NFL.
• Alejandro Villanueva and Washington RT Morgan Moses are tied for the second-longest active consecutive games played streak among offensive tackles with 91 each. Atlanta's Jake Matthews (105) is the current leader.
• The Steelers allow a passer rating of 71.5, seven points better than the Rams (78.5) in second place.
• Heyward needs two sacks to match Keith Willis (59) for the most sacks by a defensive lineman in Steelers history.
THE FANTASY CORNER
Because of the Wednesday game, there was no fantasy lineup last week. But we'll get back at it this week. As I did last year, I'm going to build a fantasy lineup using Draft Kings and a $50,000 salary cap.
Quarterback: Aaron Rodgers, Packers ($6,800) -- Rodgers is on a mission right now. And he's red-hot. We'll try to take advantage.
Running back: Derrick Henry, Titans ($9,200), David Montgomery, Bears ($5,500) -- Henry in December has been money in the bank the past few seasons. And he faces the Browns. Montgomery has a nice matchup against the Lions.
Wide receiver: Davante Adams, Packers ($9,000), Michael Pittman, Colts ($4,900), Corey Davis, Titans ($5,100) -- Had to take some cheap options to stack Rodgers with Adams. Let's hope they're worth it this week. Pittman had nine targets last week, even though he didn't do much with them. Davis should have success against a depleted Cleveland secondary.
Tight end: Robert Tonyan, Packers ($3,700) -- The Eagles' defense against tight ends has been atrocious. And he stacks with Rodgers.
Flex: James Washington, Steelers ($3,300) -- Call this one a dart throw, but Washington keeps making plays and won the Ravens game for the Steelers. He will get rewarded for that.
Defense: Patriots ($2,400) -- We'll go cheap here and hope Bill Belichick has something in store for young Justin Herbert and the Chargers.
Our football staff predicts the game:
Dale Lolley (10-1): The Steelers are coming off a short work week, while Washington has had extra time to prepare for this game. More than anything, that's what the Steelers should have been complaining about when it came to Baltimore's stall tactics last week. But Washington's wins this season have been against Dallas (twice) without Dak Prescott, the Eagles and Bengals. That's not exactly murderer's row. They've already been swept by the Giants and also lost to Detroit, handing Matt Patricia his last win as a head coach. The Steelers are clearly the better team. Washington's defensive line will keep this one close. And there's a good chance that Roethlisberger's streak of 199-straight pass attempts without being sacked comes to an end. But the Steelers should win this one. Steelers 24-17
Ramon Foster (11-0): Washington's gotten off course with who they are, with the name change, with losing their quarterback -- Dwayne Haskins was in, and now it's Alex Smith -- but they've still got a lot of talented players, particularly on defense. They're a solid unit. But I still think the Steelers will get the run game going again, and I think the defense has the advantage against Washington, too. I also think the Steelers will want to win convincingly after what just happened against Baltimore. Steelers, 27-20
Chris Carter (11-0): The real matchup here is Washington's pass rush against the Steelers' pass protection. Despite having the second-most sacks in the NFL (36), none of Washington's defenders have more than six sacks on the season. That group now faces a Steelers offensive line that's given up just 10 sacks all season. If the Steelers can neutralize that, Washington's tough defense would be in trouble as long as the receivers can get back to catching the ball. Steelers 31-13
Tom Reed (10-1): The Steelers' struggle against the Ravens didn't bother me as much as it did some others. Yes, they were sloppy and missed chances to break open the game, but it's a great rivalry for a reason. The COVID-19-ravaged Ravens played really hard. Full marks to them. The bigger concern was losing Bud Dupree. Monday gives us our first look at Alex Highsmith in a starting role and whether the rookie can provide some facsimile to Dupree. Steelers, 24-14
Dejan Kovacevic (10-1): For the first time this fall, I'm fed up with this group. Fatigued by all the inconsistencies, all the ups and downs. Not being fooled by late rallies against lousy opponents and lousier quarterbacks. Call it a feel in the moment, but whatever. There's no way anyone could watch that fiasco last week and believe that was the bottom. Nope. Streak ends here despite six ... uh, Matthew Wright field goals? Washington, 23-18