PITTSBURGH — Washington Football Team has beaten the Pittsburgh Steelers 23-17 after a late field goal and an interception on the Steelers' second to last offensive possession.
The win by Washington gives them a share of the lead in the NFC East division.
Alex Smith threw for 296 yards and a touchdown, Dustin Hopkins kicked a tiebreaking 45-yard field goal with 2:04 remaining.
Washington started the game down by 14 points by the start of the 2nd quarter, and went into halftime down 14-3 on the road, before coming back in the second half.
Smith, under heavy pressure much of the night, finally got something going late in the first half. A Hopkins field goal got the team on the board in the final seconds. A 1-yard touchdown run by Peyton Barber midway through the third quarter pulled Washington within 14-10, and a lob from Smith to a wide-open Logan Thomas for a 15-yard touchdown tied it.
The Steelers (11-1 overall) came into the game trying to become the 10th team in NFL history to start the season 12-0. The Steelers also would have clinched a playoff birth for the first time since 2017.
Before the game, the Steelers were 78-1-1 when up 14+ points at home (Heinz Field).
Washington: Lost leading rusher Antonio Gibson in the first half with a toe injury. Tight end Tamarrrick Hemingway exited in the first half with a wrist injury.
The New York Giants beat the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, moving to 5-7 overall on the season. Washington (5-7 overall) lost to the Giants in both its games this season against the divisional opponent.
Both the Giants and Washington were not favored to win their games this week. The NFC East division was 0-17 vs. teams with winning records going to this weekend. Now it's 2-18
Before Monday night, Washington’s last victory over Pittsburgh came in 1991, the season Washington finished 14-2 and won the franchise’s third Super Bowl under Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs.
Washington's next game will be Sunday, Dec. 13, against the San Francisco 49ers.
The game will be played from Glendale, Arizona, due to the impact of COVID-19 in California. The 49ers are not allowed by the county its stadium is located to play contact sports.