Dustin Hopkins hit a 45-yard field goal with 2:07 left and another 45-yarder with 17 seconds left Monday as visiting Washington handed the Pittsburgh Steelers their first loss, 23-17.
Washington (5-7) won its third straight to tie the New York Giants atop the NFC East. Pittsburgh (11-1) missed a chance to clinch a playoff spot.
Alex Smith leads WFT’s comeback
Washington forged a 17-17 tie on Alex Smith’s 15-yard touchdown pass to a wide open Logan Thomas with 9:09 left.
After Hopkins made it 20-17, Jon Bostic intercepted a pass by Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger that had been tipped by Montez Sweat to help preserve the win.
Smith was 31 of 46 for 296 yards. Peyton Barber rushed for a touchdown.
Roethlisberger, who surprisingly on Saturday was listed as questionable because of a knee injury, was 33 of 53 for 305 yards and touchdown passes to Diontae Johnson and James Washington.
Washington prodigious rookie Antonio Gibson, his team’s leading rusher, left in the first quarter because of a left toe injury.
Pittsburgh opened the second quarter with the game’s first sustained drive, 72 yards in 14 plays, with Roethlisberger throwing 3 yards to Johnson at the left edge of the end zone for a 7-0 Steelers lead.
Steelers’ offense stalls
The Steelers got the ball on downs at the Washington 31 and moved to the 1, but got stuffed by Washington on four downs, yielding back the possession.
Washington couldn’t gain a first down, and after a punt the Steelers got the ball at midfield. On first down, Roethlisberger threw to Washington, who sidestepped Deshazor Everett’s tackle attempt around the 42 and went down the left sideline for a 50-yard touchdown play to make it 14-0. Hopkins’ 49-yard field goal with 1 second left in the first half pulled Washington to within 14-3.
In the third quarter, it was Pittsburgh’s turn to try for a goal-line stand, but Barber plowed in from 1 yard out to close it to 14-10.
A Steelers drive that bled into the fourth quarter ended when Matthew Wright, making his NFL debut with Chris Boswell hurt, kicked a 37-yard field goal for a 17-10 lead.
–Field Level Media ()