2020 NFL Week 13: Steelers Friday Night Five Questions

Happy Friday to yinz.

Man am I glad Week 12 has finally ended. what a week that was and thankfully it ended with the Pittsburgh Steelers beating the Baltimore Ravens on Wednesday. It wasn’t pretty, but it was a win, nonetheless. Next up for the 11-0 Steelers is the Washington Football Team, which is probably the most underrated NFC team right now. They are also fully rested as well having last played on Thanksgiving. The line for this game opened at Steelers -10 and is now down to -7.

Well, it was back to the doctor again this morning. Sigh!

I might venture out to the casino at midnight to count some cards and get steak and eggs and will be back at around 4:00 a.m. for an hour nap. We have a lot of content coming on Saturday so be on the lookout for it. At least on Sunday well be able to sit back and see if the Steelers can clinch a playoff spot while not playing. That Tennessee Titans versus Cleveland Browns game will have my full attention. That should be a good one to watch.

As usual, we have five questions and a tiebreaker for yinz to answer ahead of the rest of the Week 13 NFL action and there is money to be won for doing just that. Below the weekly five questions is a recap of the Week 11 and 12 questions along with updates from our very own David Orochena (@subBurgher).

Make sure you continue to check the site on a regular basis leading up to Monday’s game as we have a lot more content coming for all to read. It’s going to be a busy and exciting next several days.

Thank you to all who continue to support the site regularly. It’s been a great 2020 season for us so far on Steelers Depot and we do not take that for granted.

Have a blessed and safe holiday weekend! Peace and love, peace and love!

Go Steelers!

1. Steelers outside linebacker Alex Highsmith is now the next man up following Bud Dupree’s devastating knee injury. Will he sack a Washington quarterback on Monday?

2. Washington has the second-ranked passing defense in the NFL giving up just 194.6 yards games per game. The Steelers have relied on their passing game on offense. Will quarterback Ben Roethlisberger pass over/under 266.5 yards against Washington on Monday night?

3. Washington has scored 11 passing touchdowns in 11 games. Will Washington quarterback Alex Smith throw at least two touchdown passes against the Steelers Monday night?

4. Will Chris Boswell miss an extra point or field goal attempt Monday night against Washington?

5. Which Steelers player will gain the most receiving yards against Washington on Monday night?

Tiebreaker: Total combined rushing yards in the Steelers-Washington game?

Recap of 2020 NFL Week 12 Friday Night 5 Questions

Here is the recap for last week’s Friday Night Five Questions.

NOTE: Due to the Steelers-Ravens game postponement today’s recap includes both week 11 and 12. Also, sometimes folks revise their responses prior to kickoff. Once I “like” your answers, I’ve recorded your answers on the spreadsheet. If you need to revise an answer, the best way you can ensure that your final answers are accurately recorded is replying to your original response and NOT edit it.

Week 11 final question recap:

Question 1:   Ben passed for 267 yards against the Jaguars and 266 against the Ravens. His 533 passing yards in the two games ended up well under 569.5. Respondents were not expecting so much passing with 64% taking the under.

Question 2:  James Conner led the Steelers rushing attack gaining 89 of the team’s 106 yards on the ground versus the Jaguars. Benny Snell gained 60 of the Steelers 68 rushing yards against the Ravens for a total of 174 rushing yards in the two games. A narrow 51% majority of respondents gained a point by taking over 169.5 rushing yards.

Question 3: Those respondents that listened to the Terrible Podcast prior to the Jaguars game know that referees had not called a single holding penalty on opposing linemen blocking T.J. Watt this season.  Officials missed one play when a lineman tackled Watt preventing a sack of Jake Luton. However, an official finally flagged a lineman blatantly holding Watt during a pass rush. During the Ravens game, officials only called two holding penalties against Baltimore. Both were against D.J. Fluker but neither involved Watt.  78% of respondents said T.J. Watt would not draw at least two holding penalties in the two games.

Question 4:  Jaguars quarterback Mike Glennon did not see the field against the Steelers. 80% of Depot respondents answered no to this question and received a point. Glennon started 22 games in his career and his team’s record is 6-16 in those starts. He’s played against the Steelers twice. In 2014, Glennon started six games for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers losing five. The one win came against the Steelers (favored by 7.5 points) when he completed a five-yard touchdown pass with 12 seconds to play. Glennon played the Steelers again in 2017 with Pittsburgh favored by seven points. That year he started four games for the Chicago Bears losing three. He completed 15 of 22 passes for 101 yards and a touchdown. The Bears beat the favored Steelers in overtime. So, since his rookie year when he started 13 games Glennon has started nine games winning two. Both victories at the Steelers expense. This week, Jaguars coach Doug Marrone announced Glennon would start against the Cleveland Browns this Sunday. Glennon has never played versus the Browns. Glennon did not have quite enough magic to defeat the Browns missing a two point conversion attempt to tie late in the game.

Question 5: Steve Nelson almost intercepted a pass early in the second quarter of the Jaguars game. But he didn’t’ and none of the five scenarios Dave Bryant laid out transpired in the game. Derek Watt was open in the end zone when Ben threw his interception versus the Ravens. Unfortunately, Vince Williams did not sack Lamar Jackson, Steve Nelson failed to  intercept a pass, Derek Watt did not catch a pass, Jordan Dangerfield didn’t  force or recover a fumble, and the Steelers didn’t block a punt in ether game. Most (53%) believed Vince would sack a quarterback. 27% of respondents said none of those events would happen and gained a point.

Tiebreaker: The Steelers and Jaguars scored 30 combined points. 33 points scored in next game for a total of 63 points scored in the two games. The median response was for 91 total points scored in the two games. Six respondents tied by answering all five questions correctly, so the tie breaker used to determine the week 11 winner.

Here are the consensus responses of Steelers Depot respondents compared to the correct answers for week 11:

 Week 12:

Question 1:   The Baltimore Ravens had not one but two offensive plays that gained over 37.5 yards. Robert Griffin scorched the defense for 39 yards on a run through the middle on their drive at the end of the first half. Luckily, the clock winding down and a dropped pass in the end zone avoided points scored on the Steelers. Then Griffin completed a 70-yard touchdown pass to Marquise Brown in the third quarter to tighten the score. 38% of respondents got a point by answering true to this question.

Question 2:  The Steelers defense managed to bottle up the Ravens for most of the game. They limited Baltimore to ten first downs. The Steelers gained 22 first downs just above their average for the season. The 32 total first downs well under 44.5 earning a point for 88% of respondents.

Question 3: Officials placed the ball at the 49-yard line for four separate plays. One series it was three times in a row. Diontae Johnson caught a seven-yard pass just shy of the 50 in the second quarter. Then Ben threw to incompletions before completing a 22-yard pass which eventually led to Chris Boswell’s second field goal. Earlier at start of second quarter, Anthony McFarland gained three yards to take the ball from Pittsburgh’s 48 to the Baltimore 49-yard line. But zero plays began on the 50 for either team. 55% of respondents earned a point with answers ranging from zero to four plays starting at midfield.

Question 4:  Chase Claypool missed a pass in the end zone with Marlon Humphries covering him like a blanket. This was on the Steelers first scoring driving and they settled for a field goal after Diontae Johnson failed to catch a third down pass a play later. Just 31% of respondents won a point by saying no to Claypool scoring against the Ravens.

Question 5: The Steelers only scored two touchdowns in the game. Joe Haden scored his second career pick six early in the game. After many drives of frustration, Ben finally connected with JuJu in the fourth quarter for a touchdown. Respondents named 11 Steelers who they thought would score the last touchdown. Benny Snell was the most popular choice with 21% of the vote. Only three respondents named JuJu. Kudos to Andi B, Jason W, and Rugbyclint.

Tiebreaker: AFC North teams did not throw many interceptions in week 12. Bengals backup quarterback Brandon Allen threw one against the New York Giants. The Browns Baker Mayfield threw none. Ben Roethlisberger threw one in the end zone. While Robert Griffin threw the pick-six to Joe Haden. Jason W and Ratsotex pegged it while the median response was five. The tiebreaker did not come into play in week 12.

Here are the consensus responses of Steelers Depot respondents compared to the correct answers for week 12:

 The week 11 weekly contest came down to the tiebreaker. Six folks aced the questions and collected the five-point weekly bonus. Kudos to Style Points, Pghomer, Greg Payne, B&G, Jaybird, and yours truly. But Jaybird wins the prize by being closest to the 63 total points scored in the past two Steelers games. Congratulations to the bird man!

The questions in week 12 were tough. 16 respondents answered three of five questions correctly. Hoptown edged them out by answering four of five for the prize. Well done hoptown!

ManRayX graciously kicked back his week ten winnings to establish a $25 fourth place prize.

Four folks join the leaderboard this week. Three return with Jaybird on it for the first time this season. Good show! Three folks drop off but answering every week increases your opportunity to win the $25 weekly prize plus you accumulate more points for the end of season contest.

2020 Regular Season leaderboard after week 12:

*New to leaderboard