Chase Young breaks down how he made the big fourth-down stop originally appeared on NBC Sports Washington
Chase Young has wasted no time making an impact for the Washington Football Team. Just a rookie, his imprint has been felt on numerous major defensive plays throughout the season.
His latest came on Monday in the win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, when Pittsburgh’s offense elected to stay on the field for a fourth-and-goal from the one-yard line in the second quarter.
As Young approached the line of scrimmage, he quickly noticed that there was the potential for him to wreak havoc on the play. The way the Steelers were positioned meant that a tight end was coming up to block, but with a defender lined up to Young’s right, he would be unable to stop both from breaking through.
“In my head, I was like ‘He’s going to have to choose,'” Young said. ‘”He’s going to choose me, or the guy outside of me.’”
Knowing that someone would be able to come through and make a play, Young opted to go full-speed ahead and force the blocker to make a split-second decision.
He wasn’t going to react, he was going to cause the reaction.
‘”So in my head, I just said ‘alright, I’m going to shoot it. He’s going to have to pick,'” Young said. “So I just shot it and he was kind of, he didn’t know who to chose. He ain’t block me, that’s why I made the play.”
Young did make the play, stuffing running back Benny Snell and keeping Pittsburgh from getting into the end zone. He saw the opportunity and took it, and it paid off.
The detail Young shared after the game gives insight into the brilliance he can display both physically and mentally. A talented defender, he’s shown that he’s ready to make an impact before the ball is even snapped.
