ASHBURN, Va. -- After beating the Pittsburgh Steelers, 23-17, on Monday night, Washington Football Team second-year defensive end Montez Sweat uttered words that haven't been heard here in a few years:

"We're on a roll."

Yes, they are rolling with three straight wins topped by an upset win against the previously unbeaten Steelers. Washington is 5-7 and tied for first place with the New York Giants in the NFC East.

Washington's season is going the way many of its games have gone: It is playing better in the second half than the first. The defense, for example, ranks first in both yards and points allowed in the second half of games. It ranks 26th in points and 23rd in yards in the first half. The offense ranks seventh in points scored after halftime -- and 29th in the first half.

"It shows we have potential," Washington coach Ron Rivera said. "It shows we have the kind of players we need, to give ourselves a chance to win. We've got a good mix going now; we have to continue to build off it."

In Washington's first eight games, the offense was 30th in both points and yards. Since then, it is seventh in points and 10th in yards. Defensively, it ranked 11th in points in the first half and is seventh in the past four games.

Here's how they're doing it:

Budding stars

Washington's line anchors the defense, and while the interior has been good, it's the young ends who provide the flash. Sweat and rookie Chase Young have combined for 10.5 sacks, but those totals don't fully reflect their impact. Against Dallas in Week 12, Sweat made a leaping interception of quarterback Andy Dalton and returned it for a touchdown. Monday, he deflected three Ben Roethlisberger passes, the last resulting in an interception by linebacker Jon Bostic.

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They both play the run well; Young plays with a veteran's savvy when it comes to his awareness of plays. He broke up a screen pass, among other plays, because of this Monday.

"You guys see more of the pass rush, but for me I see what they do in the run game," Bostic said. "That's what makes those guys special. A lot of ends are just pass-rush guys."

The line has five first-round picks. End Ryan Kerrigan, now a backup, remains effective with 5.5 sacks and provides starter-worthy play off the bench. The interior -- Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne, and backup Tim Settle -- is excellent.

"We've got a whole bunch of edge rushers," Washington offensive tackle Morgan Moses said.

On offense, wide receiver Terry McLaurin ranks eighth in the NFL in receiving yards and third in total yards after the catch. He has blossomed into an excellent receiver in two seasons. Running back Antonio Gibson, who has rushed for 11 touchdowns, has steadily improved and appears to be another solid building block for the future.

A steady veteran QB

Since Alex Smith arrived in Washington, the team is 9-5 when he starts and 6-24 when he doesn't. It's not a coincidence. Smith has started 165 NFL games and faced every situation imaginable, from being called a bust early in his career to injuries to benchings and trades. And then he came back from a horrific leg injury that occurred two years ago. He's not a Pro Bowl quarterback, but he knows how to manage games and his presence helps the young players.

Smith's numbers aren't fantastic: In four starts, he ranks 24th among quarterbacks with a total QBR of 48.0. But his 1,001 passing yards rank 12th during this time. He has three touchdowns -- and only two picks. It's a position the team must address in the offseason -- draft another one? -- but Smith has stabilized the offense.

"He's a tough man," said Washington tight end Logan Thomas. "He never changes. He's always confident, excited. Earlier in the year when we were playing the Rams and things weren't going our way, he was the same. He's never too far up, never too far down."

Under-the-radar signings

In the offseason, Washington made two low-key signings that have proved impactful: Thomas (two years, $6.145 million) and running back J.D. McKissic (two years, $3.27 million). Both were still growing into new positions -- Thomas entered the NFL as a quarterback and McKissic was a receiver. But both showed signs of their potential last season in Detroit.

This season, Thomas has become a solid target. He's ninth in the NFL among tight ends with 43 receptions and is tied for sixth with five touchdowns. He ranks second among tight ends with 12 red zone catches. He grabbed nine passes for 98 yards Monday. He has also improved as a blocker and often chips ends -- aggressively -- before going out on routes. One of his chips Monday caused the defender to fall and trip up another pass-rusher.

"To a degree, I'm surprised," Rivera said of Thomas' production. "But I'm not. He has the skill set: size, speed and strength. He has great hands and understands the game. That's important."

McKissic ranks second among running backs with 56 receptions and his 380 yards after the catch are third. He serves as Washington's third-down back, but he also can line up in the slot or out wide with another back on the field. His versatility has helped, and he's a threat when running the jet-sweep action. That has created room for Gibson.

Washington also improved its line depth with signings such as guard Wes Schweitzer and tackle Cornelius Lucas. They arrived with starting experience -- Lucas had 16 starts entering the season and Schweitzer 36 -- but were projected backups thrust into starting jobs. Both have their issues but are helped by a quarterback who gets rid of the ball fast.

And at wide receiver, Washington got a five-catch, 92-yard game from Cam Sims, an undrafted free agent in 2018 who started the season on the practice squad.

It adds up to a team feeling much better about itself. They started seeing it in practice a while ago. Now, as Bostic said, "A lot of people are seeing it."