Special Teams Nightmare Is Brewing In Favor Of The Steelers Ahead Of Big Showdown With The Commanders

The Pittsburgh Steelers have a highly-touted showdown ahead of them as they will travel to play the Washington Commanders. Both teams have just two losses on the season coupled with a ton of excitement surrounding the organizations. The Commanders have seemed to completely flip their franchise around in a short amount of time, mainly due to the play of their rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. However Sunday's game will come down to all three phases of football, and Washington has some cause for concern when it comes to special teams.

The Commanders have been better than most when it comes to special teams. Tress Way is one of the best punters in the league, and they have finally found a kicker in Austin Seibert. However, Seibert has been dealing with a hip injury that has forced him to be a limited participant in the practices leading up to the game against Pittsburgh. Washington got more tough news on Saturday when their long snapper Tyler Ott was added to the injury report with an illness. 

Long snappers don't usually get a lot of shine, but they become a topic of conversation whenever they struggle or are unavailable. Just a few weeks ago the Chicago Bears long snapper got injured, and tight end Cole Kmet was forced to fill in on special teams. Thankfully for Chicago Kmet didn't make any mistakes, but that could have been a disaster had Chicago not had a suitable replacement.

There are a lot of implications that could come from missing a long snapper. Teams don't usually carry multiple long snappers, but there is probably another offensive lineman or a tight end who snapped in high school or college. Still, teams would rather have their starter available. There is no room for error when it comes to snapping on special teams, and a mistake on these plays can completely swing the momentum in a game. For Washington, their emergency long snapper is guard Nick Allegretti who hasn't snapped once in the NFL.

Not having a reliable long snapper can make Washington a lot more aggressive. Some punting scenarios may turn into situations where Head Coach Dan Quinn elects to keep his offense on the field to go for it. Washington is perfect on fourth down conversions in 2024, so that would be something to watch for Steelers fans.

Hopefully all of Washington's players with a questionable injury designation are able to go on Sunday, but there is chance that the Commanders will be without their starting kicker or long snapper.

Steelers Will Look To Continue Impressive Run On Special Teams

No team has been better on special teams during the 2024 season than the Steelers. They are on one of the most impressive stretches ever when it comes to special teams. In Week 8 against the New York Giants the Steelers returned a punt for a touchdown, in Week 7 they blocked a field goal, and in Week 6 they blocked a punt. They also blocked a field goal during their Week 5 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. That's four straight games with a significant, game-changing play being made on special teams.

With two important players on special teams being questionable for the Commanders, Pittsburgh has a good chance of extending that streak to five straight games with a splash play being made on special teams.

What do you expect when the Steelers take on the Commanders? Let us know in the comments below!

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