Steelers Are Projected To Have Worst Game Of 2024 Season Against The Washington Commanders

The Pittsburgh Steelers had lots of momentum entering the bye week. Many injured players coming back in Week 10 should help continue that, along with some additions from the 2024 NFL trade deadline. They will be facing the Washington Commanders, who have lit the world on fire with rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels and Head Coach Dan Quinn. The Steelers will now start their gauntlet part of the schedule earlier than expected due to Washington's unexpected early success.

Marc Ross of NFL.com does not believe in the Steelers, however. Instead, he sees a pretty easy win for the Commanders on Sunday.

"One of the true strength-on-strength matchups this week: Pittsburgh's second-ranked scoring defense (14.9 points per game allowed) vs. Washington's third-ranked scoring offense (29.2 ppg). In another coming-of-age statement game, Jayden Daniels puts up 30 points, the most the Steelers' D has allowed all season. Conversely, Dan Quinn's Commanders defense bursts the Russell Wilson 'moon ball' magic by holding Pittsburgh to fewer than 20 points."

That certainly is a bold prediction, but will the Commanders be able to just put up yards and points ad nauseam? While they do have a solid defense, it's questionable at times, and the Steelers can still expose some holes in it. Who knows how the game will turn out, but a double-digit loss just does not make much sense in this scenario. 

For starters, Ross even brings up the fact that the matchup between Daniels' offense and the Steelers' defense is "strength-on-strength." As long as Head Coach Mike Tomlin and his defensive staff don't overthink this game, they can cause serious problems for Daniels in multiple ways. That's no disrespect to their potent offense, but it just won't be as easy as Ross believes based off of the first nine weeks of the season.

Obviously, the pass rush needs no introduction. Daniels may be a good runner that can escape pressure, but that does not mean that guys like TJ Watt and Cameron Heyward will be non-factors. They even beefed up on edge rusher depth by trading for Preston Smith. The Commanders will have to do a lot of work just to limit every single member of the Steelers' front seven.

After that, who knows if Daniels will get the ball to his star receiver? Terry McLaurin is a great receiver, but he wouldn't be the first wideout in his tier to have problems getting open against Joey Porter Jr. If the Steelers succeed in shutting him down, Daniels will have to rely on guys like Luke McCaffrey and Olamide Zaccheaus for a large chunk of the game. 

Offensively for the Steelers, Ross makes a good point. The Commanders love to play off-coverage, which makes it harder for Russell Wilson to launch deep balls throughout the game. If the Steelers want to win, there may have to be more dink-and-dunk plays. The Steelers do have an ace up their sleeve, however. 

Steelers Are Built To Expose Washington's Weakness

The Commanders have one of the worst run defenses in the NFL. That pairs up perfectly with the Steelers, who love to pound the rock. Najee Harris has been running with authority as of late, as he has been borderline unstoppable. He is currently on a streak of three consecutive games with 100+ yards rushing. 

To make matters worse for Washington, Jaylen Warren and Cordarrelle Patterson are both healthy. They are great change-of-pace backs that can take over a game, even if Harris struggles. Warren has the best lateral movement out of the running back room, and Patterson has pure speed that's hard to stop, especially with the holes that the Steelers' offensive line creates.

The game won't be easy for the Steelers either, but it should be a close, fun contest in general. Unlike what Ross believes, don't expect either side to blow the other one out.

What do you think about Ross' prediction that the Steelers will lose by more than 10 points to the Commanders? Let us know in the comments.

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