The Washington Commanders lost a nailbiter Sunday to the Pittsburgh Steelers 28-27, which came down to a last-minute mistake.
The Commanders, undefeated at home going into Sunday’s game, played a hard game against a Steelers team and finally stabilized at their quarterback position with one of the best defenses in the league. Ultimately, it would come down to a Steeler fourth down on Washington’s 49-yard line. If the Steelers get the yard, the game is over. If Washington held, they would have received the ball on downs and could have gotten into field goal range to try for a last-minute win.
The latter would never happen, thanks to a neutral zone infraction by rookie defensive lineman Johnny Newton. He jumped before the snap, and the penalty allowed the Steelers to keep the ball and drain the clock for the win. Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels threw 17 for 34 for 202 yards but had a surprising three sacks in Sunday’s game. The run game struggled, with running back Austin Ekeler carrying 13 for only 44 yards. Wide receiver Terry McLaurin had the most targets on the day, catching five for 113 yards.
Commanders Rushed, Stressed All Game
The Commanders entered Week 10 with the number three ranked offense in the league in scoring (29.2 points per game) and yardage (402.6 yards per game). But they played the game today without their starting running back, Brian Robinson, and kicker, Austin Seibert. The Steeler defense applied hard pressure on Daniels from the start and never let up. Even though both teams made the first half of the game a defensive push, Pittsburgh scored with eight minutes left in the first quarter, going seven plays for 70 yards, capping off the drive with a 12-yard pass from quarterback Russell Wilson to receiver George Pickens.
Washington only had two passing first downs in the first quarter and was 0-3 on third-down conversions. They only had 19 total yards to Pittsburgh’s 67. Thanks to a failed Steelers fake punt that turned into an incomplete pass from safety Miles Killebrew to cornerback James Pierre, the Commanders had great field position. And they went three plays and 15 yards for a one-yard touchdown run from running back Austin Eckler.
The second quarter was also rough for Washington, as they went three straight possessions, all resulting in a turnover on downs. Even worse, receiver Olamide Zaccheaus on special teams dropped a punt, which set up the Steelers in a short-yardage situation. It took them five plays and 14 yards to convert a three-yard pass from quarterback Russell Wilson to tight end Pat Freiermuth. Wilson finished Sunday’s game with 14 completions for 195 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception.
Washington responded with a 48-yard field goal from recently signed kicker Zane Gonzalez but was still behind early by four points. The former Panther, who hasn’t played since 2021, was signed to the practice squad Friday. He was elevated to the starting roster after Seibert, the starting kicker and leading scorer, was listed as questionable due to a hip injury. He was ruled out on Saturday. The last 20 seconds of the half gave the Commanders the 17-14 lead to go into halftime, thanks to a 15-play 94-yard drive capped off with another one-yard Eckcler touchdown. This was the best drive of the entire half.
Commanders Keep Pace at Best
In the first possession in the second half, the Commanders showed they were indeed in their groove, going five plays and 71 yards to finish, with running back Jeremy McNichols taking it in for the touchdown at the one-yard line. The Steelers answered again, going nine plays and 75 yards to score again, bringing the game within three. Wilson would get intercepted late in the third quarter by cornerback Jeremy Chinn, the first in 179 possessions for the seasoned quarterback.
However, late in the fourth, Wilson dropped a 60-yard bomb to receiver Mike Williams, burning cornerback Benjamin St-Juste to put Pittsburgh ahead 28-27. The game would come down to a proverbial game of who would blink first on the line of scrimmage, thanks to a fourth-down hold by the Commanders’ defense. However, rookie Johnny Newton jumped, causing the infraction that would end the game with the Steelers able to maintain possession.
Final Thoughts
Football is not an exact science but a game of inches. Rookie Johny Newton learned that discipline is key, especially for the good job the defense did all game. However, cornerback Benjamin St-Juste’s coverage was unacceptable. The catches that got past him should put him on the trading block next season. While Newton should have known the assignment going out to the line in that last minute of the game, St-Juste was burned all game. Washington’s gotta fix the secondary and the discipline problem going into Thursday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
