UPDATE (11:33 AM): Per the Commanders, OT Andrew Wylie is active. It’s not clear if he’s starting or will be an emergency backup. We’ll have to wait to see who gets the nod at right tackle.
UPDATE (11:42 AM): Per Ari Meirov, Wylie won’t start and will only play in an emergency. It seems he’s getting a helmet just because the Commanders are low on offensive linemen and need Wylie as the eight one. Trent Scott still seems poised to start at right tackle.
Our original story is below.
The Washington Commanders’ plan of blocking T.J. Watt just got even tougher. The team will be without starting RT Andrew Wylie, held out of today’s game due to a shoulder injury. That will spring backup and former Steelers offensive tackle Trent Scott into the starting lineup to deal with Watt, the Steelers’ leading sacker and on the short list for most dominant players in football.
According to Ari Meirov, Wylie will be inactive due to his injury.
Wylie ended the week questionable after getting in a limited practice Friday due to his shoulder injury. He attempted to test the injury in warmups but evidently didn’t feel good enough to handle Watt for 60 minutes, reportedly making him inactive for today’s game.
That means the Commanders are without both starting tackles. Left tackle Cornelius Lucas has already been ruled out due to an ankle injury, putting rookie Brandon Coleman into the starting lineup. On the right side, Scott will make his first start of the season after starting the final two games of the 2023 season for the Commanders. Signed by the Steelers in 2022, Scott appeared in eight games and occasionally served as a tackle eligible. Additionally, Washington will be without starting RB and leading rusher Brian Robinson Jr. due to a hamstring injury.
It creates a great opportunity for Highsmith and Watt to impact today’s game as they did in the Steelers’ Week 8 contest against the New York Giants. In the 26-18 win, Highsmith and Watt combined for four sacks. Watt made the play of the game, a strip/sack fumble on QB Daniel Jones to take the ball away late in the fourth quarter with the Steelers holding onto an eight-point lead.
Washington’s mission will be to slow down Pittsburgh’s pass rush. They’ll do that through their run game, screens, and misdirection. The Commanders are the No. 3 scoring offense while the Steelers boast the No. 2 scoring defense, making for a best-on-best matchup. Perhaps Pittsburgh has the advantage given its good health and the injuries Washington’s battling.
