This week, the Pittsburgh Steelers hit the road to take on the Washington Commanders. Pittsburgh’s been impressive to start the season, earning a 6-2 record, putting them in first place in the AFC North. Washington also knows a thing or two about surpassing expectations, with their 7-2 record through nine games. Both teams are led by new quarterbacks in Russell Wilson and Jayden Daniels.
With how each of these two has performed in 2024, this should be an exciting duel. Daniels seems to feel a similar way about the matchup. In his press conference on Wednesday, Daniels was asked about Wilson. He had a lot of praise for the veteran signal-caller.
“I mean, I watch football in general, so I’ve been seeing Russ pretty much his whole career,” Daniels said via the team’s Twitter/X account. “It’s a lot of respect to him. He throws a really good deep ball, very accurate. Overall just his leadership, how he treats his people on and off the field, that’s something that stands out.”
Sunday’s showdown between the two quarterbacks will be a fun one. Part of that is because of the difference in where each of these two players currently is in their careers. At one point, Wilson was one of the fun, young, and dynamic quarterbacks in the league as a member of the Seattle Seahawks. He’s having a terrific career that seems to be getting back on track through two starts with the Steelers.
Now, Wilson is the veteran who has had to earn back a lot of respect. He’s taking on a player like Daniels, who isn’t in a situation that is too different from the one at the start of Wilson’s career. Still, Daniels is mobile and can make plays on the fly and throw the ball down the field. Those are all qualities Wilson had throughout the bulk of his career.
For now, each team is atop its division and has playoff hopes of its own. Both quarterbacks have been able to move the ball during their time on the field this year, so Sunday’s game will prove to be a great test for each side.
