Coming into the Week 10 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Washington Commanders rookie QB Jayden Daniels was gearing up for a stout, physical defense.
In the Steelers’ 28-27 win over the Commanders Sunday, that stout, physical defense gave Washington some trouble, especially in the second half. Daniels and the Commanders racked up just 242 yards of total offense, and though they scored 27 points, which was near their 29.2 points per game, Washington was very limited.
For Daniels, the Steelers didn’t surprise them with anything defensively. They were just a good team that made plays when it mattered most.
“They just have a very good front, like a really good front, and they try their best to get their guys one on one. So that’s kind of what they did the whole second half,” Daniels said to reporters, according to video via the Commanders’ YouTube page.
The Commanders started the second half quickly, putting up a touchdown thanks to a 54-yard catch and run from wide receiver Terry McLaurin, leading to a 1-yard rushing touchdown from Jeremy McNichols. But after that, it was all Steelers.
The Commanders proceeded to go punt, field goal, punt, punt, turnover on downs. Even the field goal drive was a bit of a fluke. The Steelers’ Corliss Waitman shanked a punt in windy conditions, leading to a 34-yard boot that gave the Commanders the football at the Steelers’ 42-yard line.
In fact, 10 of the 27 points scored by the Commanders came due to great field position as Washington’s first touchdown of the game came after Pittsburgh’s botched fake punt gave the Commanders the football at the Steelers’ 15-yard line. Outside of those two drives that started in Pittsburgh territory, the Commanders’ offense didn’t do much of anything notable.
The Steelers held the Commanders to just 2.7 yards per carry and 5.9 yards per passing attempt.
In the second half, the Commanders — after the touchdown drive — ran just 23 plays for a total of 56 yards. That’s pure dominance from a Steelers defense that did much better against Washington than the final score might indicate.
None of that was a surprise for Daniels or the Commanders, though.
“That was what we expected. They do what they do, and they do it well. So, wasn’t no surprise,” Daniels said of the Steelers’ defense.
Nor was it a surprise watching the Steelers dominate in the second half of the game, shaking off an early third-quarter touchdown and putting the clamps on Washington, led by a defensive front that is among the best in the NFL.
