Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels is this year’s rookie sensation. He’s taken the league by storm, putting the Commanders in control of their division. The Pittsburgh Steelers have a tough task in front of them, but they aren’t strangers to slowing down an electric Commanders rookie quarterback. Analyst Mike Florio believes the Steelers will rattle Daniels like they once did Robert Griffin III.
“I keep thinking back to 2012, when [Griffin] was a rookie,” Florio said recently on Pro Football Talk. “The Steelers had a very simple game plan: be extremely physical with this rookie phenom quarterback.
“They will be, within the limits of the rules, I’m not suggesting any attempt to injure. All I’m saying is, to the extent that Jayden Daniels hasn’t had a welcome-to-the-NFL moment, he’ll have one against the Steelers.”
In 2012, Griffin looked very similar to Daniels. He took the Commanders from a bottom feeder to first place in the NFC East. His dynamic rushing ability and strong arm gutted opposing defenses. The Steelers didn’t seem to care about any of that.
In Week 8 of that season, the Steelers held the Commanders to their lowest point total of the season. They won the game, 27-12, smothering Griffin and the upstart Commanders. Griffin ended up completing 16-of-34 passes for 177 yards and one touchdown. That’s not terrible, but it certainly wasn’t up to Griffin’s standard to that point.
The Steelers only sacked Griffin once, but don’t let that fool you into thinking they didn’t get after him. Maybe their most impressive feat of that day was holding Griffin to eight rushing yards on six attempts. It was arguably the rookie quarterback’s worst performance up to that point, and history could repeat itself this week.
Daniels and the Commanders’ offense have looked unstoppable this year, but the Steelers might have the best defense in the league. With pass rushers like T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, and Cam Heyward, Daniels is going to be facing a huge test this week. Maybe they won’t dominate him like they did Griffin, but they could give him more problems than any other team has.
Florio seems confident in the Steelers, but this game certainly feels like a toss-up. This will likely be the Steelers’ greatest test to this point. If they do manage to batter the Commanders like they did in 2012, eyebrows will certainly be raised. It would be a fantastic statement.
