It doesn’t matter who the opponent is, if they are 7-2 and at home, it is still going to be a hostile environment. The Washington Commanders have a historic fan base that has been through the wringer over the last decade. Now that Jayden Daniels has brought hope back to the franchise, they are going to be supporting their team in a big way. But that didn’t stop Steeler Nation from showing up in a big way in Pittsburgh’s 28-27 win Sunday at Northwest Stadium.
“These fans are amazing. It’s a great atmosphere. I played here [in Washington] a few times and it’s one of the toughest places to play,” Wilson told Evan Washburn on the CBS Sports broadcast after the game. “They got a great fan base, and our fans showed up in an amazing way. Just to see those towels flying around was pretty cool.”
It was evident almost right away at the beginning of the game. Following the Steelers’ first touchdown, the “Here we go Steelers” chants were as loud as I have ever heard them on TV during a road game.
There were several moments throughout the game where the cameras panned to the stands and there were plenty of Terrible Towels being twirled. Even though the Terrible Towels fit the Washington color scheme, you know they were Steelers towels based on the fact that Washington gave crimson towels to fans to specifically to help combat this issue.
To be fair, it was very loud in the stadium during the Steelers’ final drives on offense. It was not a full takeover like it was in Las Vegas, or in Atlanta to a lesser degree. But when things got tight on the final drive for the Commanders, they were operating out of the silent count. It was loud in there with Steelers fans causing issues.
Now the Steelers will enter the portion of their schedule where they won’t have the benefit of a relatively friendly crowd. Two of their next three games are AFC North divisional games on the road. Those environments should be plenty hostile for the Steelers, not to mention their trip to Philadelphia in about a month.
With eight games remaining, four are at home and four are on the road. Six of those games are in the division. Steelers fans probably won’t have another opportunity to take over a road stadium. Maybe in Cleveland since they are so abysmal this year.
