While the Pittsburgh Steelers may not have many juggernaut defenses on deck, the Washington Commanders are just one of the imposing offenses they will have to worry about over the next two months. After witnessing the pyrotechnics of the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals Thursday night, the defense better buckle up. The Commanders are only a test, says Merril Hoge, but what a test it is.
“Oh my gosh. Well, you know, this offense is disturbing,” the former Steelers RB said of the Commanders on the DVE Morning Show earlier this week. “It’s a precursor to what you’re gonna see two times down the road in the Ravens. They’re just not quite as good at it, but they’re pretty good. I think the biggest problem is defending how they run the football. They run the football in a way that is extraordinary because they threaten the entire defense laterally a lot of times in their run.”
When the NFL first released the schedule, most probably viewed the Commanders game right after the bye week as a respite for the Steelers before the gauntlet. Instead, it promises to be one of their toughest remaining games among many. And that’s primarily because of Kliff Kingsbury’s offense and Jayden Daniels’ execution of it.
All you have to do is take a quick look at all the visuals the Commanders give you before the snap to get a sense of how complicated they can be to defend. This is actually more window dressing than a team like the Ravens typically employs. But many of the core concepts are similar. Even with the Steelers’ success against the Ravens, though, that doesn’t guarantee they will handle Daniels.
“They’ll create a sweep play that looks to the right that’s a type of counter back to the left. You’ve got to respect both of those because your quarterback’s just as dynamic as your running back,” Hoge said of how the Steelers must defend the Commanders. “If there was ever a time where that cliché of ‘Do you job’ is most critical — it’s most critical. Because they can run right or left, they make it look like they’re going right or left, and you have to be extremely disciplined with your eyes and your principles that you don’t get out of place.”
Hoge also spent time complimenting Daniels, the rookie quarterback who has looked like anything but a rookie. The Steelers should expect a player who is already adept at processing defenses and who can deliver the ball accurately. Plus, he has all the athleticism you could want and knows how to use it judiciously.
The Steelers don’t have quite as exciting an offense as all that. In fact, they have a much simpler philosophy under Arthur Smith than the Commanders do. Lately, however, it has been working for them. And the Steelers’ offense doesn’t have to play the Commanders’ offense. Defensively, Pittsburgh has the edge, but only if it comes into this game with the due respect owed to Washington.
