Heading into Sunday afternoon in Washington, Mike Tomlin was in an advantageous position. Since taking the head coaching gig of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Tomlin was 13-4 coming out of the bye week and 25-6 all-time against rookie quarterbacks.
But this was no typical game coming out of the bye week. And there was no ordinary rookie quarterback on the other sideline. Jayden Daniels and his 7-2 Washington Commanders poised the biggest challenge yet to the Steelers, and nearly came away with the win.
But by some sheer magic, the Steelers pulled it out, 28-27. They improve to 7-2, an ideal place to be as they stare down the barrel of four straight divisional games.
But before we turn attention to that gauntlet, some thoughts on the win today.
1: I Can’t Believe They Jumped
My first thought about this game has to be about the game-ending play. Staring at a 4th & 1 on Washington’s 49-yard line, the Steelers had won half the battle by forcing the Commanders to use all three timeouts. But they failed to secure the first down, which would have sealed the game.
After the last timeout, Mike Tomlin sent his offense out there for a classic cat and mouse game with Washington. Go up to the line, yell a bunch of stuff, and try to get them to jump.
It was so obvious to everyone in that stadium, except for Jer’Zhan Newton, who took the bait and drew the flag, ending the game for the Steelers.
I feel so bad for this kid. Newton is a rookie, probably looking to play the hero and make a name for himself with this big time play…and he cost them instead.
He will learn from this, no doubt. The ghosts of Russell Wilson and the offensive line dancing hysterically will haunt him, but he will learn from this.
But man, I cannot believe he jumped.
2: The Fake Punt Was…Bold
We talked about a Commanders mistake, so now let’s talk about a Steelers one. After a drive deep in their own zone that went nowhere, Pittsburgh found themselves with a 3rd & 18 at their own 13-yard line.
In an incredibly gutsy decision, the Steelers try a fake punt, and have Miles Killebrew throw a dart to James Pierre, who was wide open but drops it, setting up Washington with an absolute gift.
I’m just going to say, I don’t hate the idea of a fake punt, and I love the design that they had for it. I just do not agree with a fake punt on your own 13-yard line.
Look, if that play succeeded (and by that I mean, if Pierre could catch), that play instantly rockets up to possible play of the year status. But instead, it gave the Commanders a free touchdown. Pittsburgh is lucky that gamble didn’t come back to cost them.
3: A Bad Day Is Still A Good Day For Russ
Despite his offense putting up 28 points, it wasn’t the best work for Russell Wilson on the field yesterday. He completed just 50% of his passes, going 14/28 for 195 yards. He looked visibly offline with his receivers for decent chunks of the game.
But even with his lowest completion percentage and yards through the air, Wilson threw a new Steelers career-high 3 touchdowns in the win, and made the important throws when it mattered. His dime to Mike Williams at the end of the game was perfect in every sense, and Wilson’s ability to drag the team back from a double digit deficit was impressive, especially against a strong Commanders team.
Russ continues to prove the doubters wrong. He’s provided the best quarterback play the Steelers have seen in years, and it’s not particularly close.
4: An Easy Day For Chris Boswell
How nice was it to see FOUR touchdowns take place for the Steelers today? In their back-and-forth with the Commanders, the Steelers never found themselves having to settle for field goals, which made for an deservedly easy day for Chris Boswell.
Boswell nailed 4 extra points, and of course still performed the standard kickoff duties, but it was nice to see Boswell not have to be an important part of Pittsburgh’s offense for them to still put up nearly 30 points in a win.
The Steelers are incredibly lucky to have Boswell, who has gone 23/24 in field goals and a perfect 16/16 on extra points. But if you don’t have to rely on him in a win, all the better. There will be plenty of time for Boswell’s number to be called, happy for him that he didn’t need to be a critical part of this win.
5: Steelers Pass The Test
This was, for my money, the first true test for the Steelers this season. That’s not to take anything away from the eight teams they already played, but they had not yet gone up against a team like Washington before, a team with this much success on the year.
It was a great litmus test for the rest of the season: could the Steelers rise to the occasion, could they compete with the upper echelon of teams in the NFL? The early answer is yes.
Securing such a galvanizing win today is huge for this team’s confidence as they head into the league’s toughest second-half schedule. A loss not only would have put the Steelers behind in the standings, it would have put a damper on this team’s abilities down the stretch. They went toe-to-toe with Washington and won. An excellent first step.
Fifth Avenue Sports 
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