Now that the bye week has come and gone, the Steelers will have to overcome nine weeks of struggle to round out their schedule. They will face one of the toughest conclusions to an NFL season compared to their peers. All of that starts in Week 10 as they head to Washington to take on the Commanders. It is going to be a tough challenge for the Steelers to find ways of beating.
All eyes will be on Pittsburgh's defense against Jayden Daniels, but their offense needs to step up in this game. Washington will get points no matter how well the black-and-gold defense shows up. It will be up to Russell Wilson and the Steelers rushing attack to match Washington's point totals and hopefully pull ahead when it matters most. A tough challenge, but something the Steelers could overcome.
Steelers need these players to step up if they want to beat Commanders
T.J. Watt
There might not be any better way to make a rookie quarterback feel uncomfortable than having T.J. Watt on the opposite side of the field. He is going to get chipped almost every play, but he has found ways to still impact games. Watt's distraction should also allow the Steelers to find alternate ways of rushing Daniels. Watt needs to have an impact on this game, or Washington could make things look easy.
Zach Frazier
One of the best things coming out of the bye week for the Steelers is the number of guys coming back from injury and those they added before the trade deadline. Zach Frazier is returning to the lineup after Ryan McCollum did an admirable job as a third-string center. Pittsburgh has fallen in love with Frazier, and his return should help elevate the offensive line's play against the Commanders.
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Patrick Queen
He had a rocky first half of the season, but this is the game where Patrick Queen has to come to life. Since Daniels is a great quarterback with his mobility, then the Steelers could have someone like Queen spying on him for most of the game. He will have to find ways of slowing Daniels down not only when he tucks the ball to run, but when he starts to scramble and try to extend plays downfield.
Najee Harris
Even though the Commanders have a strong defensive front, they are ranked towards the bottom half of the NFL when it comes to run defense. That should allow the Steelers to open up their run game with both Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren. Harris remains the top back for Pittsburgh and has been playing well as of late. He will need to find ways to finish runs and convert short-yardage plays.
Joey Porter Jr.
Washington has a couple of solid receivers they could target on offense. Terry Mclaurin remains their top receiver, and it will be up to Joey Porter Jr. to shut him down. Thus far, Porter has enjoyed a solid season for the Steelers. This will be one of his biggest tests yet. One would have to imagine Pittsburgh will have Porter follow Mclaurin for most of the game as a top matchup.