Like Frank Costanza after cracking an egg, we are back baby! After an eventful bye week, the Steelers are set for a tall task facing off against the Commanders. Despite a long stretch of mediocre seasons, Washington has risen from the depths and is playing like a legitimate contender. This is in large part due to the dynamic play of rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels.
Pittsburgh will have their hands full. Daniels and the running backs have been hard to stop this year. He isn’t only a threat on the ground though, as Daniels has a cannon of an arm and has connected with Terry McLaurin to form a dynamic duo. This makes their offense hard to stop even when facing great defenses.
There are a lot of matchups that seem pivotal this week. Joey Porter will see a lot of McLaurin this week and needs to play clean. The pass rushers need to pressure Daniels in hopes of making mistakes. On offense, George Pickens could take over against a struggling Commanders secondary. That said, one name sticks out as a player that needs to have a big game.
Steelers need the ground game to roll
While I think both major running backs should have a big name, my focus player is Najee Harris this week. Jaylen Warren will get his, and hopefully, he can bust off a few big plays, but Harris is the churner in this offense. He gets the bulk of carries to wear down opposing defenses.
That is just the type of offense you need this week. The Commanders offense is rolling right now, so keeping them off the field is a major advantage. This forces them to make the most of their limited opportunities. That is a lot of pressure on a rookie quarterback.
The Commanders defense has had a lot of issues. One of their weakest aspects is run defense right now, as they rank toward the bottom of the league in that regard. That opens the door for Harris to continue on his impressive stretch of play. The line has been opening holes and Harris has been getting to the second level, a huge reason why he has produced so well as of late.
Getting him going will keep the offense on track, which will aid the passing game and Russell Wilson. This will also keep the pace of the game slower, keep the score a little lower, and play right into the strengths of this team. An early lead that is hard to overtake allows the pass rush to take off and pressure Daniels constantly.
He doesn’t need to break off huge runs every time he touches the ball, but maintaining his healthy yards per carry and carrying the offense along will be huge. Add in a few strong runs from Warren and these two should carry the team. If they stall out though and this game becomes a shootout, the Steelers could be in trouble.