There are a couple of things throughout history under Head Coach Mike Tomlin that should work in the Steelers' favor this week. He has a strong record following a bye week, which Pittsburgh is coming off of. He also has found ways to consistently beat rookie quarterbacks throughout his tenure. History might be on their side going into Week 10.
Washington has been one of the best teams in the NFC, which many didn't have in their pre-season prediction articles. They have found ways to remain a highly effective offense this season. Doing that each week is difficult, but it's even more impressive when you can accomplish that with a rookie quarterback. Jayden Daniels is shaping up to be a top player in the NFL for a long time.
Pittsburgh comes into this game with a week of rest. More importantly, they will have some players return from injury and suspension who have missed significant amounts of time. That will boost their roster not only in starting spots but throughout their depth chart. It could be a shootout, but the black and gold cannot afford to fall behind the Commanders in this matchup.
Pittsburgh vs Washington Week 10 prediction: Steelers 25, Commanders 23
Field goals could end up killing the Steeler's hopes and dreams of victory if they have to settle. They continue to struggle to find the end zone this season, even though Russell Wilson has provided more consistency on offense. They need to get seven points instead of three more often than not. Their defense hasn't been the same in the past couple of weeks, so they must step up on offense.
Daniels is going to be a pain for Pittsburgh's defense throughout this battle. He might be a rookie, but he is playing like a seasoned veteran. He can not only hurt you with his arm, but he can run wild around the field to extend plays and convert first downs. The black and gold's defense will have to contain him and find alternative ways of applying pressure to force Daniels into bad decisions.
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Running the football is something the Steelers have been effective at over the past month. They will need to keep that trend going against a Washington defense that is one of the worst in the NFL at stopping the ground game. If Pittsburgh can run down the clock and keep Daniels off the field with an effective run game, then the Steelers will set themselves up in comfortable territory for most of the game.
When it comes down to it, the Steelers defense needs to show up in a big way. They have been slouching in recent weeks, so they need to find ways of containing Daniels and forcing the rookie into bad decisions. Pittsburgh's offense needs to establish the run early and cash in with touchdowns when they get down the field. Turnovers could be the name of the game here.