The defense of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2024 has had a fabulous start to the regular season, but things only get more difficult moving forward. After recuperating during their bye week, Pittsburgh's first stop for the second half of the season will come against Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders, one of the most high-powered offenses in the NFL. The Steelers haven't faced an offense as hot as Washington's so far this year, and this week's matchup will display the reality behind Pittsburgh's dominance.
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The Pittsburgh Steelers face off against Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders in Week 10 of 2024.
Washington currently sits third in the NFL in total yards per game with 392, only behind the Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers. More importantly, over 160 of those average yards come on the ground, and they've run the ball the second most times. The Commanders also have the most rushing touchdowns in the league, led by running back Brian Robinson Jr. with six and Daniels with four.
Luckily for Pittsburgh, the Steelers are fourth in the NFL in stopping the run and have held teams to just 90.5 rushing yards a game. They've also only allowed four rushing touchdowns through eight games, which is the league's third best. Pittsburgh's run defense looked suspect in their last outing against the New York Giants, allowing Tyrone Tracy Jr. to rush for over 140 yards. The coaches and players expressed their frustrations about the run defense during the bye week, so their performance against Washington should be a lot cleaner.
Chris Simms is willing to bet that the Steelers are going to shut down Daniels and the Commanders on Sunday. Previewing the showdown with Mike Florio, Simms explained why he's taking Pittsburgh to win the game and move onto 7-2.
"The real test is going to be, can this Steelers' defense confuse Jayden Daniels? Can they slow down this Kliff Kingsbury, Jayden Daniels attack," Simms said to Florio. "That's the million dollar question. I'm gonna bet yes, that this is the week they do slow it down. I'm gonna bet yes, that this is the week we see maybe Jayden Daniels turn the ball over more than once. Interception, strip sack fumble, whatever that may be."
To Simms' reasoning, Pittsburgh's defense has taken the ball away 15 times this season, which is tied for fourth among all defenses in the NFL. However, on the flip side, Daniels and the Commanders have turned the ball over the fewest of any team with just three. It's challenging for defenses to get the best of Daniels' rookie heroics, but if any team can do it, it's the Steelers.
Aaron Anastasia / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers' OLBs TJ Watt and Nick Herbig making a play at the end of Week 3 in 2024.
Washington is coming off of a win in which they nearly let the Giants come back and steal the game. They were without Robinson, though, who is suffering with a hamstring injury. Robinson returned to practice this week and has better odds of suiting up this Sunday against Pittsburgh.
Steelers' Healthy And Improved Defensive Line To Impose Major Problems For Commanders
The Steelers have been without edge rusher Nick Herbig due to a hamstring injury, but he returned to practice this week after the bye and has had limited participation. For a moment, the Steelers were without both Herbig and Alex Highsmith, leaving not much help behind TJ Watt. Having Herbig back in the rotation would create some big problems for Daniels and the Commanders offense.
Along with the edge rushers getting back to one-hundred percent, the Steelers also made a surprising trade before the deadline this week and grabbed Preston Smith from the Green Bay Packers. Smith, in the midst of his 10th season, will be another great veteran to provide depth on the defensive line. The Steelers have arguably the best front seven in the NFL, and they'll be going up one of the best rushing offenses this week.
Alysa Rubin / Pittsburgh Steelers
Steelers' new addition Preston Smith practices ahead of a game against the Washington Commanders.
If Pittsburgh manages their way through Washington, they'll be 7-2 and first in the AFC North before their first divisional game against Baltimore in Week 11. How do you think the defense will perform in Washington on Sunday? Will the defensive line be able to wreck the game for Daniels and the Commanders? Let us know in the comments below.
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