Coming off a bye week, the Pittsburgh Steelers kept the franchise's winning streak going by defeating the Washington Commanders on the road by a score of 28-27. This was the Steelers' first true test of the season as they begin their second half schedule gauntlet. Pittsburgh showed why it deserves to be 7-2. Head Coach Mike Tomlin came in with an aggressive mindset when Pittsburgh's special teams went for a fake punt on its own 16-yard line. Miles Killebrew threw a pass to a wide open James Pierre, but Pierre dropped the ball. The turnover on downs led the Commanders to score on a short-field advantage.
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Steelers' Ben Skowronek and James Pierre go for a muffed punt against the Commanders during Week 10
Special teams has been on fire for the Steelers under special teams coordinator Danny Smith. From blocked punts to returns by Calvin Austin III, they added onto their streak with a muffed punt today by Commanders' Olamide Zaccheaus, with a recovery by Ben Skowronek. Pierre helped bat the ball towards Skowronek, trying to mend his easily catchable ball that he dropped. Tomlin didn't condemn Pierre in his postgame press conference after the game Sunday.
"I can’t say enough of the efforts of guys like James Pierre and guys like that that had an opportunity to step up because of the attrition component of play," Tomlin said.
Tomlin isn't one to throw his players under the bus during press conferences and he certainly didn't do it here. Pierre has played in six games this season and recorded six solo tackles. He has been used on special teams for the majority of his playing time, but has come in as cornerback at times.
Donte Jackson went out with a hamstring injury during the game and Pierre stepped in to fill his spot. Pierre had good coverage on a pass breakup play against Noah Brown on the Commanders' last drive to try and win, proving he put his mistake behind him.
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Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Cam Heyward plays hard to make his late father proud
Cam Heyward had a big game for himself against the Commanders, sacking Jayden Daniels twice. Heyward, a known veteran leader on the team, told reporters during his postgame press conference what the team said to Pierre after the fake punt early on in the game.
"Just let it go, we all mess up," Heyward answered. "I can't tell you the amount of times I've messed up or another player's messed up. If we had lost this game and we had said 'this is the reason why we lost,' I think that's incomplete. Every game is full of little spurts where guys can make plays. And you know whenever something happens like that we rally around them and we make more plays."
Heyward's long defense statement on his teammate shows true character of this team. Pierre did indeed rally back and contributed to this win. With the uncertainty of Jackson's hamstring injury, Pierre may continue to see more playing time next Sunday against AFC North rival Baltimore Ravens.
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Steelers' Preston Smith during a regular season game against the Commanders in Week 10
Steelers' New Acquisitions Contribute In Big Win
When the Steelers traded for Mike Williams and Preston Smith on Tuesday before the NFL trade deadline, it was unknown how much they would contribute in Sunday's game against the Commanders. Smith seemed to come in early on defense and he made some plays himself. He finished with three total tackles and a sack. Williams also had arguably one of the biggest plays on the game, catching the go-ahead 32-yard touchdown pass from Russell Wilson.
The team continues to come together on both sides and the two new additions add to the completeness of the team. Smith will likely see more playing time moving forward as Alex Highsmith went down with an apparent ankle injury late in the game. He couldn't put any pressure on it walking off the field, so Smith's trade seems to be well worth it now.
Did you like the aggressiveness of the fake punt early in the game? Let us know in the comments below!
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