Taken from the grade book of a teacher pleased to see his new students shine, here is the Pittsburgh Steelers Report Card for the win over the Commanders at Northwest Field.
Mike Williams hauls in the TD. Photo Credit: Karl Roser, Steelers.com
Quarterback
Russell Wilson went 14 of 28 for 195 yards, throwing 3 touchdowns and one interception. That 50/50 completion percentage is accurate – there were times when Wilson threw passes were the wideout had little chance of catching it. His interception was ugly. But through it all Wilson kept a steady hand on the tiller, never blinked and put the Steelers back on top with the game on the line. Grade: B+
Running Backs
After three straight 100 yard games, Najee Harris had a rough outing rushing for 53 yards on 21 carries. Jaylen Warren did better, going 66 yards on 14 carries and taking a simple check down pass 26 yards to set up a score. Still, Warren put the ball on the ground at the one. Grade: B-
Tight Ends
Pat Freiermuth caught 3 passes for 17 yards including a touchdown. Darnell Washington had one catch on one target. MyCole Pruitt missed on his only target. Overall a solid game from the tight ends. Grade: B
Wide Receivers
George Pickens had 5 catches for 91 yards including in incredible Lynn Swann-like catch in the end zone. Calvin Austin had 2 catches for 20 yards including a critical completion that set up Mike Williams lone, 32 yard reception on a play he’d never even practiced. Van Jefferson had 0 catches on two targets. Grade: A-
Offensive Line
Washington’s pass rush sacked 3 times hit Russell Wilson him another 6 times, but none of those sacks came in the 4th quarter when the game was on the line. The run blocking told a similar story. Steelers running backs did have rougher sledding then in previous weeks, but the Steelers ran effectively when they needed to. Grade: C
Defensive Line
Cam Heyward wrecked the Commanders second drive with a sack and then wrecked their drive after Wilson’s interception with another sack. He also batted down Daniels pass on third down. Not bad for a 35 year old. Larry Ogunjobi had a key tackle for a loss early in the game, and Keenau Benton stopped Daniels cold when he tried to take off with the ball. Grade: A-
Cam Heyward sacks Jaden Daniels. Photo Credit: AP, Chaz Palla, via Tribune-Review
Linebackers
It was another quiet day for T.J. Watt. He didn’t have a sack. He didn’t have a tackle or even an assist. All he did was pressure Jayden Daniels into throwing incomplete on third down in his penultimate possession and then deflect a pass on his final possession. Alex Highsmith had another strong game in ways that did not show up on the stat chart. Preston Smith showed his value with a sack and a tackle for an 11 yard loss. Grade: B
Secondary
On the downside, Joey Porter Jr. had a rough game, giving up several big gains and several more penalties. However, James Pierre and Cameron Sutton came up big with passes defensed, and Minkah Fitzpatrick quietly made several big-play saving tackles, including an assist on what ultimately was Washington’s final play. Grade: B
Special Teams
Miles Killebrew’s fake punt pass was right on the money, but James Pierre couldn’t hold on. Ben Skowronek was right on the money with his punt coverage and recovery of a muffed punt. The Steelers did not allow a punt return all day, while Calvin Austin had a nice day returning punts. The Steelers kick returns were average, but Washington almost broke one. Corliss Waitman punted well downing three inside the 3 and Chris Boswell was 4-4 on PATs. Grade: B-
Coaching
Arthur Smith’s offense didn’t have a “breakout game.” It wasn’t “explosive.” It didn’t have a 100 yard rusher or a 100 yard receiver. Its quarterback didn’t break the 200 yard passing mark. It turned the ball over twice in the tail end of the third quarter.
But what Arthur Smith’s offense did was author a consistent performance. It scored a touchdown in each quarter and remained on an even keel until the deploying the victory formation.
- This game promised to offer an interesting test for Teryl Austin’s defense.
Washington came into the game running the ball well. It scored points. It dominated time of possession. It rarely went 3 and out.
Austin’s offense didn’t dominate Washington. It was nip and tuck at several points. But Austin’s offense bottled up the Commander’s rushing attack made Jayden Daniels look mortal – even without applying the relentless pass rush that made it famous.
Patrick Queen stops Austin Ekel for a loss. Photo Credit: AP, Chaz Palla via Tribune Review.
This was an up-and-down game. Had anyone of a number of critical plays not gone Pittsburgh’s way, the Steelers easily could have lost this. Yet through all of it, the Steelers always kept their focus, mastering the art of playing with urgency while avoiding panic. All of which is to Mike Tomlin’s credit. Grade: B+
Unsung Hero Award
The Steelers run defense has been suspect at times this year. And while there are a lot of reasons for it, some of the blame for those lapses must be shouldered by the inside linebackers. The Commanders like to run the ball, and one player who played a key role in making sure they did not establish the run was Patrick Queen, who led the team in tackles, including two for losses and for that he was the Unsung Hero Award for the Steelers 2024 win over the Washington Commanders at Northwest Stadium.
